If there’s one piece of software you cannot afford to cut corners on, it’s the antivirus software that protects you and your computer from harm. Precisely why consulting our independent MacKeeper reviews before putting your trust in this particular software suite is essential.
Our recommendation: McAfee
With so many antivirus products in the market, there is none that’s like McAfee. With over 18.9 billion devices protected on a consistent basis, McAfee’s ability to deal with malware attacks come unmatched! McAfee has a dedicated database that is adept to deal with all sorts of virus attacks whether they may be online or offline. To browse their programs, check out their programs here!
Anyone considering an investment in MacKeeper app for Apple devices of any kind will undoubtedly have multiple questions in mind:
- What is MacKeeper software?
- Is MacKeeper safe and reliable?
- Are the MacKeeper apps easy to use?
- Is MacKeeper good enough as a standalone protection package?
In this 100% independent MacKeeper review, I’ll be taking a look at some of the ups and downs of this popular Mac security suite for Apple machines. Read on for all you need to know to make a safe and informed decision, if on the lookout for a quality protection package you can trust.
MacKeeper Reviews - Is It Safe and Effective?
Addressing the inescapable elephant in the room right off the bat, there’s no avoiding the fact that MacKeeper for Mac has something of a checkered past. Something I’m not going to be going into in too much detail right now, as I’m more interested in how MacKeeper performs today – not where and how its previous versions fell short, especially as an antivirus for business.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that MacKeeper for Mac still isn’t available in the form of a free version, or with any specific free trial on offer. However, the company recently introduced a new (though shortened) 14-day refund policy, meaning you can request your money back at any time during the first two weeks, if not completely satisfied. It’s also possible to sign up for just one month’s cover, so there’s no need to enter into any binding long-term agreements.
In addition, MacKeeper’s tools, features and functionalities have been expanded and improved enormously as of late. It’s also a much more lightweight protective suite than it used to be, putting the bare minimum drain on finite operating system resources. Coupled with a streamlined user interface and a comparatively low subscription & Mackeeper cost, it has all the makings of a quality piece of software on paper.
MacKeeper Security Features
At the time of my Mackeeper review, MacKeeper for Mac wasn’t currently offering any kind of real-time virus protection. This is why it didn't make it to our top-rated antivirus for Mac lineup. However, while consulting with a MacKeeper representative, I was informed that real-time protection would be added to the mix before the end of 2020.
For Windows users, there is a fully functional trusted antivirus for Windows 10 to meet your needs.
Hence, if the absence of the real-time protection is a deal-breaker for any would be buyers, it’s coming soon. Other than this, the various protective features and functionalities MacKeeper for Mac brings to the table are as impressive as they are comprehensive.
MacKeeper for Mac has been designed to provide total protection for mac OS devices from malware, ransomware, and other viruses.
After installing Mackeeper on your device, It even has a feature of solid VPN included in the package as standard, which is becoming an increasingly important feature for most PC and Mac users alike.
When it comes to VPN, we have the best antivirus with VPN lineup reviewed for you.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the specific features and selling points MacKeeper brings to the table:
Antivirus Scanner
Head over to the Internet Security menu on the dashboard and you will find the MacKeeper anti-virus scanner. This is where you can manually launch a deep and detailed scan of your entire system (or a designated part of it) to detect and deal with potentially unwanted program that is posing a threat to your device.
What’s immediately noticeable about the anti-virus scanner is that it gets the job done pretty quickly. Performing a full scan takes no longer than around 30 minutes, which to a degree is almost suspiciously quick. Nevertheless, independent tests have shown that MacKeeper for Mac is just as capable as most of its top-shelf counterparts in the identification and elimination of common and non-standard threats alike.
Though what’s interesting is how a second scan performed immediately after the initial scan is no quicker. Rather than skipping areas recently scanned and therefore considered safe, MacKeeper conducts a full and detailed scan each time it is activated.
Adware Cleaner
Again, the most immediately impressive thing about the Adware Cleaner function is how quickly Mackeeper examines the relevant areas of your computer. 5 minutes or so is all it takes to pick up on all pressing adware threats hiding in your system, which can then be deleted at the touch of a button.
