1. Best Combination Scanner For Mac 2018 Collections
2. Scanners For Macs
3. Flatbed Scanner For Mac
4. Best Scanners For Mac Computers

What's the Right Scanner for Your Mac?

There's no secret ingredient in determining the best scanner for your Apple desktop or laptop, as the factors that make a Mac-friendly model great are, by and large, the same as those that set the best Windows scanners apart from the pack. As with any tech product, prospective buyers look for the ideal combination of performance and features based on their needs, and set it against the price. For a document scanner, common criteria include speed, the ability to scan to various formats, the paper capacity of the automatic document feeder (ADF), optical character recognition (OCR) performance, the ability to scan and read business cards, the presence of a flatbed, the ability to scan over a network, and portability. Among the desired traits for photo scanners are speed, high resolution, the ability to scan slides and film, as well as prints, scan quality, and dust and scratch removal.

For most of these factors, it makes little difference if your scanner is connected to a PC or a Mac. But there is one area in which Mac users are at a distinct disadvantage, and that is in software. As popular as Apple computers have become, Mac users are underserved when it comes to scanners and some other peripherals. As a Mac owner myself, I'm keenly aware that it's still largely a Windows world out there.

There's no secret ingredient in determining the best scanner for your Apple desktop or laptop, as the factors that make a Mac-friendly model great are, by and large, the same as those that set the. Contrary to popular belief, MacOS is still susceptible to malware. Luckily, finding the best free antivirus for Mac isn't all that difficult, and there are a number of great solutions to pick from.

Get the Right Driver

In order for a scanner to work at all with a Mac, it has to have a macOS driver. Beyond that, the software that's usually bundled with a scanner may or may not be Mac-compatible. Most recent photo scanners can work with Macs. Photo scanners often just come with drivers and a scan utility, leaving it to the user to provide a photo-editing program. Popular choices, including Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CC, are available in both Windows- and Mac-compatible versions.

It's All in the Software

Fewer document scanners are Mac compatible, and some are only partially so. Most document scanners (with the exception of some high-end models) come with a software suite that includes, at the minimum, document management, OCR, and business-card programs. A good bundled software package for a scanner intended for both operating systems should include a full suite of both Windows and Mac programs. However, it's not uncommon that an otherwise Mac-friendly scanner will be missing parts of the suite. You can buy the programs separately if they're even available, but that's an extra expense that you'll have to factor into your costs.

Statistically, there are far fewer Mac-friendly scanners than there are, say, printers, though their numbers are growing. It may take a bit more hunting to find the perfect scanner for your Mac than it would for a Windows-compatible model, but we've come across some excellent choices, which we present below. For more on what to look for when choosing a scanner, check out our scanner buying guide. And if you're in the market for a model specifically for photos, see our list of the best photo scanners.

Best Scanners for Mac Featured in This Roundup:

• Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 Review

  
  MSRP: $89.99
  

  Pros: Vibrant photo scans. Excellent software bundle. Comes with kickstand for upright positioning. Very simple to use.

  Cons: Lacks mobile device and wireless support. Could be more accurate when scanning serif fonts.

  Bottom Line: The entry-level Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 is a software-rich flatbed photo scanner that also handles text documents with ease.

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• Epson DS-870 Review

  
  MSRP: $799.00
  

  Pros: Fast scanning and saving to searchable PDF. Huge volume and capacity for the price. Highly accurate.

  Cons: Networking is an add-on. No wireless or mobile connectivity.

  Bottom Line: The highly capable Epson WorkForce DS-870 is a fast, no frills high-volume scanner ideal for heavy-duty scanning and document-archiving environments.

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• Epson DS-80W Wireless Portable Document Scanner Review

  
  MSRP: $169.00
  

  Pros: Fast scanning. Accurate OCR. Light and small. Easy to use.

  Cons: Lacks ADF.

  Bottom Line: The Epson DS-80W is a fast and accurate single-sheet-feed portable document scanner ideally suited for scanning short jobs to your laptop or smartphone on the road.

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• Epson FastFoto FF-680W Review

  
  MSRP: $599.99
  

  Pros: Quickly scans stacks of photo prints. Decent as a document scanner. Scans to searchable PDF. Solid OCR performance.

