#1 McAfee Review in 2024
McAfee has been around since the stone age of the internet – 1987! It's dug its roots deep into the tech world and is now a staple on hundreds of millions of devices across the globe. But the question is, does McAfee keep up with the times and give you the best protection out there?
That's exactly what I wanted to know, so I rolled up my sleeves and tested McAfee in depth. And today, I’m sharing those discoveries.
The best part? This isn't just a generic McAfee review — I've got over 50 screenshots showing every single feature in action. This is probably the most exhaustive McAfee review you'll find.
In this McAfee review, you will learn:
What makes McAfee good or bad
If the VPN is fast and secure enough
How safe the password manager keeps your data
If you can trust Gamer Security to protect your PC
How many system resources McAfee consumes
And much more
Let’s begin.
In a Hurry? Here’s a Quick Summary:
McAfee is a great antivirus solution. It protects your PC well with its powerful malware defense and handy tools. It also offers extras like a parental control feature that blocks dangerous content, a password manager to make your work easier, and a file locker for securing your data.
However, McAfee has a few shortcomings. Its VPN isn't impressive, and the Vulnerability Scanner misses some security issues. So, while it's a top-rated antivirus, it's not my best choice overall.
Try McAfee to see how this top-notch antivirus works, and keep reading for more details.
What You'll Like:
Easy-to-use interface that lets you find what you need fast
Powerful antivirus system that keeps harmful software away
Dependable customer service
What You Might Not Like:
No webcam protection, backup feature, or anti-theft
No secure browser for safe banking
A mediocre VPN with a small selection of servers
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What Makes This McAfee Review Different?
A lot of antivirus reviews online aren't actual reviews. Many "reviewers" don't purchase, install, or test the products themselves. They just promote them, hoping users won't notice.
But sadly, many users don't. Given how important antivirus programs are, would you trust these reviews?
Here at AntivirusGuide, we only post reviews of software that we've bought, tried, and thoroughly analyzed. For instance, this McAfee review took me two weeks to complete. I captured around 100 screenshots but only used about 50 for the final review.
I used my Dell XPS laptop to test McAfee, but I also ran it on my MacBook Pro M1 and Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.
Keep reading to discover everything about McAfee antivirus.
Buying McAfee Antivirus
For this McAfee review, I bought McAfee Total Protection Ultimate. This includes Identity Theft Protection Plus, Safe Family (a parental control app), five VPN licenses, support for unlimited devices, and more features than the standard Total Protection package.
The first-year price was pretty low, saving me money. The buying process was easy too. I filled in my personal and credit card info, and McAfee sent me an email with my receipt straight away.
The email had links for account setup and software download. So, I was able to quickly made my McAfee account and downloaded the installer.
The purchase process was smooth, without any problems.
Installation
After getting a link to the installer from the email, I clicked 'Install', which took me to McAfee's download page. Since my test laptop uses Windows, I downloaded the Windows installer.
Before the installation began, the McAfee installer did some system checks. I made sure there were no remaining files from my old antivirus software before starting.
Once the installation was done, McAfee suggested I install it on other devices. I did that, and it works well on my Android phone too.
McAfee makes a new account for you using the email provided when buying the software. To finish setting up my account, I had to create a password that included numbers and both lower and upper case letters.
The whole installation process was quick, and setting up the account was easy.
Interface
McAfee has a well-designed user interface divided into sections for PC, web, and identity features. The main screen's text is brief but helps you understand how McAfee shields your PC and what each part does.
I like that the 'Quick actions' button holds important tasks (like running a scan, removing trackers, and turning on VPN). These tasks are too critical to be tucked away in various submenus.
While the interface is organized, some features don't fit within the three main sections. But you can find them in the Settings menu. This includes the security history, security report, quarantine, home network analyzer, and spam filter.
You can find more options in the General Settings and Alerts section. It's not a long list — just a few settings for showing/hiding alerts and a unique feature to speed up your computer's startup time.
Overall, the interface is organized but doesn't offer a dark mode option.
Major Features
McAfee guards against harmful websites and bad downloads with its WebAdvisor browser extension. This is free for anyone to use, not just McAfee customers. You can get it via the Web > Browser security window.