Most types of adware aren’t particularly harmful or dangerous, but it’s nonetheless good to know you’re being spied on by as few marketers as possible. MacKeeper’s Adware Cleaner is therefore less about staying safe and more about peace of mind, though scores top marks for the speed of the scan and the precision of its Adware detection.
ID Theft Guard
Just as the name suggests, this is a function that is designed to reduce the risk of falling victim to identity theft. It’s a surprisingly comprehensive feature, which after entering your e-mail address will conduct a search and let you know whether it has been involved in any major or minor data breach.
Don’t be too surprised if it turns out your e-mail address has been hijacked by somebody at some point for some reason – it happens all the time. However, it’s entirely up to you to take the necessary corrective action – MacKeeper bringing unauthorized use of your e-mail address to your attention and giving you the opportunity to do something about it.
Best of all, after completion of this initial scan, this Mac antivirus security will then carry on monitoring for unauthorized use of your e-mail address in future and provide you with prompts accordingly.
VPN Private Connect
As previously mentioned, there’s a useful VPN included with every MacKeeper subscription. Known as “PrivateConnect”, it provides you with the opportunity to connect to the Internet via a variety of servers in useful locations worldwide.
The idea being that along with enabling you to hide your IP address and your location, you can also access geo-restricted content from other countries and jurisdictions. TV channels and streaming media services from abroad being particularly popular uses for a VPN.
Two things are particularly impressive about MacKeeper’s VPN. Along with providing access to a wide variety of servers from around the world, unlimited data is also provided with every subscription plan. This means there are no limitations to how much data you can download or how much content you can stream, with no bandwidth throttling to worry about.
Safe Cleanup
This feature of Mackeeper is useful that scans your Mac operating system in its entirety and identifies anything that doesn’t need to be there. All the garbage that’s doing nothing but taking up space and consuming resources is located and brought to your attention, after which it can be deleted at the touch of a button.
As with its other scanning functionalities, MacKeeper seems to get the job done way faster than you might expect. Give the whole thing just 2 minutes or so and you’ll be presented with a remarkably long list of trash that’s accumulated on your system over the years. After deletion, you benefit from additional space and smoother performance in general.
StopAd
This is a browser extension Of Mackeeper for Mac that needs to be installed manually, though MacKeeper for Mac comes complete with all the instructions needed to find it and set it up. Once installed, StopAd provides outstanding protection from ads and trackers while doing online browsing.
For the most part, it’s more about convenience and the elimination of irritating ads than actual ‘protection’ in the traditional sense. Nevertheless, tests have shown that StopAd does a great job of preventing websites from tracking and (in some instances) recording your every move, which can only be a good thing.
You can also see exactly which ads have been blocked and which websites were attempting to monitor your movements, which is interesting to say the least.
Duplicate Finder
It’s hard to believe just how many duplicate files or even malicious files find their way on to the average Mac. Even if you’re relatively meticulous with the way you handle your hardware and software, duplicate files and junk files are practically inevitable. Precisely where MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder feature can be a huge help, scanning your entire system and removing unnecessary files in approximately 10 minutes, and finding anything that’s been duplicated unnecessarily.
Once again, you’ll be provided with a complete breakdown of everything uncovered during the inspection, after which you’ll have the option of deleting whichever duplicate file you don’t need. An extremely straightforward feature to use that can free up masses of space on your hard drive – all in a matter of minutes.
Smart Uninstaller
This is similar in purpose to some of the features outlined above, though rather than files in the traditional sense takes a look at unused applications, widgets, plugins, and browser extensions. It’s an intelligent piece of software that detects and locates all the files you either don’t use or don’t need, at which point you can decide whether or not to keep them.
Give the Smart Uninstaller around 5 minutes and there’s a good chance you’ll be returned with an extremely long list of data-heavy entities you can quite happily live without. The feature clearly shows you which of your apps, widgets and so on are unused or unnecessary, after which you can highlight and delete them at the touch of a button.
