While most of the best Mac antivirus software comes from the larger companies in the computer security industry (Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky), there are a couple of Mac OS X- specific products. ProtectMac AntiVirus focuses solely on Mac security software. ProtectMac AntiVirus is worthy of being on our list of the best antivirus for Mac, but falls a bit short in the competitive field.

ProtectMac AntiVirus is pretty comprehensive in scope, delivering on their intent to keep your Mac safe from viruses, spyware and other malware. The Mac antivirus software protects OS X using several layers of protection. The most important element is the always-on background scanner. The realtime scanner checks every file that is accessed (opened, closed or even copied) and every application as it starts.

The Mac security software also automatically scans external devices when mounted, including CDs, DVDs, USB drives and even .dmg files. And you don’t have to worry about dangerous files shared through email or downloaded online; ProtectMac AntiVirus scans every file you download online. Unfortunately, the software isn’t equipped to defend from phishing scams or malicious websites in general.

This Mac security application is definitely capable of protecting your Mac. More than just finding Mac OS X- specific threats, ProtectMac AntiVirus also defends from malware that plagues other operating systems. So while a Windows virus won’t wreak havoc on your Mac, you can avoid accidentally unleashing it on any of your friends or coworkers.

To maintain good performance and efficacy, the Mac antivirus software uses Adaptive Intelligent Scanning (AIS) technology to optimize scans. AIS is used to adapt the software to better meet your personal needs; the software learns which files and applications you use frequently and makes sure they are on the top of the list for security.

ProtectMac AntiVirus has a few unique features, but there are also a few that we would have liked to see that were noticeably missing. For starters, while the software detects Windows viruses, it isn’t equipped to protect your copy of virtual Windows (if you use Parallels or VMWare Fusion), and they don’t have a product for dual protection.

Still, there are some nice features included in the Mac antivirus software. The integrated FileSafe lets you designate specific items that you know are safe and exclude them from future scans. The software is equipped to scan archived files, and can run multiple on-demand scans at the same time. You also have the flexibility to pause scans and resume them later without starting over from scratch.

Another excellent feature is that during the installation, the software checks to make sure you don’t have any other Mac antivirus software installed. Running multiple antivirus programs on OS X can cause slowdown and other performance issues. This preemptive utility helped us locate another Mac antivirus program that hadn’t completely uninstalled.

ProtectMac AntiVirus has a user interface that is easy to use and well organized. The interface is instantly recognizable, as it is similar to the iTunes interface. Instead of albums and songs, you have areas to be scanned, detected files and history. You can “play” or pause a scan, and the progress bar keeps you informed on the scan. We liked how everything (a few advanced settings aside) is included right in the main interface.

Updates are scheduled to run routinely on their own, but you can also schedule them. You also have the ability to schedule an antivirus scan to run automatically after the update finishes.

We were glad that the Mac antivirus software was pretty easy to use, because there aren’t as many support outlets as the competition. You can contact the company via email, but not phone or online live chat. Luckily, there is a thorough FAQs section that should answer most questions you have.