Ransomware Protection
Ransomware protection is a must-have in antivirus software. I tried to test McAfee's ransomware protection in real-time with a special tool called the KnowBe4 Ransomware Simulator.
McAfee claims to provide ransomware protection through a feature called Ransom Guard, but I couldn't find it in the program. There's also no mention of it in the official documentation.
When I tried to open the ransomware simulator, the antivirus software removed and quarantined the launcher for the simulator. Even when I restored the launcher file and tried to open KnowBe4 again, McAfee deleted the file. Plus, there was no option to make an exception for this file.
So what's the takeaway? McAfee probably didn't run the test because its ransomware filter is too strict. This could actually suggest that McAfee's ransomware protection is quite strong.
Even though the simulation test didn't run, McAfee removed the suspicious launcher from the start.
Browser Security
McAfee guards against phishing websites and bad downloads with its WebAdvisor browser extension. This is free for anyone to use, not just McAfee customers. You can get it via the Web > Browser security window.
To check how well WebAdvisor works, I tried opening a few fake harmful links. The first one I tried was maliciouswebsitetest.com. Surprisingly, this wasn't blocked by the extension but by Safe Family, which is McAfee's parental control app.
Then I tried links on wicar.org. This time, Web Advisor stopped all the threats, marking them as risky.
It also marked them as suspicious:
I also checked the security features on amtso.org. Here, McAfee's Web Advisor stopped all threats too.
Except for maliciouswebsitetest.com, the browser security extension successfully blocked all threats I opened.
Scan
You can start a scan from the Quick Action button on McAfee's main screen. But this will only start a quick scan. For more options, go to PC > Scan. There you can start a quick or full scan or schedule one.
The first quick scan took 6.5 minutes and scanned 9444 items. However, the second one was done in just 19 seconds and checked 9498 items. This is much faster than the first scan and compared to other antivirus software.
That said:
The quick scan didn't find the threats that a full scan did. Read more about that below.
To see details about past scans, you have to go to the Security history module, which is in the Settings menu.
Furthermore, the first full scan took one hour and 30 minutes. It scanned 476k items and found three threats (these were leftover files from the earlier ransomware simulation). This is one of the longest scan times I've seen.
Later scans took less time: about one hour and 15 minutes. They scanned the same number of files (476k) but found no threats.
Finally, the custom scan lets you manually scan a specific file or folder. This is just a right-click menu scan, and every antivirus software has this feature.
The quick scan is blazingly fast, and the full scan found a few threats on my computer.
VPN
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, helps protect your privacy and security online. It hides your IP address to keep your identity safe from hackers. This also lets you access sites that are blocked in some countries, like Disney+ or Hulu.
McAfee's VPN service is run by TunnelBear, a Toronto- based VPN service that McAfee owns. The VPN has over 2000 servers in 23 countries. This is smaller than the bigger VPN companies like Cyberghost and PrivateInternetAccess.
To review McAfee's VPN, I tested its speeds. First, I checked my speed on fast.com without using a VPN. Then I connected to a few random VPNs and checked again. Here are the results.
No VPN: 420 Mbps download, 420 Mbps upload, 4 ms latency
Argentina: 19 Mbps download, 1.3 Mbps upload, 261 ms latency
France: 150 Mbps download, 51 Mbps upload, 38 ms latency
United States: 32 Mbps download, 147 Mbps upload, 5.4 ms latency
These speeds are lower than average, especially for the US server, compared to other VPNs. You can't choose a specific city to connect to, but there is a "fastest connection" option.
To test the VPN's privacy, I used ipleak.net. The test was good: my IP address and DNS info were hidden. But I couldn't use perfect-privacy.com for another test. The WebAdvisor extension blocked the site, displaying a message that opening the site was risky. This was the first time I've seen a web protection feature block that website.
The VPN service has a few options, like deciding when to activate the VPN service. It does not have a kill switch, which would disconnect your PC from the internet if the VPN connection is lost.
McAfee’s VPN doesn't have a kill switch, and its connections are slow.
Firewall
A firewall is a computer's main shield against hacker attacks through your local network. It controls which programs can send or receive data on your network. In my tests, McAfee's firewall replaced my default Windows firewall.
