ClamXav

I used ClamXav for years. Now I have an issue (Ticket #790366) and no answer for a few days. The eMail: support@clamxav.com does not work to send any notes. Looks that I have to find an other programm.

Version 3.0.12 is not ready for Mojave.

I just installed 3.0.8.

This is yet another once-great app (that I used to pay to upgrade regularly) that has fallen prey to the subscription model. Sorry to have to uninstall it at the end of this month, but this software model has got to stop.

£14.99 with the 50% discount and VAT removal (being a company purchase) for 3 computers over 2 years - it works out at a few pence per month. So not free, but so close as to make no real difference. Yes others are completely free, but from experience they also consume more system resources and are a PITA to remove. Here we have a developer who cares about the Mac, who puts real effort into getting a quality program out, and yes, who asks to be paid for his work. Seems fair to me. Not that I'm a fan of subscriptions, but in this case it's almost a no-brainer. The only other two subs I maintain are for JetBrains products and Office 365. In each case for me, the constant updates and improvements, and decent licensing terms have been enough to persuade me to opt in. The UI could do with a little more polish, it's true. Those drive icons are a little too big and don't fit in well with the look and feel of a modern Mac, but to be honest, I don't spend my life inside the GUI of my AV software, so I don't really care too much about that. One thing to note: the scanning speeds, and the ramp up time before a scan actually begins are both hugely improved over v2. A very welcome improvement indeed.

When ClamXAV went commercial in 2016 I bought it immediately for $30 to support the developer. It's been an okay app, a little slow, a little clunky-looking. In all this time it's found a grand total of 6 pieces of malware on my system - all old Windows malware embedded in saved html files. In all comparison tests the app falls in the middle to the back of the pack. Still, I'd fire it up periodically and let it (slowly) go through my system looking for any malware. I guess I haven't run it lately because when I launched it today I discovered that there's a v 3.07, and a new subscription model. It's nice that current owners are offered 50%-off, but I'm still not sure I want to pay $15/year for this when Sophos and Avira and Kaspersky (I know, I know) all get higher ratings for catching malware, speed and lightness on system resources. (Granted, I haven't seen any reviews of this app's latest version.) I'm keeping an open mind, and will wait for reviews to come out, but I'm not upgrading yet.

I understand people have to earn a living. I don't expect everything for free. However: 1) ClamXav licences less than 2 years old are now useless: virus updates we hear will be stopped from end of oct. 2018 2) Version 3 requires a OS update. This is notunreasonable, excelt that with point (1) we do not have the option of continuing to use existing versions: therefore upgrading to V3 forces an OX upgrade. 3) The annual fee: I am not a fan. Furthermore ClamXav has always had a problem as far as I'm concerned: the spinning ball curse when performing most actions. A quick test: - A staight "open clamxav" : two minutes of spinning ball leading to "Starting update... update complete" and "Anouncing V3". Which still won't respond: More spinning ball. • I've contacted ClamXav in the past concerning this issue: the response was "given ticket ..." and no more. I did not insist, since I left ClamXav scanning quietly in the background and didn't use the interface, spinning ball issue preventing. Regarding protection: I can't judge on this point since all I have found is about three phishing emails picked up by ClamXav over the last two years. Therefore I wil not be renewing my licence by upgrading my OS and moving to a subscription model, much as I appreciate programmers need to earn a living: it doesn't work well enough.

ClamXAV is the best antivirus / anti-malware out there.

The small yearly fee covers daily updates, upgrades and support. Frankly that is a small price to pay to protect your computer and data.

The developer is dedicated to the app – and version 3.0.7 is the best ever. I'm sticking with ClamXAV – and you'd be wise to do the same.

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