Nobody will argue against the premise that every Windows computer needs antivirus protection.
However, when it comes to Mac antivirus you'll still hear some dissent.
Those who contend that no protection is needed may feel differently after losing their files to a ransomware attack.
Yes, malware coders definitely focus more on Windows and Android than on macOS, but Mac attacks are definitely out there.
Panda Dome Essential (for Mac) offers basic antivirus protection and a limited VPN, but little more.
In testing, its on-demand scans seemed like they would never finish, and it has no independent lab test results to back up its claims of efficacy.
As I discuss in my review of the Windows version of Panda Dome Essential, Panda's product lines have changed significantly since my last set of reviews.
Previously, one product line offered traditional protection with per-device licensing and a standard user interface consisting of large panels, with different panel colors for different products.
The other product line used a minimalist interface with unlimited licenses and nature scenes as a background.
On Windows, products in the current Panda Dome product line have the nature-scene background and minimalist interface, but only offer unlimited licenses at the most expensive level.
The Mac edition, reviewed here, is a bit of a throwback.
Its dark main window consists of a number of green-gray panels.
The biggest one reflects current security status and offers protection statistics.
From other panels you can launch scans, configure Safe Browsing, and work with the feature-limited VPN.
Where the Windows edition offers a firewall, a virtual keyboard, detection of insecure Wi-Fi, and other bonus features, the macOS version is strictly an antivirus plus a limited VPN.
Pricing and OS Support
Prices for macOS antivirus products seem to vary more than on the PC, in part because features range from simple antivirus to full security suite.
Trend Micro, Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus (for Mac), and Malwarebytes cost about $40 per year for a single license, the same as many Windows antivirus tools.
Kaspersky and ESET Cyber Security (for Mac) cost $59.99 per year for three licenses, but with Kaspersky you get a full security suite.
You also pay $59.99 for McAfee, but that gets you unlimited licenses for all popular platforms.
At $58.99 for a single license, Panda starts off more expensive than most.
You can also choose three, five, or 10 licenses, for $70.99, $82.99, or $106.99 respectively, and those licenses are good for protection on macOS, Windows, or Android.
Note that while the Windows edition includes some suite-level features, the Mac edition is strictly an antivirus plus a feature-limited VPN.
Presuming you keep your macOS more or less up to date, you'll have no compatibility trouble with Panda.
Like Avast, AVG, and Malwarebytes, it's happy with anything from Yosemite (10.10) to the very latest.
If you're stuck using an antique version of the OS, perhaps because your Mac is itself an antique, consider ProtectWorks or ClamXAV (for Mac).
These two can handle macOS versions as far back as Snow Leopard (10.6).
Remember Snow Leopard?
No Lab Results
When I test antivirus utilities on Windows I have vast resources for hands-on testing.
These include a collection of testing tools that I coded myself, and a collection of real-world malware that I've put through careful analysis.
I also follow four independent labs that put antivirus products through grueling tests and regularly report their results.
For Mac-centered antivirus, I don't have nearly the same resources, so lab results are still more important.
Two of the labs I follow, AV-Test Institute and AV-Comparatives, test Mac antivirus utilities.
And both omit Panda from their testing.
When I first started reviewing macOS antivirus tools, I chose only products that appeared in reports from at least one of the labs.
However, the labs routinely shake up their collection of test subjects, which means that many of the products I reviewed no longer appear in either set of results.
Even so, the lack of lab certification makes it tough for me to know how effective Panda's protection is.
On the happy-face side of things, Bitdefender, Intego, and Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac not only have certification from both labs, they all took the maximum possible score from both.
If it hadn't lost a half-point in a performance test, Kaspersky would also belong to that group.
Scanning and Scheduling
From the main window, you can choose a quick, full, or custom scan.
No surprise there.
The surprise I did get was how terribly long the full scan took.
Verified by the product's own logging system, Panda required over six hours to complete a full scan.
The current average is less than 40 minutes, and the next longest time, from Sophos Home Premium (for Mac), was two hours and 19 minutes.
The description for the quick scan of critical areas states that "it only takes a few minutes." This also proved wrong.
Again, relying on Panda's own logs, the critical area took quite a long time, at two hours and 18 minutes.
Other products tend to finish their quick scan in the "few minutes" promised by Panda.
Intego took three minutes, Symantec Norton Security Deluxe (for Mac) came in under one minute, and Webroot's quick scan finished in less than 10 seconds.
Some antivirus products schedule scans on a monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly basis.
With such a lengthy scan, it's perhaps no surprise that Panda doesn't offer a scheduling system.
Hourly scans would stack up, multiple new ones starting before the first one finished! Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Sophos also skip scheduling.
Like most Mac antivirus products, Panda takes a swing at any Windows malware it recognizes.
True, malware written for Windows can't run on a Mac, but conceivably the Mac could serve as a conduit to get the malware onto a Windows box on the network.
