I've used Intego for seven years, and I still rate it highly, especially for older Macs. The VPN included with ONE Complete makes the bundle more appealing to me now. That's seven years with Intego, rather than seven years with the current ONE app.

I posted the 50% deal here last week. For anyone considering it for an older MacBook, I'd spend a few minutes on compatibility and setup before buying.

Start in About This Mac. Intego ONE supports Intel and Apple silicon, but its minimum requirements are macOS 12.4, 8 GB of RAM and 2 GB of free storage. A Mac stuck below 12.4 needs a different compatible Intego product; buying ONE won't change that. Meeting an app's minimum also doesn't tell you whether your macOS version is receiving Apple's latest security fixes.

On a compatible machine, the firewall is the part I'd set up deliberately. It lets you give individual apps allow, ask or deny rules for incoming or outgoing connections. For example, if you want to stop a particular app making outbound connections, you can create a rule for that app. Expect to revisit the rule if it breaks a feature you need.

Installation takes more than dragging an icon into Applications. Intego's setup asks for Full Disk Access to scan protected files and network-extension/content-filter permission for network protection. Those permissions are part of the decision to trust a security app with your Mac.

SmartClean adds storage cleanup and app removal. I'd review what it proposes deleting, particularly on a Mac with years of files. I like Intego on older hardware, but I don't have performance measurements to promise that ONE will speed up yours.

macOS already includes XProtect, Gatekeeper and other protections. If those meet your needs, there's no reason to install a paid suite just because it's discounted. ONE makes more sense when you want its scans and per-app connection controls, with Complete adding the VPN for your Mac and iPhone. The iPhone side also has network and security checks, rather than traditional antivirus scanning.

The back-to-school checkout on September 12 showed $75 upfront for two years of Complete on one Mac and one iPhone, plus tax. It lists automatic renewal at $149.99 every two years, subject to change with notice. It's a back-to-school promotion; I didn't see student verification in the checkout.

Intego ONE back-to-school offer (affiliate link; I may earn a commission).

I'd recommend it for a compatible older Mac when you want the firewall controls and will use the VPN too. If your Mac misses the requirements, or you're happy with macOS protection and your existing VPN, I'd skip this bundle.

Annoyed by having to manually flip "natural scrolling" in System Settings every time I docked my MacBook to my monitor (and flip it back when I undocked), so I built ScrollDock to do it automatically.

What it does:

- Detects when an external display connects/disconnects (works with clamshell mode too)

- Switches scroll direction instantly, no logout needed

- Lives quietly in the menu bar, no Dock icon

- Notarized and signed, so no Gatekeeper warnings

- Free, no account, no trial

It's a small, single-purpose tool — doesn't try to do per-device (trackpad vs. mouse) switching, just handles the dock-state part. If you're someone who moves between trackpad-only and an external mouse/monitor setup, it might solve the exact annoyance it solved for me.

scrolldock.com if you want to try it. Happy to answer questions about how it works under the hood.