Intego vs Malwarebytes
We give Intego a 2.0 GPA and Malwarebytes a 2.2, out of 4.0. Intego grades higher on value for money. Malwarebytes grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Intego
Mac antivirus and firewall suite, with a VPN and a Windows edition
Malwarebytes
Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAIntegoFair | 2.2GPAMalwarebytesFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CEssential for 5 Macs is $52.49 the first year, then $69.99, so two years cost $122.48, about $5.10 a month, just above the dearer quarter of antivirus. That covers Macs only: an iPhone needs Complete and a PC a separate product. | DFive devices means Standard Family, $119.99 a year for up to 10, with no first-year deal on record. So two years cost $239.98, about $10 a month, in the dearest tenth of antivirus. With three devices or fewer, Standard at $59.99 a year halves that. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free version and no trial. A 30-day money-back guarantee is the only safety net, and that isn't a trial. | CMalwarebytes Free scans Windows PCs and Macs and removes what it finds, for nothing. But it has no real-time, ransomware or phishing protection, so it cleans up after an infection rather than stopping one. |
| Features | CReal-time Mac antivirus, a Mac firewall with app rules, SmartClean on Advanced, and a VPN with an iPhone app on Complete. The gaps are in the listing: Essential and Advanced cover Macs only, and Windows needs a separate product. | CReal-time protection on Windows, Mac and Android, Browser Guard against scam sites, Scam Guard for messages, and a VPN from Plus up. The gap is in the listing itself: exploit protection, firewall control and webcam monitoring are Windows-only. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. It's a Mac app that scans and guards on its own once installed, though it needs macOS 12.4 or later. | BNo store rating on record. It's a program you install and run, and the free scanner needs nothing set up before the first scan. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMacs, an iPhone through Complete, and Windows through the separate Antivirus for Windows. No Android, API or integrations on record. | BWindows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and Browser Guard for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. No web app, integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | antivirus and a firewall built for Macs | cleaning up a computer that's already infected |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Intego and Malwarebytes. How we grade
Price against what you get
Intego starts at $3.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Malwarebytes starts at $5 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Intego starts $1.67 a month lower. Of the other antivirus apps on the chart, 3 score higher than Intego for less, and 4 score higher than Malwarebytes for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Intego starts at $39.99 per year at renewal (Essential, 1 Mac), after a first year for $29.99. Malwarebytes starts at $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard).
- Malwarebytes has a free plan. Intego does not.
- Only Malwarebytes lists an Android app.
- Only Malwarebytes lists a browser extension.
- Intego also covers disk cleanup.
- Malwarebytes also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Intego | Malwarebytes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39.99 per year at renewal (Essential, 1 Mac), after a first year for $29.99 | $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard) |
| Free plan | None | Malwarebytes Free scans Windows PCs and Macs on demand and removes infections already there. It has no real-time, ransomware or phishing protection. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Intego | Malwarebytes Inc. |
| Price read from | intego.com | malwarebytes.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Intego
- Mac owners who want antivirus and a firewall built for macOS
- People who want Mac cleanup tools in the same subscription
- Households with a mix of Macs and iPhones on one plan
Malwarebytes
- Cleaning up a computer that is already infected, for free
- Households that want one antivirus across Windows, Mac and phones
- Buyers who want a VPN in the same subscription as their antivirus
Worth knowing
Intego
- The advertised prices are first-term discounts of 25% to 35%; plans renew automatically at the full price, such as $39.99 a year for Essential.
- There is no free version or free trial; a 30-day money-back guarantee is offered instead.
- The VPN and iPhone app come only with Complete; Essential and Advanced cover Macs only.
- Intego ONE needs macOS 12.4 or later, and Windows PCs need the separate Antivirus for Windows.
Malwarebytes
- Malwarebytes Free has no real-time protection: it only finds and removes infections when you run a scan.
- Ultimate's $139.99 covers the first year only; it then renews at $279.99 a year, and subscriptions bought online renew automatically.
- Several protections, such as exploit protection, firewall control and webcam monitoring, are Windows-only.
- Home plans are for personal use; small businesses are sold Malwarebytes for Teams separately.
Key features
Intego
- Real-time Mac antivirus
- Scans continuously and on a schedule, and removes viruses, malware, spyware and adware written for macOS.