Again, this is a fantastic feature for both freeing up invaluable disk space and contributing to smoother overall system performance.
Memory Cleaner
Speaking of which, keeping an eye on just how efficiently (or otherwise) your RAM is being used at any one time, memory cleaner is essential to ensure smooth system performance. The idea being that when you know which applications and background processes are eating up Mac's memory, you can put a stop to any that don’t need to be running at the time.
It’s not uncommon for the vast majority of a computer’s RAM to be occupied while performing even the most rudimentary tasks, due to a whole bunch of background processes running silently and invisibly. That said, freeing up a modest amount of RAM with a feature like this isn’t going to suddenly turbocharge the way your computer runs.
Still, if you’ve 8GB of RAM and background processes are currently consuming 7.5GB of it, every scrap of RAM you can free up can only be a good thing.
Other MacKeeper Features
The list of additional features and functionalities MacKeeper brings to the table is lengthy and diverse. One of the most useful being Login Items, which makes it quick and easy to see which applications are loading each time you start your device. If you’re running a Mac that seems to take an eternity to boot up, chances are you could benefit from a few strategic adjustments or deletions.
Likewise, Update Tracker is more or less essential for helping to keep your Mac software up to date. You can’t always rely on automatic updates to keep your apps up to date with the latest patches and whatnot – Update Tracker scans your system at a much deeper level. If any of your apps need updating, they’ll let you know about it and help you stay safe.
As for gamers, we'd go after one of the reliable antivirus for gaming options we reviewed.
MacKeeper Customer Support
I’d I have to say that this is one of the areas in which MacKeeper has improved enormously over recent years. Having once made it painfully difficult to contact a representative, you can now get in touch with MacKeeper around the clock and in a matter of minutes.
The current options for customer support include the following:
It’s worth noting at this juncture that while the platform itself supports dozens of languages, customer representatives at MacKeeper only speak English.
After putting each of the communication channels to the test, live chat came out (by a huge margin) as the quickest and most convenient. Tested on multiple occasions day and night, it never took more than around 5 minutes for an agent to get back to me. Response times to specific questions weren’t always as speedy as they could be, but were still solid enough.
I’ve come across a few complaints regarding e-mail response times, though I personally found them to be better than those of some top-name security software providers. On average, I found myself waiting five to six hours for an e-mail response – better than the norm of up to 24 hours elsewhere. No complaints regarding the content of the emails either, which in all instances were clearly penned by professionals who know what they are talking about.
As for telephone support, the fact that it is available on a 24/7 basis is no less than phenomenal. In addition, every representative I encountered during the course of my evaluation was friendly, welcoming and extremely knowledgeable. I also found response times (day and night) to be way better than I had expected – I was never kept waiting more than around 3 minutes.
The only downside to MacKeeper’s telephone support being that it isn’t always free to call them up. It’s not like you’re charged a fortune (from most regions) to consult with a representative by phone, but at the same time it’s worth remembering that you could be chatting for a while, depending on the nature and complexity of your issue.
Still, I’ve personally nothing but positive things to say about MacKeeper’s customer support, which really is in a different league when compared to a few years ago.
Pricing
It would be great if MacKeeper was available in the form of a free trial version, enabling prospective buyers to find out what’s on offer without providing payment information. This isn’t the case, but at least Mackeeper offers a money-back guarantee (see the section below), so you can still try it out without the risk of losing your money if you’re not happy with it.
In terms of specific pricing options, MacKeeper is currently available as a 1-month plan which costs $14.95, a 6-month subscription available at $11.95 per month, and a 12-month plan at $9.95 per month. Do the math and you’ll be looking at $71.70 for 6 months or $119.40 for a year, if you go for one of the longer subscription options.
What’s immediately noticeable is how irrespective of the package you choose, the annual costs of MacKeeper are somewhat elevated. Some of the top-name computer protection suites on the market are available for considerably less on an annual basis, though it’s worth remembering that MacKeeper was designed specifically and exclusively for Apple devices. Something that gives it a slight edge over the competition.