  Cons: Somewhat pricey. Slower at photo scanning than its predecessor.

  Bottom Line: The Epson FastFoto FF-680W is a sheet-feed desktop scanner that excels at scanning stacks of snapshots while doing a credible job at document scanning.

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• HP ScanJet Enterprise Flow N9120 fn2 Document Scanner Review

  
  MSRP: $3999.99
  

  Pros: Fast. Can scan up to tabloid-size paper from either flatbed or ADF. Connects by Ethernet or USB.

  Cons: Large and heavy. A major investment.

  Bottom Line: The HP ScanJet Enterprise Flow N9120 fn2 Document Scanner offers an excellent mix of features and performance for offices that do a high volume of scanning.

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• HP ScanJet Pro 3000 s3 Sheet-Feed Scanner Review

  
  MSRP: $429.99
  

  Pros: Excellent speed and accuracy for the price. Well-rounded software bundle, including document and business-card archiving software. High daily duty cycle.

  Buy Microsoft Office 2019 Home and Student for Mac cheap. Microsoft Office 2019 Home and Student for Mac; Microsoft Office 2019 Home and Student for Mac. Microsoft Office 2019 Home and Student for Mac. Last purchased 49 minutes ago. For students and families who want classic Office apps installed on one Windows 10 PC or Mac for use at home or school. Classic versions of Office apps including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Plus, OneNote for Windows 10. The all new Office 2019 is here. For students and families who want classic Office applications installed on one Windows 10 PC or Mac for use at home or school. Classic versions of Office apps includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Plus, OneNote for Windows 10. One-time purchase for 1 device, PC or Mac. System Requirements: Windows 10 or macOS. Office Home & Business 2019 or Office Home & Student 2019 are also available for Mac as a one-time purchase. Office applications available for a Mac are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Office applications available for a Mac are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Microsoft Office Home and Student 2019 provides classic Office apps and email for families and students who want to install them on one Mac or Windows 10 PC for use at home or school. Classic versions of Office apps include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.*.

  Cons: Primary scanning utility is slow.

  Bottom Line: The moderately priced HP ScanJet Pro 3000 delivers excellent speed and respectable accuracy, as well as an inclusive software bundle, making it a good value.

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• Fujitsu ScanSnap iX100 (2019) Review

  
  MSRP: $229.00
  

  Pros: Accurate OCR. Fast. Robust software bundle. Versatile connectivity options, including mobile. Reasonable price.

  Cons: Lacks single-pass auto-duplexing.

  Bottom Line: The Fujitsu ScanSnap iX100 is a fast and feature-packed manual-feed document scanner designed for light-duty data capture on the road.

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• Panasonic KV-N1028X Review

  
  MSRP: $1495.00
  

  Pros: Superb OCR accuracy. Customizable touch screen. Comprehensive software. Competitive speed when scanning to image files and searchable PDF. Wired and wireless networking, including Wi-Fi Direct. Three-year warranty.

  Cons: Individual workstation licenses sold separately. A bit pricey.

  Bottom Line: The Panasonic KV-N1028X is a snappy and exceptionally accurate networkable document scanner, designed primarily for enterprise environments.

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Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac

Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac's top-shelf malware detection and barely there system impact make it the best antivirus solution.

Avast Free Mac Security

Avast Free Mac Security's malware-squashing proficiency, negligible performance impact and included password manager make it the best free option.

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac offers top-shelf malware detection and protects files from ransomware.

After evaluating eight free and paid antivirus products, we've chosen Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac ($40 per year) as the best antivirus for Mac. It had a nearly invisible impact on system performance, and it caught all malware.

Avast Free Mac Security is our favorite free option, as it provided nearly perfect malware protection and an easy-to-use interface with an imperceptible performance hit.

You do need an antivirus program on your Mac. Recent years have seen more Mac malware and adware than ever before, from Trojans to targeted attacks, supply-chain attacks like the XcodeGhost attack and even encrypting ransomware.