- Mac firewall
- Monitors every network connection on the Mac, blocks intrusions and lets you set rules for which apps may go online.
- SmartClean
- Advanced and Complete clear junk files, caches and app leftovers, uninstall apps fully and monitor CPU, memory and disk use.
- Intego VPN
- Complete includes a no-logs VPN using the Lightway protocol, plus an iPhone app with Wi-Fi network checks and a security assessment.
- Shared seats
- 3- and 5-seat plans let you invite family or friends to their own seat without sharing your login.
- Antivirus for Windows
- A separate PC product with a web shield against phishing and fake sites, ransomware and banking Trojan blocking, and scheduled scans.
Malwarebytes
- Real-time malware protection
- Premium Security blocks malware, ransomware and potentially unwanted programs as they arrive on Windows, Mac and Android. The free version only cleans up afterwards.
- Browser Guard
- A free extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari that blocks ads, third-party trackers and sites known to spread malware or scams.
- Scam Guard and text and call filtering
- Scam Guard checks suspicious messages and links and suggests what to do. Phones get scam text filtering, and the iPhone app also blocks spam calls.
- Privacy VPN
- Plus, Plus Family and Ultimate include a WireGuard-based VPN with no metering of data, on desktop and mobile.
- Windows-only extras
- On Windows, Premium Security adds exploit and brute force protection, firewall control, webcam monitoring, a file shredder and system tweaks.
- Identity protection
- Ultimate adds dark web and account alerts, three-bureau credit monitoring, recovery specialists, $2 million identity insurance and a personal data remover.
Plans
Intego
Essential, 1 year$39.99
per year for 1 Mac at renewal, after a first year for $29.99
Antivirus and firewall. First year $29.99 (25% off); 3 Macs $41.24 then $54.99, 5 Macs $52.49 then $69.99.
Essential, 2 years$74.99
every 2 years for 1 Mac at renewal, after a first 2 years for $56.24
Essential paid for 2 years at a time: $56.24 for the first 2 years, then $74.99 every 2 years.
Antivirus for Windows$49.99
per year for 1 PC at renewal, after a first year for $39.99
Real-time antivirus, web shield and ransomware protection for Windows. 3 PCs $54.99 then $66.99; 5 PCs $69.99 then $84.99.
Advanced, 2 years$129.99
every 2 years for 1 Mac at renewal, after a first 2 years for $90.99
Adds SmartClean. 1 year: $48.99 the first year (30% off), then $69.99. Also sold for 3 or 5 Macs.
Complete, 2 years$149.99
every 2 years for 1 Mac at renewal, after a first 2 years for $97.49
Adds Intego VPN and the iPhone app, for 1 Mac and 1 iPhone. 1 year: $58.49 the first year (35% off), then $89.99.
Malwarebytes
Free$0
On-demand scanner that finds and removes malware already on the device. Free apps for Android and iOS too.
Standard$59.99
per year for up to 3 devices
Premium Security antivirus with Browser Guard's scam, ad and tracker blocking and data breach alerts. Also sold for a single device.
Plus$79.99
per year for up to 3 devices
Everything in Standard plus Privacy VPN, a WireGuard VPN with no data cap.
Standard Family$119.99
per year for up to 10 devices
Standard's antivirus and Browser Guard for up to 10 devices.
Plus Family$149.99
per year for up to 10 devices
Antivirus, Browser Guard and Privacy VPN for up to 10 devices.
Ultimate$279.99
per year for 3 devices at renewal, after a first year for $139.99
Adds identity protection with $2M insurance and a data remover for 1 adult. First year $139.99. Family: $199.99, then $399.99.
Ways to pay less
Intego
- Other savings
25% to 35% off the first term of Intego ONE
First year for 1 Mac: Essential $29.99, Advanced $48.99, Complete $58.49, then $39.99, $69.99 and $89.99 a year. Two-year terms get the same discounts.
- Other savings
20% off the first year of Antivirus for Windows
Antivirus for Windows costs $39.99 for the first year on 1 PC, then renews at $49.99 a year.
Malwarebytes
- Other savings
Ultimate at $139.99 for the first year
The pricing page shows Ultimate at 50% off, $139.99 instead of $279.99, and Ultimate Family at $199.99 instead of $399.99. The discount is for the first year only.