I copied my current sample set to a USB drive which I plugged into the test MacBook.
Panda immediately started scanning the drive and quickly eliminated 66 percent of the samples.
That's not bad, but Sophos caught 86 percent of those samples, ESET eliminated 93 percent, and Webroot cleared the field with 100 percent success.
Phishing Protection
In the current Panda product line, the Windows-specific Panda Free Antivirus no longer includes Safe Browsing, meaning it doesn't have active protection against dangerous and fraudulent websites.
That protection comes in at the Panda Dome Essential level, both for Windows and macOS.
On Windows, it did absolutely nothing to protect my test system against malware-hosting URLs, and it earned a pitifully low score in my phishing protection test.
When I'm testing a Windows product, I use a hand-coded utility to launch suspected phishing URLs simultaneously in a browser protected by the product and in instances of Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer using their built-in support.
My test tool doesn't run on the Mac, of course, but I've become a whiz at copy/pasting URLs from my list of suspects.
I tested Panda's Windows and Mac editions simultaneously.
Phishing attacks are totally platform-independent.
If you can get online from your Linux-based web-aware refrigerator, you can give away your credentials to a fraudster on that platform.
Phishing protection, on the other hand, can differ wildly by platform, even from the same security company.
There are exceptions.
McAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac) and Webroot performed exactly the same on Windows and macOS, with impressive scores of 100 percent and 97 percent respectively.
But in many cases, Mac protection lags Windows protection, by a little or a lot.
Not so with Panda.
On Windows, Safe Browsing blocked just 46 percent of the verified phishing URLs, lagging significantly behind the protection built into all three browsers.
Tested simultaneously, Panda on the Mac detected and blocked 84 percent.
That's about the same as Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac($23.99 at Kaspersky), and better than most Mac products I've tested.
Limited VPN Protection
Your antivirus utility can scan locally to wipe out entrenched malware, prevent attacks by new malware, and keep your browsers away from dangerous websites.
Your data stays safe, because the antivirus protects it.
But as soon as you send that data elsewhere, it becomes vulnerable.
To protect your online connections, you need a Virtual Private Network, or VPN.
The VPN tool encrypts your data and protects the transmission of that data to a VPN server.
Even the owner of the network you're using to get online can't peek at or modify the data you're sending.
As an added benefit, your traffic seems to come from the VPN server's IP address, not from your own local address.
That means advertisers and others can't track you using your IP address.
You can also gain access to region-locked content, as long as the content provider doesn't ban VPN usage.
All products in the Panda line, from the free antivirus to the VIP Premium edition, include VPN protection licensed from AnchorFree Hotspot Shield Elite.
Only the most expensive edition gets full access to servers and unlimited bandwidth, though.
For all the rest, this product included, you can't choose the server location; the VPN chooses a nearby server for you.
And you can't use more than 150MB of bandwidth per day.
Bandwidth limits are more typically seen in free editions of VPN products.
For example, Hotspot Shield offers a free edition that lets you use 500MB per day.
The free edition of TunnelBear VPN imposes a draconian limit of 500MB per month.
Using the VPN is as simple as clicking Connect.
While you're connected, the VPN protects your traffic, and the bandwidth counter slowly rises to the 150MB daily limit.
With Panda Free Antivirus you can configure the VPN to connect automatically on restart.
The Windows edition of Panda Dome Essential adds the option to activate the VPN any time you connect with an insecure Wi-Fi network.
On the Mac, there are no settings.
This limited VPN may be useful to people who have occasional need for a protected connection, and who don't require access to servers in other countries.
But for all-in VPN protection you'll want a top standalone VPN utility.
Small Bang for the Buck
Panda Dome Essential (for Mac) does well in our hands-on phishing protection test, and it does eliminate some Windows malware, but that's about all we know about its capabilities, since the independent labs don't include it in testing.
Your subscription lets you install protection on a fixed number of macOS, Windows, and Android devices, but it costs significantly more than the usual macOS antivirus.
And while VPN protection is available, it's limited in both features and bandwidth.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac($34.99 for 1 Device, 1 Year Plan at Bitdefender) earned perfect scores from both independent labs, and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac missed perfection by one-half point.
Both give you three licenses for one buck more than Panda's one-device price.
Bitdefender offers ransomware protection search result markup, while Kaspersky's suite-level features include parental control, VPN, privacy protection, and more.
With these two Editors' Choice products available, there's no real reason to resort to Panda Dome Essential on the Mac.
Panda Dome Essential (for Mac)
Cons
Extremely slow on-demand scans in testing.
No test results from labs.
VPN limited in features and bandwidth.
Expensive.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Mac version of Panda Dome Essential costs as much as its Windows equivalent but offers significantly less (just antivirus and a limited VPN), with a dismally slow on-demand scan.