Another plus point is the way in which the availability of the advanced features and functionalities is identical across all of the packages. MacKeeper isn’t in the habit of shortchanging those who choose to sign up for a shorter period of time, which makes a refreshing change. Nevertheless, I would personally like to see the addition of a free trial, which provides full access to everything on offer for a limited time.
As it stands, there’s no alternative but to sign up for a paid version and request a refund, if you decide not to continue your subscription.
Refunds
At the time of my review, MacKeeper was offering a 14-day money-back guaranteed that covered all Mackeeper plans. This means that if for any reason whatsoever you are not completely happy, you can apply for a refund within the first 14 days. Decent enough, but could do with being extended to at least a month.
Interestingly, MacKeeper also states in its terms and conditions that you can apply for a partial refund after this 14-day period, if you would like to exit your contract early. In which case, you will the need to provide valid reasoning, based on the performance features of the software or the extent to which it is unable to fulfill your requirements.
MacKeeper’s customer support team is understanding and empathetic where refund requests are concerned. They’re also not afraid to do what they can to persuade you to stick around for the duration. Upon requesting a refund, don’t be surprised if they offer you two or more months’ free coverage if you agree to continue using it. Not in a particularly pushy or high-pressure sense, but more a friendly attempt to reach a mutually amicable agreement.
Our recommendation: McAfee
Although the product we talked about are notable in the market, it doesn’t come close to McAfee. McAfee is a leading antivirus company in the cybersecurity industry due to its unique line-up of programs catered to dealing with malware and antivirus attacks. No wonder over 18.9 billion devices are protected using McAfee! Check out their security programs here!
As for MacKeeper , my only slight complaint in this instance being that MacKeeper used to offer a money-back guarantee of 30 days, covering the first full month of use. Inexplicably, a suite of protective software that’s infinitely better than it used to be now ships with a shorter warranty. I can’t personally fathom why this is the case, but still – 14 days is probably enough to get to grips with how MacKeeper works.
MacKeeper is a multipurpose application for Macs that protects your Mac computer from online security threats, optimises Mac performance, and aids in disc space reclamation.
Pros:
Cons:
FAQs
1. Is MacKeeper any good for Mac?
Yes, Antivirus MacKeeper provides virus and malware protection for your Mac. You'll be able to run virus scans that will detect various types of malware, such as adware and trojans. Additionally, MacKeeper protects your Mac device in real-time, notifying you of any malware that has been downloaded onto your Mac.
After testing MacKeeper antivirus, the bottom line Mackeeper software for Mac is an excellent choice if you are looking for a security tool. Not only will MacKeeper protect your Mac from viruses and keep you safe while online, but it also includes a Private Connect VPN to ensure your web traffic privacy is protected. But, on the other hand, if you require password management tools and a firewall, this antivirus is not for you.
2. How do I remove MacKeeper from my Macbook air?
How to uninstall MacKeeper from your Mac:
- Begin by launching MacKeeper.
- Terminate MacKeeper.
- Drag MacKeeper to the Trash from the Applications folder.
- Type in your administrator password.
- A pop-up window appears, requesting confirmation to uninstall the remaining components.
- Select the Uninstall MacKeeper option.
- From the Finder, select Go > Go to Folder.
3. How do you check a Mac for virus?
How to determine if your Mac is infected with a virus: Navigate to the Applications folder in Finder. Scroll through the list of installed apps, deleting any that are unfamiliar. Trash should be emptied.
4. Is MacKeeper a legitimate Apple product?
MacKeeper is a program that is available in the Mac App store, and it is a legitimate program. It is designed to help users keep their Macs running smoothly by providing features like cleaning junk files, optimizing storage, and protecting against malware. Some people have raised concerns about MacKeeper, but these concerns appear to be unfounded.
5. What is the cost for MacKeeper?
The cost for MacKeeper can vary depending on the subscription plan that is chosen. The most basic plan, which includes protection against malware and other online threats, is $5.99 per month or $72 for a full year. There are also more comprehensive plans that include additional features, such as data recovery and backup, for a higher price.