There are several modes for the firewall. It's set to Smart Access by default, meaning McAfee decides which programs can use the firewall.
If you're an advanced user, you can find all the features a good firewall should have. These include a detailed firewall history and managing ports and system services.
I tested the firewall using ShieldsUp!, a popular firewall security test. McAfee’s firewall passed with flying colors.
McAfee’s firewall has a simple mode for everyday users and advanced settings for tech experts.
Parental Control
If you're a parent, you might worry about your kids visiting unsafe websites. A possible solution is McAfee’s parental control app called Safe Family. This comes with the Family edition of McAfee Total Protection.
But is the parental control app any good?
To see how it works, I first made two child accounts from the Profiles menu.
Safe Family can block certain websites and apps depending on your child's age. I found this worked well in my tests. For instance, when I tried to visit a gambling site, the app blocked it right away.
You can also adjust what your kids can see online. I added a new site, and as expected, Safe Family blocked it too.
One cool feature I found is that your child can ask to use a particular website. This feature worked well in my tests.
One downside is that this app doesn't have an online dashboard. You can only control the app from your desktop computer or mobile app. Also, unlike some other parental controls, like Kaspersky's, you can't make different Windows users for your kids.
Safe Family can block inappropriate sites effectively, but it's missing some important features.
Identity Theft Protection
Identity theft is a big issue today. To help, McAfee offers a feature to protect your identity, but it's only for US users who turn on auto-renewal.
Unfortunately, I couldn't test this feature for this review because I don't live in the US. If you're in the US, you can use this feature by clicking the ID protection link in the McAfee interface.
You'll get an email with a link to set up your Identity Theft Protection account. From the online dashboard, you can enter your personal information. McAfee will then look for your information online. You can also adjust the search settings.
If you're in the US, Identity Theft Protection is a good feature to have.
Vulnerability Scanner
The Vulnerability Scanner is basically a software updater. It looks for software updates on your device to find any potential security issues.
Even though updating your software and operating system can improve your device's security, it's not the only way to do so. That's why I think the name "Vulnerability Scanner" might be misleading.
What's more, I found it a bit confusing that in McAfee’s PC module, the Vulnerability Scanner is named "Secure apps":
When I used McAfee, it didn't tell me about any new updates. This was a letdown because I got notifications about updates from apps like Chrome and Opera. I also tried to manually look for updates:
Still, I liked that you can set a schedule for update scans (I chose a weekly scan):
Vulnerability Scanner is a good app updater if you're not looking for something complex.
App Boost
App Boost is a feature designed to give more processing power to your open apps. It finds apps like Microsoft Office or browsers that could use the extra performance and provides them with more resources.
However, in my experience, I didn't notice a significant difference when using my apps, like Chrome, with App Boost turned on. McAfee claims their tests show an 11-14% speed improvement for apps.
The App Boost interface is pretty simple. It only shows you the apps that have been boosted, how often they were boosted, and when.
While App Boost is meant to be a helpful tool, I can't say I noticed a big difference.
Web Boost
Web Boost is a straightforward browser extension that stops videos from auto-playing. This could potentially make your browser run a bit faster and save data and battery life.
Interestingly, Web Boost isn't something I've seen in other antivirus software. Also, you can use Web Boost even without installing a McAfee antivirus product.
In my testing, the extension worked well. It stopped videos from automatically playing on sites like Reddit or Twitter and showed a notification at the top of the video.
You can choose to turn the extension on or off on any site. There's also a list of sites where videos automatically start.
Plus, you can check some stats about the videos it stopped from the McAfee interface.
Web Boost was successful at stopping videos from auto-playing during my web browsing.
Tracker Remover
The Tracker Remover is a tool that gets rid of tracking cookies and other unnecessary data, such as temporary files, registry files, history files, deleted emails, and memory images.
This tool is important because it helps keep your online activity private by stopping websites from tracking your behavior. To get rid of cookies and temporary files, you simply hit the "Clean" button.
You can also set this tool to clean up automatically by using the Schedule option.
Before you start, you should choose what types of files you want to delete. If you're not sure, just stick with the default selection.
Don't forget to select the browser files you want to remove.
In my tests for this McAfee review, a quick clean-up took less than a minute and got rid of almost 1 GB of data from different sources.
