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Airo Review
The Bottom Line: Airo antivirus for Mac has been awarded AAA+ for Performance, Protection & Usability by independent German testing lab AV-Test.
👍 PROS:
- Airo scored top test results in the malware tests by AV-Test
- Allows Monthly Subscriptions
- Clean and beautiful user interface
- Light on resources
👎 CONS:
- Antivirus Protection Exclusively For Mac OS
- Not many extra features (no Password Manager or VPN)
- Quite pricey
Security Features
Airo recognizes that macOS and macOS X are not necessarily more secure than Windows, especially against malware threats. Thus they have decided to create a cutting-edge malware protection dedicated exclusively for Mac users. Unlike other antivirus software, however, Airo do not aim to offer an all-in-one solution but rather focuses solely on malware protection.
Airo Antivirus utilizes Artificial Intelligence or AI to protect your machine against new and emerging software problems. By looking for commonalities and analyzing patterns across various types of malware, this AI is able to detect and block zero-day threats before it becomes a problem. And since it continuously learns and adapts based on the increasing amount of stored data, it just gets better and better in keeping your Mac protected over time.
In addition to its AI-Powered Zero-Day Threat Detection feature, Airo antivirus also offers Real-Time System Scanning. What this means is that instead of simply scanning for existing or known malware and other threats, Airo utilizes an algorithm that allows it to constantly scan your system for any indication that a worm or trojan may already have infiltrated your system. This effectively stops any potentially devastating attack on your computer.
Airo Antivirus also boast of an Advanced Spyware Protection which is great considering that your streaming peripherals can also be compromised. This security software perform scans on your webcam, microphone, USB drives, and even your mouse as those could be hijacked and introduce viruses into your Mac. Not only that, hackers can use those tools to watch and listen to you from afar. Advanced Spyware protection works by constantly scanning processes that tries to access said peripherals to prevent backdoor access. As soon as a threat is detected, Airo quarantines it for inspection and removal.
The rise of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin led to the emergence of a new type of malware called cryptominers. While this isn’t known to infect files or steal your data, it can increase your CPU and GPU usage and will thus slow down your system significantly. Airo Antivirus includes Crypto-Malware Protection to combat this unique threat.
Airo’s Web Guardian feature is certainly a welcome addition as it gives you peace of mind when browsing the internet. This is an extension that works by monitoring your downloads and web activities to protect you against malicious websites and phishing campaigns. Always worried about downloading stuff from the internet? Well, you should be but at least this feature catches on anything suspicious and notify you the moment you download spyware, malware, or adware while preventing those from executing. Web Guardian also keeps a huge list of blocked dangerous websites that is kept up to date so you can stay clear of even the newer threats. Unfortunately, this extension is only available on Chrome and Safari but we only use those anyway so it’s all good.
Well, that’s pretty much it. No fancy features like advanced ransom protection or password manager but its laser-sharp focus on malware protection is definitely commendable.
User Interface and Effect On Performance
Installation is relatively easy. Once you’ve purchased your preferred protection plan (Airo Single Suite, Airo Pro Suite, or Airo Family Suite) and created your account, you just need to download the .dmg file and follow the installation process. After it has finished, all it takes is a single click to run your first full system scan. However, depending on how much files you have, the full system scan can take up to an hour or a little over that, which honestly, can feel like an eternity to some people.
We really like Airo’s lightweight approach to security solution though. It does its job without using a lot of system resources and bogging down performance. The attractive design and user-friendly interface is also a hit with Mac enthusiasts. In fact, it looks right at home with the other Mac apps and doesn’t look like third party program. The simple interface comprises of only four pages for the Status reports, Threats, Settings, and Account.
About the Company
Airo is a relative newcomer in the security industry having been founded only in 2017. Airo specializes in Mac Security, antivirus, antimalware, artificial intelligence, and Apple security.
Understandably for such a new company, there isn’t a lot of lab results for Airo Antivirus yet but they do get full marks from one of the top third party testing lab in the industry, AV-Test Institute. It garnered a perfect score of 18 points across each category for protection, usability, and performance. This means that it has 100% malware detection rate by correctly flagging malicious programs without slowing down OS performance.
Customer Service
Support comes in the form of an FAQ page but as of this writing, it only list 11 questions so far. If you don’t get the answer you’re looking for, you can ask for further assistance using their ticketing system. You’ll usually get a response within 12 hours from Apple Certified Professionals. There is no phone support nor community forums at this moment but it seems like they have a live chat option for those who have already created an account.
