ClamXav developer starts charging for his Mac OS X antivirus software

The lone developer of ClamXav, the longstanding free antivirus software for computers running Mac OS X, announced yesterday that from here on out he’ll be charging money for the latest version of the tool, under a new company.

ClamXav has built up a cult following through the years, at least partly because it’s free. The developer behind the software, Mark Allan of Edinburgh, Scotland, who has been a Mac user since 1992, first came up with it in 2004 as a graphical user interface for the ClamAV open-source software.

Allan put a positive spin on the news of the commercialization of ClamXav.

“No doubt all the headlines will focus on the fact that ClamXav is no longer free, but in reality, that’s the wrong way to look at it; by charging for ClamXav I will finally have the resources to devote to it and give it the attention it deserves. And give you the attention you deserve!” Allan wrote in the announcement.

The new company, Canimaan Software Ltd, is charging $22.46 in the U.S. for personal, non-commercial licenses of the new version 2.8 release of ClamXav. There’s a promotional discount for the launch currently that’s knocking the price down from $29.95. Discounts are available to people who’ve donated money to Allan for ClamXav in the past — and for students and teachers affiliated with educational institutions.

You can still use older versions of ClamXav for free, but Allan won’t be providing support for them.

“With your support, I’ll be able to dedicate a lot more of my time and energy to developing ClamXav, to take it to even greater heights, and make sure it’s the best anti-virus and anti-malware product available for the Mac,” Allan wrote.

Avast, Bitdefender, and Sophos, among others, still provide antivirus software free of charge.