Tracker Remover is a simple cleanup utility that does a good job of finding and removing online trackers.
Password Manager
A solid antivirus program should also have a password manager. McAfee's password manager is called True Key and it comes with the Total Protection package but you can install it separately, too.
True Key lets you keep all your passwords in one secure place, guarded by multi-factor authentication. You can open True Key through McAfee's window, but to manage it, you use the browser extension page. From the Login tab, you can view and add new website credentials. I was able to add two accounts successfully.
True Key offers five different ways for you to verify your identity, which is really great!
You can also add a new account by signing into it through a specific website.
For extra security, McAfee can sign you out of your accounts seven days after you log in.
If you're already using Google Chrome or other browsers and password managers, you can transfer data from them to True Key. This is very helpful if you've saved a lot of personal data.
One thing I really like is that you can organize your sensitive information into different categories, like credit cards or memberships.
Password Manager gives you a secure way to store your account details using five authentication factors!
File Shredder
A file shredder is a tool often found in antivirus software. This feature is important as data you thought you deleted can often be easily recovered by hackers if they gain access to your hard drive. By using the file shredder, you can prevent this data restoration, as it deletes files using strong algorithms.
To use this tool, simply navigate to the Shredder interface, select the locations you want to erase and choose the shred type. I chose the basic cleaning method, and the program identified ten items to shred, a process that only took a few seconds.
You also have the option to shred an item directly from the right-click menu of any file.
The file shredder is a great way to ensure sensitive data is thoroughly deleted, preventing any potential recovery.
File Lock
Despite securing your device with a password, PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition, your files can still be vulnerable to skilled hackers or ransomware attacks. This is where a data vault proves valuable.
McAfee’s File Lock is a feature that allows you to store sensitive files in a secure digital vault on your hard drive. This vault functions like a new partition and has a unique user interface.
When creating a new vault, I was able to set the name, vault size, password, and recovery email. While there isn't an abundance of security features, the ones provided should be sufficient for regular home users.
File Lock is a valuable addition to McAfee’s antivirus package.
Anti-Spam Filter
A spam filter is often part of antivirus programs. In McAfee, you can’t find it in the main interface but in the Settings menu.
McAfee's spam filter works with email programs like Outlook and Thunderbird. They have their own spam filters, but McAfee can add more protection. It lets you choose the spam protection level and set up filter rules.
The anti-spam filter gives your emails extra safety.
McAfee Gamer Security
McAfee Gamer Security is an antivirus program made just for gamers. I got it free for a year with McAfee Total Security. But, they sent me the product key ten days after I bought it, which was annoying.
McAfee Gamer Security can't work with other antivirus software on your device. I learned that when I tried to install it on my PC with McAfee Total Protection already on it. I had to remove Total Protection first.
Gamer Security is all about making your games perform better. As extras, it has a frames-per-second (FPS) counter and a monitor for system resources.
Gamer Security is a cloud-based antivirus app, which means it uses the internet to work and doesn't use a lot of your computer's power. The simple interface lets you do a scan, see quarantined (isolated) files, and choose files to leave out of the scan.
You can also do a quick scan or a full scan, but you can't change how they work. The scans were faster than McAfee's standard antivirus. The quick scan took about a minute and scanned 32k files, which is more than the standard McAfee's 10k files.
The full scan took 30 minutes, half the time of the standard McAfee antivirus, but it scanned fewer items.
McAfee Gamer Security also aims to make games perform better with the auto boost feature:
And you can choose which services keep running in the background when a game is on:
McAfee Gamer Security is pretty basic, buit it's good for regular gamers.
Independent Testing Results
AV-Test, a top security software testing group, regularly checks out the top antivirus products. In their latest tests, they named McAfee a "Top Product" for its protection, usability, and performance.
Another well-known security testing company, AV-Comparatives, gave McAfee their top rating, Advanced+, for malware protection and performance.
And SE-Labs gave McAfee their highest rating — AAA. Check out their report to see more about their thorough tests.
McAfee got top marks from the best software security testing labs.
When running a full scan, McAfee used about 70% of the computer's processing power and 400-500 MB of RAM. These numbers are much higher than the average of other antivirus programs, which usually use 30% of the CPU and 200-300 MB of RAM.