You can do better.
Nobody will argue against the premise that every Windows computer needs antivirus protection.
However, when it comes to Mac antivirus you'll still hear some dissent.
Those who contend that no protection is needed may feel differently after losing their files to a ransomware attack.
Yes, malware coders definitely focus more on Windows and Android than on macOS, but Mac attacks are definitely out there.
Panda Dome Essential (for Mac) offers basic antivirus protection and a limited VPN, but little more.
In testing, its on-demand scans seemed like they would never finish, and it has no independent lab test results to back up its claims of efficacy.
As I discuss in my review of the Windows version of Panda Dome Essential, Panda's product lines have changed significantly since my last set of reviews.
Previously, one product line offered traditional protection with per-device licensing and a standard user interface consisting of large panels, with different panel colors for different products.
The other product line used a minimalist interface with unlimited licenses and nature scenes as a background.
On Windows, products in the current Panda Dome product line have the nature-scene background and minimalist interface, but only offer unlimited licenses at the most expensive level.
The Mac edition, reviewed here, is a bit of a throwback.
Its dark main window consists of a number of green-gray panels.
The biggest one reflects current security status and offers protection statistics.
From other panels you can launch scans, configure Safe Browsing, and work with the feature-limited VPN.
Where the Windows edition offers a firewall, a virtual keyboard, detection of insecure Wi-Fi, and other bonus features, the macOS version is strictly an antivirus plus a limited VPN.
Pricing and OS Support
Prices for macOS antivirus products seem to vary more than on the PC, in part because features range from simple antivirus to full security suite.
Trend Micro, Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus (for Mac), and Malwarebytes cost about $40 per year for a single license, the same as many Windows antivirus tools.
Kaspersky and ESET Cyber Security (for Mac) cost $59.99 per year for three licenses, but with Kaspersky you get a full security suite.
You also pay $59.99 for McAfee, but that gets you unlimited licenses for all popular platforms.
At $58.99 for a single license, Panda starts off more expensive than most.
You can also choose three, five, or 10 licenses, for $70.99, $82.99, or $106.99 respectively, and those licenses are good for protection on macOS, Windows, or Android.
Note that while the Windows edition includes some suite-level features, the Mac edition is strictly an antivirus plus a feature-limited VPN.
Presuming you keep your macOS more or less up to date, you'll have no compatibility trouble with Panda.
Like Avast, AVG, and Malwarebytes, it's happy with anything from Yosemite (10.10) to the very latest.
If you're stuck using an antique version of the OS, perhaps because your Mac is itself an antique, consider ProtectWorks or ClamXAV (for Mac).
These two can handle macOS versions as far back as Snow Leopard (10.6).
Remember Snow Leopard?
No Lab Results
When I test antivirus utilities on Windows I have vast resources for hands-on testing.
These include a collection of testing tools that I coded myself, and a collection of real-world malware that I've put through careful analysis.
I also follow four independent labs that put antivirus products through grueling tests and regularly report their results.
For Mac-centered antivirus, I don't have nearly the same resources, so lab results are still more important.
Two of the labs I follow, AV-Test Institute and AV-Comparatives, test Mac antivirus utilities.
And both omit Panda from their testing.
When I first started reviewing macOS antivirus tools, I chose only products that appeared in reports from at least one of the labs.
However, the labs routinely shake up their collection of test subjects, which means that many of the products I reviewed no longer appear in either set of results.
Even so, the lack of lab certification makes it tough for me to know how effective Panda's protection is.
On the happy-face side of things, Bitdefender, Intego, and Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac not only have certification from both labs, they all took the maximum possible score from both.
If it hadn't lost a half-point in a performance test, Kaspersky would also belong to that group.
Scanning and Scheduling
From the main window, you can choose a quick, full, or custom scan.
No surprise there.
The surprise I did get was how terribly long the full scan took.
Verified by the product's own logging system, Panda required over six hours to complete a full scan.
The current average is less than 40 minutes, and the next longest time, from Sophos Home Premium (for Mac), was two hours and 19 minutes.
The description for the quick scan of critical areas states that "it only takes a few minutes." This also proved wrong.
Again, relying on Panda's own logs, the critical area took quite a long time, at two hours and 18 minutes.
Other products tend to finish their quick scan in the "few minutes" promised by Panda.
Intego took three minutes, Symantec Norton Security Deluxe (for Mac) came in under one minute, and Webroot's quick scan finished in less than 10 seconds.
Some antivirus products schedule scans on a monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly basis.
With such a lengthy scan, it's perhaps no surprise that Panda doesn't offer a scheduling system.
Hourly scans would stack up, multiple new ones starting before the first one finished! Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Sophos also skip scheduling.
Like most Mac antivirus products, Panda takes a swing at any Windows malware it recognizes.
True, malware written for Windows can't run on a Mac, but conceivably the Mac could serve as a conduit to get the malware onto a Windows box on the network.