Our Verdict: A very good security suite for Mac OS
Mac users will definitely love its user-friendly interface and design that fits right in with computer’s aesthetic. Although some extra features are a bit limited when compared to competing antivirus programs, it does provide perfect malware detection and elimination and can protect you against zero day threats and phishing campaigns thanks to its AI-powered real time scans. If you are a Mac user, Airo antivirus might well prove to be a valuable investment.
Airo recognizes that macOS and macOS X are not necessarily more secure than Windows, especially against malware threats. Thus they have decided to create a cutting-edge malware protection dedicated exclusively for Mac users. Unlike other antivirus software, however, Airo do not aim to offer an all-in-one solution but rather focuses solely on malware protection.
Airo Antivirus utilizes Artificial Intelligence or AI to protect your machine against new and emerging software problems. By looking for commonalities and analyzing patterns across various types of malware, this AI is able to detect and block zero-day threats before it becomes a problem. And since it continuously learns and adapts based on the increasing amount of stored data, it just gets better and better in keeping your Mac protected over time.
In addition to its AI-Powered Zero-Day Threat Detection feature, Airo antivirus also offers Real-Time System Scanning. What this means is that instead of simply scanning for existing or known malware and other threats, Airo utilizes an algorithm that allows it to constantly scan your system for any indication that a worm or trojan may already have infiltrated your system. This effectively stops any potentially devastating attack on your computer.
Airo Antivirus also boast of an Advanced Spyware Protection which is great considering that your streaming peripherals can also be compromised. This security software perform scans on your webcam, microphone, USB drives, and even your mouse as those could be hijacked and introduce viruses into your Mac. Not only that, hackers can use those tools to watch and listen to you from afar. Advanced Spyware protection works by constantly scanning processes that tries to access said peripherals to prevent backdoor access. As soon as a threat is detected, Airo quarantines it for inspection and removal.
The rise of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin led to the emergence of a new type of malware called cryptominers. While this isn’t known to infect files or steal your data, it can increase your CPU and GPU usage and will thus slow down your system significantly. Airo Antivirus includes Crypto-Malware Protection to combat this unique threat.
Airo’s Web Guardian feature is certainly a welcome addition as it gives you peace of mind when browsing the internet. This is an extension that works by monitoring your downloads and web activities to protect you against malicious websites and phishing campaigns. Always worried about downloading stuff from the internet? Well, you should be but at least this feature catches on anything suspicious and notify you the moment you download spyware, malware, or adware while preventing those from executing. Web Guardian also keeps a huge list of blocked dangerous websites that is kept up to date so you can stay clear of even the newer threats. Unfortunately, this extension is only available on Chrome and Safari but we only use those anyway so it’s all good.
Well, that’s pretty much it. No fancy features like advanced ransom protection or password manager but its laser-sharp focus on malware protection is definitely commendable.
User Interface and Effect On Performance
Installation is relatively easy. Once you’ve purchased your preferred protection plan (Airo Single Suite, Airo Pro Suite, or Airo Family Suite) and created your account, you just need to download the .dmg file and follow the installation process. After it has finished, all it takes is a single click to run your first full system scan. However, depending on how much files you have, the full system scan can take up to an hour or a little over that, which honestly, can feel like an eternity to some people.
We really like Airo’s lightweight approach to security solution though. It does its job without using a lot of system resources and bogging down performance. The attractive design and user-friendly interface is also a hit with Mac enthusiasts. In fact, it looks right at home with the other Mac apps and doesn’t look like third party program. The simple interface comprises of only four pages for the Status reports, Threats, Settings, and Account.
About the Company
Airo is a relative newcomer in the security industry having been founded only in 2017. Airo specializes in Mac Security, antivirus, antimalware, artificial intelligence, and Apple security.
Understandably for such a new company, there isn’t a lot of lab results for Airo Antivirus yet but they do get full marks from one of the top third party testing lab in the industry, AV-Test Institute. It garnered a perfect score of 18 points across each category for protection, usability, and performance. This means that it has 100% malware detection rate by correctly flagging malicious programs without slowing down OS performance.
Customer Service
Support comes in the form of an FAQ page but as of this writing, it only list 11 questions so far. If you don’t get the answer you’re looking for, you can ask for further assistance using their ticketing system. You’ll usually get a response within 12 hours from Apple Certified Professionals. There is no phone support nor community forums at this moment but it seems like they have a live chat option for those who have already created an account.
Our Verdict: A very good security suite for Mac OS
Mac users will definitely love its user-friendly interface and design that fits right in with computer’s aesthetic. Although some extra features are a bit limited when compared to competing antivirus programs, it does provide perfect malware detection and elimination and can protect you against zero day threats and phishing campaigns thanks to its AI-powered real time scans. If you are a Mac user, Airo antivirus might well prove to be a valuable investment.
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