McAfee Antivirus 2026: Does the Longtime Antivirus Still Offer What You Need?

McAfee is our top choice for antivirus software with unlimited device coverage, and it effectively protects your device from malware and other cyberthreats. It consistently earns high scores from independent testing organizations like AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs, and it passed our internal tests with ease. 

McAfee has minimal drawbacks. However, its full scan times range from 30 minutes to an hour, and none of its plans come with features to optimize device performance. 

In this McAfee antivirus review, we’ll cover its key features, test results, pricing, and how it compares to other leading antivirus software.

At a glance

Price	$39.99–$249.99/yr
Free plan	No
# of devices protected	Unlimited
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled
Real-time protection	Yes
EICAR test results	3/3
Firewall	Yes
Phishing protection	Yes
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, ChromeOS
Extras	VPN, password manager, identity theft protection, data removal services
24/7 customer support	Yes
Details	Get McAfee

Star rating summary

We last tested McAfee on August 11, 2025.

Our experience

We had very few complaints about our experience with McAfee. From the start, McAfee provides a guided setup, or you can decide to explore on your own.

From there, there wasn't much left to set up with McAfee. The Advanced Firewall and Real-Time Scanning features are already turned on by default once the program has been downloaded.

Once your download has completed, you'll be prompted to run a quick scan. This includes an antivirus scan for new and existing viruses, a PC performance scan to check for junk files and registry issues, and an advanced issues scan to inform you of any data leaks. 

We liked how informative the McAfee app is. It provides explanations for all of its features upfront as well as tips within certain tabs. 

However, McAfee's full scan on our Windows device was incredibly slow. It took over an hour to complete a full scan and our computer was lagging a lot. For reference, Norton only took about eight minutes to complete a full scan. 

We've also tested McAfee on a MacBook and it doesn't include a quick scan option; you can only run a full or custom scan. The full scan on our Mac took less than two minutes and it detected a malware test file we had downloaded prior to installing McAfee. 

It did falsely detect MacKeeper files as malware, so note that you may run into some false positives. MacKeeper also has a history of being flagged as malware, so this isn't unique to McAfee.

Mobile experience

We also downloaded the McAfee Security app on our Android. The app combines McAfee's antivirus, virtual private network (VPN), and identity monitoring tools, which are all listed on the main dashboard. 

Despite our slow scan times on desktop, the McAfee app scans were done before we knew it. We were prompted to run a Smart Scan when we started up the app, which only took eight seconds to scan our Wi-Fi connection, data breaches with our information, and threats on our device. 

The regular antivirus scan took just 50 seconds and detected all the malware test files that other antivirus apps had missed. We also liked that the safe browsing tool was available on mobile, so we could actually block the phishing test page. 

Since our last review of the mobile app, McAfee has also added a Scam Detector. With this feature, McAfee can alert you to any scams it finds on your phone, from scam text messages to phishing emails to fake videos. 

McAfee was easy to use and reliable for keeping our phone secure. We'd recommend taking advantage of it and covering all your devices with a McAfee subscription. 

McAfee prices and plans

McAfee offers a wide range of pricing from its McAfee Basic plan for $29.99/first yr to its McAfee+ Ultimate plan for $199.99/first yr. There are several plan types to choose from that vary depending on how many devices you want to be covered and how many features you want in one subscription.

You can also select a family plan, so long as you choose the McAfee+ Premium tier or higher. Along with the standard antivirus features, it also includes parental controls and identity theft protection for two adults instead of one. 

	McAfee Basic	McAfee Essential	McAfee+ Premium	McAfee+ Advanced	McAfee+ Ultimate
Price for first year	$29.99/first yr	$39.99/first yr	$49.99/first yr	$89.99/first yr	$199.99/first yr
# devices supported	1	5	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Manual and auto scan
Phishing protection
Firewall
Real-time protection
VPN
Personal data and online account cleanup
Identity monitoring and alerts
Identity theft coverage and identity restoration
Ransomware coverage
Details	View plan	View plan	View plan	View plan	View plan

McAfee's starting price is on par with some of the most popular antivirus programs: 

• TotalAV: Starts at $19.00/first yr
• Norton: Starts at $29.99/first yr
• Bitdefender: Starts at $34.99/first yr

McAfee does seem to be significantly more expensive at its higher tiers, but it does cover unlimited devices starting with McAfee+ Premium. TotalAV and Bitdefender both cap out at eight and 10 devices, respectively, while Norton's only plan with unlimited devices is $299.99/first yr. 

McAfee security features

You know that antivirus software prevents viruses, but McAfee does offer more than a basic antivirus package. With this suite, you’ll have access to a secure VPN, identity protection, and tracking removal.

If you're on the fence about getting McAfee, take advantage of the 30-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee. You'll get a complete refund if you don't like the product.

Malware and antivirus scan

With McAfee, you can run full scans on your entire device, custom scans on specific folders and files, and quick scans to review areas where threats are normally found. You can also schedule scans to run for the most convenient times.

