Moonlock review: We put MacPaw’s new antivirus suite to work

Ukrainian developer MacPaw has had an interesting progression over the years in the Mac utility market. Best known for CleanMyMac, it first expanded that to include antiviral/anti-malware protection to provide an overall system cleanup utility. Now MacPaw has spun off its antiviral/anti-malware elements into Moonlock, a new product focusing on protecting Mac users from malware and the other dangers of being online.

Like its CleanMyMac incarnations, Moonlock, which requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or later to install and run, is centered around a stylish user interface and is easy to download and set up, the installer asking for full disk access permission as part of the process.

The software is divided into several modules (Home, Malware Scanner, VPN, Network Inspector, System Protection, and Security Advisor), each with its own customizable elements.

Straight from the get-go, Moonlock functions both as an instructional tool as well as a utility, the Home module offering quick access to the suite’s assorted tools while also providing YouTube links to explain potential vulnerabilities such as malware, typosquatting, secure email, email encryption, secure passwords, and the types of malware that can be used to take advantage of a user. A vertical column down the left side of the window offers one-click access to the other modules as well.

As expected, the Malware Scanner module functions as Moonlock’s core utility, the tool offering three scan types (Quick Scan, Balanced Scan, and Deep Scan), the modes trading scanning speed for in-depth analysis of what might be on your Mac’s internal hard drives or external volumes.

Although not well-explained in the menus, the Deep Scan can scan external volumes, and it’s easy to perform functions such as creating whitelists of files to avoid scanning, scheduling a scan, scanning .zip and .dmg files, and setting up active protection against potential malware.

Where the scanning itself is concerned, the results are impressive, and Moonlock’s antiviral/anti-malware approach caught just about everything that was thrown at it from the sample library.

The application was able to perform a Deep Scan of my MacBook Pro’s solid-state drive and an external USB volume in about an hour, and with Active Protection on, it was able to detect and delete malware before I could attempt to install it.

While Moonlock was able to block just about everything and combined well with macOS’ Gatekeeper and Xprotect system functions, there were occasions where malware could have been installed, provided you bypassed several warning screens to allow the function to run.

Moonlock also includes a VPN feature, which, though not as robust as a dedicated client, is capable, even if it automatically connects to the closest access point as opposed to opting for geolocation and letting you pick the country your masked IP address is coming from. Even so, the client is brisk, speedy, and it’s easy enough to disconnect and pick your preferred country of origin as needed.

The Network Inspector module caught me a bit off guard in that it allows you to choose regions and countries to block internet traffic from, as opposed to scanning your local network and pointing out potential weak points and vulnerabilities. I’ve never seen this approach before, and it of course makes sense from a defensive posture, as well as the fact that MacPaw, a Ukrainian developer, is now in its third year of a war against Russia, and preventing hacking from outside nations and regions makes sense to them.

The System Protection module proved interesting in that it quickly scans your Mac’s operating system, determines where you might be vulnerable, and then opens up a list of advice and shortcuts as to how to take steps to use your Mac and prevent intrusion more effectively. The steps range from turning off your Mac’s display when the computer is inactive to turning on macOS’ Gatekeeper feature to improving your Wi-Fi protection, to turning off automatic Bluetooth connections, and offer quick links to the Settings panes to make these changes.

Moonlock’s Security Advisor module is as it’s name suggests an advisor and not a tool. Case in point, the module functions as a billboard of warnings and steps to take to prevent intrusion, as opposed to tools to effect these changes. Yes, it’s good to learn what to do, but this felt as if I’d wandered into an advice column and not a significant module of a commercial piece of software.

While Moonlock has a lot going for it, there are still some bugs to iron out, and a lot of it comes from the overly flashy user interface elements, which MacPaw is known for.

The Malware Scanner module is impressive, but you have to dig through various menus to see the volume and folder where the malware infection that was caught and quarantined was located. This is also the same module that could use an estimated time remaining countdown timer for its tasks, which would be appreciated.

The scheduler function, though reliable, only allows you to schedule scans every 15 minutes, a more customizable schedule would be welcome.

Finally, it feels as if the menus don’t explain each module’s functions as well as they could. It took a little trial and error to determine that the Deep Scan scanning mode could address an external volume as opposed to an easier user interface to point this out or a handy guide tip that suggested dragging and dropping the external volume to initiate a scan.

What’s present in Moonlock is good, if a bit rough around the edges, and the Moonlock antiviral/anti-malware engine doesn’t miss a beat, but MacPaw needs to sort out its menus and remember that flashy animations driven by a talented graphics department don’t replace explanatory ease of use.

Still, it’s nice to see the company spin Moonlock off into its own thing as opposed to heaping more features onto CleanMyMac. Outside of the fact that the menu system could be a bit more transparent to the user, and the Security Advisor module feels more like a PSA than a toolset, there’s something good here, and it’s worth considering.

Moonlock is available in subscription-based monthly, annual, or one-time payments. A 7-day free trial is also available, although you’ll have to send along your payment information, which will be charged at the end of the trial period if you don’t cancel in time.

Should you buy Moonlock from MacPaw?

MacPaw offers a strong antiviral/anti-malware candidate with Moonlock to the point that its malware detection engine performs exceptionally well, and the Active Protection feature was able to stop some threats before they could be installed and executed. The inclusion of instructional resources makes an effort to teach less-technical users as to why certain security settings matter, and the additional purchase options, such as one-time purchasing, are a nice addition.

Moonlock does feel like a 1.0 release in spots. The Security Advisor module functions more as an informational PSA than an actual toolset, and it feels as if certain options and details are buried under a plethora of flashy menus. Still, there’s a 7-day free trial that’s worth your time and we recommend giving it a spin.