McAfee uses quite a bit of your computer's power when scanning.
Choosing the Right McAfee Product
McAfee offers two plans for home users: Antivirus Plus and Total Protection. The right one for you depends on how many devices you need to protect.
McAfee Antivirus Plus for one device gives you basic security features, like real-time engine and web protection. If you need to protect more devices (up to ten), the multi-device version gives you even more security features, like a password manager and a file shredder.
McAfee Total Protection offers all of this, plus a VPN license. I think Total Protection for five devices is the best choice, as it's important to protect all your devices. Also, a VPN is essential for privacy, especially when using public Wi-Fi.
Although McAfee doesn't offer a free antivirus program, you can try Total Protection for free for 30 days.
I recommend McAfee Total Protection for the included VPN license.
Customer Support
When using software, it's helpful to have tips and guidance to learn the features faster. McAfee doesn't have tooltips throughout its interface, but some features have a "Learn more" link that takes you to a documentation page. If a feature doesn't have this link, you'll have to search for it in the online documentation.
McAfee's knowledge base could be better, as it lacks images.
Also, I had some trouble opening the McAfee Support Page from the interface, as it sometimes showed error pages. I had to clear my browser history and restart my computer to get it to work.
For customer support, you can chat, email, or call McAfee. I chose to chat. Did McAfee help me resolve my antivirus issues?
I used the chat to open a support ticket and got a response pretty quickly. The chat window looked a bit old-fashioned, and the support person's English was not great, but he was helpful and gave me good information.
Overall, I was satisfied with the speed and quality of McAfee’s chat support.
McAfee Review — Conclusion
McAfee is a great antivirus program. It did a great job in my tests, and the features like parental control, password manager, and gamer security are worth the cost.
However, I wasn't thrilled with the VPN as it doesn't have many servers and lacks a killswitch. The Vulnerability Scanner is also a below average software updater.
However, McAfee is still a good choice if you want a well-rounded antivirus solution. I suggest McAfee Total Protection for five devices, which should work well for most users.
Best of all?
What's great is that you can try McAfee Total Protection for 30 days for free. If you buy it, you can get your money back within 30 days. So, you get a total of 60 days to try out McAfee.
Yet, I think Bitdefender and Norton are a little bit better overall. Why? Because, for instance, Bitdefender also has a hardened browser, and Norton provides backup and webcam protection features.
McAfee is a strong antivirus solution with good customer support. Plus, it offers a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
FAQs
Here are the frequently asked questions about McAfee and their corresponding answers.
Is McAfee a good antivirus?
McAfee is a great antivirus solution that should keep you safe from most threats on the web. You also get a free TunnelBear-powered VPN license if you use McAfee Total Protection.
Grab your copy of McAfee antivirus software, or choose an alternative antivirus solution! Don’t worry — in case you change your mind, you can benefit from the 30-day money-back guarantee.
Is McAfee antivirus free?
McAfee doesn't have a free antivirus version that lasts forever. But you can try out its full-featured program, Total Protection, for 30 days.
Grab a copy of McAfee Total Protection today and see if it’s the right antivirus solution for you. As a strong alternative, we recommend Norton, a trusted and award-winning antivirus.
Do you need McAfee with Windows 10?
Even if you have Windows 10, it's still a good idea to use a separate antivirus program. Windows Defender isn't as strong as a well-known program like McAfee. Check out our list of the top antivirus software to learn more.
Windows Defender is not as powerful as a renowned antivirus product like McAfee. Learn more about the world’s best antivirus solutions in our top antivirus software list.
Will McAfee remove malware?
Yes, McAfee is designed to find and remove malware from your device, whether it's a Windows PC, Android phone, Mac, or Apple product. McAfee keeps threats locked away until you decide to delete them.
Learn more about McAfee and grab your copy today to keep your precious files safe from malware and cyber-attacks. Not sure McAfee is for you? Check out this list of top antivirus products (discounts included).
Octav Fedor (Cybersecurity Editor)
Octav is a cybersecurity researcher and writer at AntivirusGuide. When he’s not publishing his honest opinions about security software online, he likes to learn about programming, watch astronomy documentaries, and participate in general knowledge competitions.