The quick scan took less than two minutes to complete, despite mentioning a five to 10 minute estimate. However, the full scan took over an hour to scan over 360,000 files. 

There's a toggle for fast scanning, which allows McAfee to use all available system resources for faster scanning. We can't imagine how long the scan would have taken if this option had been toggled off.

Unfortunately, we learned McAfee doesn't provide a quick scan option for Macs. 

Phishing protection

McAfee's phishing protection includes a firewall and the WebAdvisor extension to reduce online phishing threats. The McAfee SafeSearch extension also helps verify your search results and points out any potentially dangerous sites.

McAfee goes a step further and encourages you to report suspected fraudulent emails. If you use the antivirus and think you’ve received a phishing email, send the information to spam@mcafee.com.

Firewall

A firewall is great to have with your antivirus software because it filters information coming through your internet connection. Your McAfee firewall is the first line of defense for stopping malicious attackers and programs from gaining access to your device.

The Advanced Firewall is included with all McAfee+ plans. It's automatically turned on but if you navigate to the tab, you can toggle it off or create rules like allowing or blocking connections. 

Network protection

In addition to the Advanced Firewall, McAfee also allows you to manage your home network. If a new PC with McAfee installed connects to the home network, then you can designate whether that PC is trusted. 

Real-time protection

Your real-time protection is always on with this antivirus. Individual files and apps are scanned when you access them. 

There’s also a scanner that continuously monitors your device, even if you don’t schedule a scan. If there’s a threat, the Real-Time Scanning will block it, which stops it from spreading throughout your device.

Real-Time Scanning is automatically turned on. You can navigate to the tab to turn it off or to add files that should be excluded from real-time scanning.

Ransomware protection

To tackle ransomware, McAfee uses cloud-based threat analysis. That way, your device should stay protected against even the latest threats. 

The Real-Time Scanning feature also keeps you protected from ransomware attacks.

Anti-fraud protection

All McAfee+ plans include identity theft protection. From the Identity Monitoring tab, McAfee will lead you to its web portal. You'll be able to enter 60 types of personal information to be monitored. 

McAfee will also send you alerts if any of your information is found on the dark web. 

Higher tier plans will include more extensive identity theft protection features like identity theft insurance, bank and credit card transaction monitoring, and credit monitoring. 

Along with identity theft protection, you get McAfee WebAdvisor, which protects against malicious websites. You can block by category, rating, and website.

Bonus features

With McAfee, you get a suite of extra features included like identity features, privacy options, and security features.

Identity features

McAfee’s identity features include the following: 

• McAfee True Key password manager
• Up to $1 million in identity theft coverage
• Bank and credit card transaction monitoring
• 1- to 3-bureau credit monitoring and credit score updates
• Ability to freeze bank, credit, or utility accounts
• $25,000 ransomware coverage
• 401(k), investment, and loan transaction monitoring
• Credit lock

Each feature depends on your selected McAfee+ tier.

Privacy features

McAfee's privacy features include the following: 

• Safe Connect VPN 
• Personal data cleanup: Scans high-risk data broker sites to see if any of them are collecting and selling your data. You can request the removal of your information or McAfee will contact the website broker for you.
• Online account cleanup: Scans your old accounts and alerts you if any are still holding on to your information. 

Security features

McAfee will provide you with a protection score to see how safe you are online, provide tips on security weak spots, and improve your cybersecurity. 

McAfee test results

For our antivirus reviews, we go over three different aspects during testing: scan speeds, EICAR tests, and third-party test results. 

First, we record how long antivirus scans take. Then, we conduct EICAR testing to see how well our antivirus works against test files. Finally, we review any available third-party test scores to see how well the antivirus was rated by independent parties.

Scan speed

• Result: Found 2/3 EICAR files

Prior to installing McAfee, we downloaded dummy malware files on our laptop and spread them across various folders. We saved one in our downloads folder, one in our screenshots folder, and one on our desktop. 

Then, we ran a quick scan to determine if McAfee could find these files. This scan took less than two minutes to complete and detected two out of the three files, specifically the files in our downloads folder and on our desktop. 

We began running a full scan to see if it would find the final EICAR file. However, an hour passed and the scan was still running and our computer was lagging massively, so we cancelled the scan.

	Quick scan
Time spent	1 minute, 42 seconds
# of files scanned	64,868 files
Did it find EICAR files?	2/3

EICAR test results

• Result: 3/3

We test all the antivirus programs on our site ourselves using the EICAR (European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research) method. It provides different file types that mimic cyberthreats like malware and phishing sites so you can test if your antivirus program catches it. 

McAfee passed all three tests with ease.

Test	McAfee score
Malware detection	Pass
Drive-by malware downloads	Pass
Phishing pages detection	Pass

McAfee quarantined both fake malware files: one we downloaded during a full scan and one we downloaded while the antivirus was idle.

And once we installed the McAfee WebAdvisor extension, it blocked Chrome from opening the fake phishing page and gave us a warning about the site. 