MORE: Best Antivirus Software and Apps

Latest Security Alerts and Threats

— Some widely used robocall-blocking apps secretly sell user data to third-party companies, a security researcher said. ADVICE: Use AT&T Call Protect if you're on an AT&T postpaid plan; otherwise, let calls go to voicemail if you don't recognize the number.

— If you're replacing an old smart-home device, don't sell or give away the old one -- it will likely hold lots of your personal data even after a factory reset, a researcher says. ADVICE: Hold onto the old device, or take it apart and smash the memory chip.

— Scammers have invaded TikTok, a video-sharing app popular among high schoolers and middle-school students. The scams promise uncensored clips of sexy women, but then lead to SnapChat, and from there to adult-dating websites that gicve the scammers commissions. ADVICE: Beautiful lonely women don't really want to talk to you on TikTok.

How We Tested

To find the best antivirus for Mac desktops and laptops, we evaluate ease of use, interface and performance impact, we installed each AV program on the same Late 2013 MacBook Pro with Retina Display running macOS 10.12 Sierra. It was powered by a 2.6-GHz Intel Core i7 processor and had 8GB of RAM and 70GB of data stored on a 512GB SSD.

We conducted our own tests in July and August 2017 based on how much each antivirus product affected our laptop's performance. To do this, we used our custom OpenOffice benchmark, which matches 20,000 names and addresses in a spreadsheet. We measured how long it took to run a quick scan and a full scan while the laptop crunched numbers in the background.

We assessed how easy each program was to use and the number of useful extra features it offered (including free add-on software). To gauge how effective each package was at stopping malware, we used the results of evaluations conducted in May 2017 by AV-TEST, a well-regarded independent product-testing lab in Germany, and results from other tests conducted in July 2017 by AV-Comparatives, a similarly well-respected firm in Austria.

Best Mac Antivirus

Reasons to Buy

Kaspersky Internet Security is the best antivirus for Macs because it offers both the lowest system impact and some of the best malware-detection rates recorded. It even provides extra security features, including parental controls and options to lock down your webcam and stop websites from tracking your browsing activity. If you're willing to pay to protect your Mac from malware, Kaspersky Internet Security is the best option available.

Best Free Mac Antivirus

Reasons to Buy

Avast Free Mac Security caught 99.9 percent of all malware, packs in a password manager, barely leaves a smudge on system impact and doesn't charge a dime. If only it caught 100 percent of malware, as Kaspersky did.

Reasons to Buy

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is one of only a few solutions we tested that offers perfect malware detection. Further, its modern, streamlined interface places on-demand scans front and center. Bitdefender has dropped from first place, though, because its system-impact scores don't match the flawless marks posted by Kaspersky.

Reasons to Avoid

Norton 360 Deluxe may offer excellent protection, but it charges more (after the first year) than its competitors do, without offering as many perks. Norton AntiVirus Plus offers similar protection for a single Mac, but with fewer perks. Still, both have always-on-call customer support.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

If you're looking for the best antivirus for Mac without having to pay, AVG AntiVirus for Mac is not too shabby, with its 99.9 percent detection rate and easy-to-use design. Unfortunately, other free competitors provide extras (Sophos with parental controls, Avast's password manager) that AVG does not.

Best Combination Scanner For Mac 2018 Collections

Best for Families

Reasons to Buy

With Sophos Home for Mac's simple interface and low system-performance impact, you'll barely realize the program is shielding you until you need it. Anyone with young children at home will find Sophos' parental controls useful, as they allow for remote scans and checks, and let you block sites by category. Sophos even keeps a log of when users try to reach banned pages. This program's major drawback, though, is its lackluster malware-detection rate.

Reasons to Buy

Once our favorite, Avira Free Antivirus for Mac is no longer the best antivirus for Mac. That's because it is a hair shy of perfection in its malware detection, and fell behind in system-performance testing, earning some of the higher performance impacts recorded.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

Scanners For Macs

Flatbed Scanner For Mac

Best Scanners For Mac Computers

While McAfee's unlimited licenses mean you can support a whole family of Macs (and PCs and Android devices, too), this program's lack of special features (for a paid version) make it hard to recommend. Further, we don't have malware-detection testing scores for McAfee, so its protection powers are unproven.