McAfee is no stranger to the world of cybersecurity. In fact, it is one of the first antivirus software developed in the United States and has continued to remain relevant even after more than 30 years of its existence.
The company has been through a lot of changes. Yet, it remains a strong contender. Not only did it get separated from Intel, but the developers also redesigned its interface and made it better. Today, it has become as good as Kaspersky, Norton, and other giant brands.
But with these new changes, many have been asking if McAfee Total Protection is as good as it claims. Maybe, you may also ask what its features are? Is it very good or just average at fighting against viruses? How does it compare against other antivirus brands?
To answer all these questions, here is an unbiased McAfee antivirus review.
McAfee security program: The overview
The firm McAfee Corp. has been around for several decades, albeit with different names. Today, the company hasn’t limited itself to antivirus solutions only. Rather it has grown to become more of a technology giant with various product lines. Yet, their main focus remains on consumer security – both individual users and enterprise customers.
Some notable McAfee products include the McAfee Safe Connect VPN, McAfee Safe Family – parental control solution, and McAfee Security Scan Plus – a basic scan tool. The parent company has also made multiple noteworthy acquisitions, such as TunnelBear VPN and NanoSec container security firm.
Nonetheless, their main strength lies within antimalware technology.
Therefore, this McAfee review aims to assess McAfee Total Protection – the main Mcafee antivirus offering efficient malware defense capabilities. The tool not only claims to provide basic malware protection. Rather it also offers real-time security against online threats and ransomware attacks along with cloud protection and offline scans.
While this sounds cool, does McAfee really fulfils all that it claims? That’s what you’ll find out through this review.
Summary of McAfee antivirus software review
Upon testing this product, I was first drawn to its sleek interface. Besides, it has other additional perks such as Web Boost, WebAdvisor, and safe browsing extension.
The product offers many impressive security features while also providing additional add-ons. One of these security features is its ability to block malware and zero-day attacks. Also, with its Family/Household subscription plan, you can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously while paying a fair price.
However, it could be more user-friendly, as its WebAdvisor and performance improvement tools didn’t impress much.
Nonetheless, McAfee Total Protection has a low price point and covers several devices while providing all the essential antivirus features (such as a secure firewall and real-time protection). It gets better with some extras, including a password manager, VPN, and performance optimizer. Still, all its plan offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to refund if it fails to meet your expectations.
| Scan type | On-demand |
| Presence of firewall | Yes |
| Blocks malware | Yes |
| Block spyware and ransomware | Yes |
| Pricing | $19.99 to $39.99 per year |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Free plan | No |
| VPN | Yes (unlimited data) |
| Operating systems | Android, Windows, iOS, Mac |
Curious to know more? Let’s proceed with this unbiased review of McAfee antivirus.
Total Protection: Does McAfee offer complete protection?
McAfee lists Total Protection as one of its security suites. The solution offers complete protection against malware, ransomware, viruses, and spyware attacks alongside protecting against unsafe websites.
I tested its ability to prevent zero-day malware attacks, and the tool scored 99%. This result is no different from what other top-rated brands such as Bitdefender and Avast obtain. I also tested McAfee antivirus against other kinds of malware, and it got a 100% score.