AV-TEST results

• Result: Perfect scores for Windows and Android

AV-TEST is an independent research institute that tests and rates antivirus programs based on a number of factors: 

• The malware protection test determines how well an antivirus program can detect malware and protect your device from malware attacks. 
• The performance test calculates the average influence of the antivirus program on your computer speed. 
• The usability test measures how well an antivirus program can detect false positives.

Each test can lead to a maximum of six points, with 18 points being the best possible result per operating system. 

Test type	Windows score	macOS score	Android score
Protection	6/6	N/A	6/6
Performance	6/6	N/A	6/6
Usability	6/6	N/A	6/6
Total	18/18	N/A	18/18
Date	December 2025	N/A	November 2025
Link to test	Link	N/A	Link

McAfee received perfect scores for Windows and Android in the protection, performance, and usability categories. This is true of McAfee's three most recent rounds of AV-TEST.

Although McAfee aced these tests, its Mac program wasn't tested. While this is disappointing, it doesn't necessarily point to McAfee being a bad antivirus for macOS. Security brands are required to pay for evaluations by AV-TEST, and many tend to focus on Windows and Android.

AV-Comparatives test results

• Result: Great protection rates, minimal performance impact

AV-Comparatives is another independent organization that tests security software like antivirus programs and parental controls. It tests antivirus programs for their real-world protection ability, malware protection ability, and performance impact. It also tests antivirus apps.

Test type	Mobile security	Real-world protection	Malware protection	Performance impact (Lower is better)
Score	Approved	99.5%	100%	7.6
Platform	Android	Windows	Windows	Windows
Date	July 2019	July - October 2025	September 2025	September 2025
Link to test	Link	Link	Link	Link

In the real-world protection test, McAfee received the second-highest protection rate alongside six other antivirus programs. Only three programs received a perfect real-world protection rate: Avast, AVG, and Norton. 

In the malware protection test, McAfee was one of four antivirus programs that received a 100% protection rate. The other programs were ESET, G Data, and Microsoft.  

Finally, McAfee came in fifth out of 18 antivirus programs in the performance test. It had minimal impact on system performance, but Kaspersky came in first with a 3.0 impact score. 

SE Labs results

• Result: 100%

The final third-party tester we consult is SE Labs. It tests antivirus programs for protection accuracy (the ability to detect and stop cyberthreats) and legitimate accuracy (how well the software avoids false positives).

Test type	Home Anti-Malware Protection
Protection accuracy rating	100%
Legitimate accuracy rating	100%
Total accuracy rating	100%
Date	2025 Q4
Link to test	Link

McAfee received a perfect SE Labs score, having had a 100% protection accuracy and 100% legitimate accuracy rating. It also detected no false positives.  

McAfee compatibility

	Compatibility
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Browser extensions	Yes — Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge

You want to check compatibility when shopping for an antivirus program. When you're defending your device against the latest malware, you'll need to know whether the antivirus you choose can defend the devices you own. 

McAfee has you covered with apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. You can also download the McAfee WebAdvisor extension to stay safe from web threats like phishing links.

McAfee customer support

Support type	McAfee
Email or live chat
Phone	Yes — 1-866-622-3911
Online guides or forums

McAfee offers 24/7 customer support via phone and live chat. We tested out the live chat and were connected to an agent in less than a minute. They didn't seem to have the most technical knowledge, but they were friendly and helpful.

We've also called support in the past, and were pleased with their service. We were connected with a knowledgeable and courteous rep within three to five minutes. The representative was able to help us look into the issue and gave us the information to move forward.

McAfee also provides online guides if you wish to do some troubleshooting on your own. There's a community forums page, but it's currently under construction. 

McAfee user reviews

• Apple App Store rating: 4.7
• Google Play Store rating: 4.8
• Trustpilot rating: 1.3

McAfee offers some of the highest-rated mobile apps we've found for antivirus software. On the Apple App Store, reviewers call out McAfee's effective and extensive app features and the peace of mind it brings. On the Google Play Store, reviewers mention that the app works well and is easy to use. 

On the other hand, McAfee has terrible ratings on Trustpilot, with 87% of reviewers giving it one star. Most reviews are dissatisfied by the unexpected auto-renewals and struggle to cancel subscriptions. Many state McAfee's customer service is unhelpful as well. 

Top alternatives

Although McAfee is one of our favorite antivirus programs, it did have some performance issues during our testing and lacks features for macOS. See how our other top recommended antivirus programs compare to McAfee:

Bottom line: Is McAfee good?

McAfee is high-quality software with lots of cybersecurity features, like a firewall, VPN, identity theft protection, and data removal services. It also consistently achieves perfect scores with AV-TEST and ranks at the top with AV-Comparatives.

We're often disappointed by how long it takes to complete full antivirus scans. There are also no optimization tools included, which is worth pointing out if optimal PC performance is important to you.

See how McAfee compares to some of the best antivirus software:

• McAfee vs. TotalAV
• McAfee vs. Avast
• McAfee vs. Norton
• McAfee vs. AVG
• McAfee vs. Bitdefender
• McAfee vs. Malwarebytes

McAfee FAQs