Intego vs Scanguard (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Intego and Scanguard share a 2.0 GPA, neither has a free plan, and Intego starts cheaper, at $3.33 a month when paid by the year against $8.25 a month when paid by the year.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
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
Scanguard
Antivirus and cleanup suite for Windows, Mac and iPhone
Which one is for you
Pick Intego if
- Fits if your household runs on Macs and you want a firewall with app rules
- Works for families sharing one plan, as the 3- and 5-seat plans give each person their own login
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as there's no free version or trial, only a 30-day money-back guarantee
- Skip it if your household has Android phones, which Intego doesn't cover
- Pricey if you want the VPN, as it only comes with Complete at $89.99 a year after the first
- Watch out: first-term prices are 25% to 35% off and renew at full price, such as $39.99 a year for one Mac on Essential
- Tight if you also have PCs or an older Mac, as Windows needs a separate $49.99 product and Intego ONE needs macOS 12.4 or later
Pick Scanguard if
- Fits if you want one plan covering Windows, Mac and iPhone
- Works for people who like a cleanup tool bundled with an antivirus
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you compare $99 a year with the $4.50 middle of this category
- Skip it if you use Android, as no app is listed
- Not for you if you want to try before you buy: no free plan or trial is on record
- Watch out: plans renew at the then-regular rate and introductory pricing may apply
- Watch out: refunds need the subscription fully terminated, 30 days on annual plans
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAIntegoFair | 2.0GPAScanguardFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C$99 a year, about $8.25 a month, near the dearest tenth of this category, which starts at $8.99, for one plan with no cheaper step. |
| 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. | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, and a demo request is not a trial. A refund window is not a trial. |
| 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 antivirus, scheduled scans, WebShield, junk cleanup, an email breach scanner and gaming mode. The listing shows one plan 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, but it is a consumer antivirus you install and run. |
| 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 and iPhone, with no Android and no integrations. |
| Best for | antivirus and a firewall built for Macs | Windows, Mac and iPhone antivirus with a cleanup suite |
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 Scanguard. 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. Scanguard starts at $8.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Intego starts $4.92 a month lower. Of the other antivirus apps on the chart, 4 score higher than Intego for less, and 9 score higher than Scanguard 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 also covers vPN.
At a glance
| Intego | Scanguard | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $39.99 per year at renewal (Essential, 1 Mac), after a first year for $29.99 | $99 per year |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Intego | Total Security Limited |
| Price read from | intego.com | scanguard.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
Scanguard
- No Android app is listed; compatibility is stated as Windows 7+, macOS 10.9+ and iOS.
- Plans renew automatically at the then-regular rate, and introductory pricing may apply to first-time customers.
- Refunds require fully terminating the subscription: 30 days on annual and biannual plans, 14 days on monthly and quarterly ones.
- The pricing page shows one plan; monthly, quarterly and biannual prices were not displayed.
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.
Scanguard
- Real-time antivirus
- Scans devices continuously for malware, ransomware, spyware and phishing, plus on-demand and scheduled scans.
- WebShield
- Filters aimed at phishing and scam sites and malicious downloads, active on desktop platforms.
- Data breach monitoring
- Scans an email address and alerts you if the credentials appear in known breaches.
- Junk and speed cleanup
- Clears junk files, manages startup programs and offers a gaming mode and system boost.
- iPhone and iPad app
- The pricing page says iOS protection is included, with app-based features built for iPhone and iPad.
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.
Scanguard
Scanguard Premium$99
per year
Real-time antivirus, scheduled scans, WebShield, junk cleanup, email breach scanner and gaming mode.
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.
Scanguard
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Intego or Scanguard?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Intego is cheaper to start with: $3.33 a month when paid by the year, against $8.25 a month when paid by the year for Scanguard. Intego starts at $39.99 per year at renewal (Essential, 1 Mac), after a first year for $29.99, and Scanguard starts at $99 per year.
Which has a free plan, Intego or Scanguard?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Intego nor Scanguard has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.