MacKeeper vs Malwarebytes (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Malwarebytes grades higher than MacKeeper: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
MacKeeper grades higher on value for money. Malwarebytes grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MacKeeper
Mac maintenance app with antivirus, cleanup and a VPN
Malwarebytes
Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans
Which one is for you
Pick MacKeeper if
- Fits if you want cleanup tools and a scanner in one Mac app
- Works for one or three Macs on a yearly plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or a phone, as only Mac is covered
- Pricey if you pay monthly at $14.95
- Watch out: the homepage says from $10.95 a month while the pricing page shows lower figures
- Watch out: the refund must be requested within 30 days and is lost after six months of use
- Tight if you stay on free: one week of malware scanning only
Pick Malwarebytes if
- Fits if a computer is already acting up and you want a free scan to clean it
- Works for households of up to 10 devices on one family plan
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have four or five devices, since that means the $119.99 family plan
- Skip it if you want the free version to stop threats, as it has no real-time, ransomware or phishing protection
- Not for you if you're on a Mac and want the firewall control, exploit protection and webcam monitoring Windows gets
- Watch out: Ultimate is $139.99 the first year, then $279.99, and plans bought online renew by themselves
- Too light for small businesses, as home plans are for personal use and Teams is sold separately
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAMacKeeperFair | 2.2GPAMalwarebytesFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$71.40 a year for 1 Mac, shown as $5.95 a month, between the middle and the dearer quarter of this category. The month-to-month plan is $14.95 and no renewal price is stated. | 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 | CA free version with one use of the memory cleaner, one week of malware scanning and a limited adware blocker. | 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 | CAntivirus, cleanup and VPN in one Mac app, though the antivirus is one part of a maintenance suite. | 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, but it is a Mac app you install and run. | 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 | DMac only: no Windows, iPhone or Android app is listed. | 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 | a Mac cleanup app with antivirus attached | 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: MacKeeper and Malwarebytes. How we grade
Price against what you get
MacKeeper starts at $5.95 a month and scores 2.0 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.
Malwarebytes scores higher and starts $0.95 a month lower. Of the other antivirus apps on the chart, 21 score higher than MacKeeper for less, and 5 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
- MacKeeper also covers system monitor and disk cleanup.
At a glance
| MacKeeper | Malwarebytes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5.95 per month for 1 Mac, billed yearly ($71.40); renewal price not stated | $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard) |
| Free plan | Free version offers one-time use of the memory cleaner, one week of malware scanning and a limited adware blocker. | 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 | Clario Tech | Malwarebytes Inc. |
| Price read from | mackeeper.com | malwarebytes.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
MacKeeper
- Mac only; no Windows, iOS or Android app is listed.
- The pricing page does not state what yearly plans cost at renewal; it says only that later payments are billed annually.
- The 14-day money-back guarantee must be requested within 30 days for yearly plans and is lost once the license has been used for six months.
- The homepage lists pricing as starting at $10.95 a month, which differs from the pricing page figures.
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
MacKeeper
- Antivirus and adware cleaner
- Scans for malware and adware and offers real-time protection; the vendor cites a 99.7% detection rate in an AV-TEST comparison.
- Mac cleaner and uninstaller
- Removes junk files, duplicates, unused apps and leftover files to free disk space.
- Memory cleaner and optimizer
- Quits memory-heavy apps and manages startup items to free RAM.
- VPN, ad blocker and breach monitoring
- Includes a VPN, an ad and tracker blocker, and monitoring of email accounts for password leaks.
- In-app chat support
- Chat with support staff from inside the app, which the vendor says is available around the clock.
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
MacKeeper
12-month, 1 Mac$5.95
per month, billed yearly; first term, renewal price not stated
$71.40 for the year, shown against a crossed-out $179.40; covers 1 Mac with every MacKeeper tool.
12-month, 3 Macs$7.45
per month, billed yearly; first term, renewal price not stated
$89.40 for the year, shown against a crossed-out $179.40; covers 3 Macs.
1-month, 1 Mac$14.95
per month, billed monthly
Month-to-month plan for 1 Mac with full access to every tool.
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
MacKeeper
- Other savings
14-day money-back guarantee
All plans are eligible for a refund requested within 30 days of purchase on yearly plans or 14 days on monthly plans.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MacKeeper or Malwarebytes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Malwarebytes is cheaper to start with: $5 a month when paid by the year, against $5.95 a month for MacKeeper. MacKeeper starts at $5.95 per month for 1 Mac, billed yearly ($71.40); renewal price not stated, and Malwarebytes starts at $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard).
Which has a free plan, MacKeeper or Malwarebytes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both MacKeeper and Malwarebytes have a free plan.
Which platforms do MacKeeper and Malwarebytes run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Malwarebytes lists Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.