I copied my current sample set to a USB drive which I plugged into the test MacBook.
Panda immediately started scanning the drive and quickly eliminated 66 percent of the samples.
That's not bad, but Sophos caught 86 percent of those samples, ESET eliminated 93 percent, and Webroot cleared the field with 100 percent success.
Phishing Protection
In the current Panda product line, the Windows-specific Panda Free Antivirus no longer includes Safe Browsing, meaning it doesn't have active protection against dangerous and fraudulent websites.
That protection comes in at the Panda Dome Essential level, both for Windows and macOS.
On Windows, it did absolutely nothing to protect my test system against malware-hosting URLs, and it earned a pitifully low score in my phishing protection test.
When I'm testing a Windows product, I use a hand-coded utility to launch suspected phishing URLs simultaneously in a browser protected by the product and in instances of Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer using their built-in support.
My test tool doesn't run on the Mac, of course, but I've become a whiz at copy/pasting URLs from my list of suspects.
I tested Panda's Windows and Mac editions simultaneously.
Phishing attacks are totally platform-independent.
If you can get online from your Linux-based web-aware refrigerator, you can give away your credentials to a fraudster on that platform.
Phishing protection, on the other hand, can differ wildly by platform, even from the same security company.
There are exceptions.
McAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac) and Webroot performed exactly the same on Windows and macOS, with impressive scores of 100 percent and 97 percent respectively.
But in many cases, Mac protection lags Windows protection, by a little or a lot.
Not so with Panda.
On Windows, Safe Browsing blocked just 46 percent of the verified phishing URLs, lagging significantly behind the protection built into all three browsers.
Tested simultaneously, Panda on the Mac detected and blocked 84 percent.
That's about the same as Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac($23.99 at Kaspersky), and better than most Mac products I've tested.
Limited VPN Protection
Your antivirus utility can scan locally to wipe out entrenched malware, prevent attacks by new malware, and keep your browsers away from dangerous websites.
Your data stays safe, because the antivirus protects it.
But as soon as you send that data elsewhere, it becomes vulnerable.
To protect your online connections, you need a Virtual Private Network, or VPN.
The VPN tool encrypts your data and protects the transmission of that data to a VPN server.
Even the owner of the network you're using to get online can't peek at or modify the data you're sending.
As an added benefit, your traffic seems to come from the VPN server's IP address, not from your own local address.
That means advertisers and others can't track you using your IP address.
You can also gain access to region-locked content, as long as the content provider doesn't ban VPN usage.
All products in the Panda line, from the free antivirus to the VIP Premium edition, include VPN protection licensed from AnchorFree Hotspot Shield Elite.
Only the most expensive edition gets full access to servers and unlimited bandwidth, though.
For all the rest, this product included, you can't choose the server location; the VPN chooses a nearby server for you.
And you can't use more than 150MB of bandwidth per day.
Bandwidth limits are more typically seen in free editions of VPN products.
For example, Hotspot Shield offers a free edition that lets you use 500MB per day.
The free edition of TunnelBear VPN imposes a draconian limit of 500MB per month.
Using the VPN is as simple as clicking Connect.
While you're connected, the VPN protects your traffic, and the bandwidth counter slowly rises to the 150MB daily limit.
With Panda Free Antivirus you can configure the VPN to connect automatically on restart.
The Windows edition of Panda Dome Essential adds the option to activate the VPN any time you connect with an insecure Wi-Fi network.
On the Mac, there are no settings.
This limited VPN may be useful to people who have occasional need for a protected connection, and who don't require access to servers in other countries.
But for all-in VPN protection you'll want a top standalone VPN utility.
Small Bang for the Buck
Panda Dome Essential (for Mac) does well in our hands-on phishing protection test, and it does eliminate some Windows malware, but that's about all we know about its capabilities, since the independent labs don't include it in testing.
Your subscription lets you install protection on a fixed number of macOS, Windows, and Android devices, but it costs significantly more than the usual macOS antivirus.
And while VPN protection is available, it's limited in both features and bandwidth.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac($34.99 for 1 Device, 1 Year Plan at Bitdefender) earned perfect scores from both independent labs, and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac missed perfection by one-half point.
Both give you three licenses for one buck more than Panda's one-device price.
Bitdefender offers ransomware protection search result markup, while Kaspersky's suite-level features include parental control, VPN, privacy protection, and more.
With these two Editors' Choice products available, there's no real reason to resort to Panda Dome Essential on the Mac.
Panda Dome Essential (for Mac)
Cons
Extremely slow on-demand scans in testing.
No test results from labs.
VPN limited in features and bandwidth.
Expensive.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Mac version of Panda Dome Essential costs as much as its Windows equivalent but offers significantly less (just antivirus and a limited VPN), with a dismally slow on-demand scan.
