A good deal for a house full of devices.
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McAfee is one of the more recognizable names in the antivirus game. Chances are you've used it, or at least seen it, on a new computer. It's one of the more commonly seen pre-installed antivirus programs, and the latest version does well enough that you probably shouldn't just uninstall it if you do find it on your new PC. It doesn't reach the heights of some of its competitors, but buying a license for $45 for the first year, it lets you install McAfee on up to 10 devices, which is more than most of its competitors.
If you have a lot of computers in your house, it's a great deal, especially since you can install McAfee on almost anything, including Mac, iOS, and Android. It's priced similarly to Kaspersky Antivirus, but without that service's three-device limitation. The cost goes up to $89.99 per year after the first year is over, which is a steep increase, so it only makes sense if it's being used on lots of devices.
Design and Features
McAfee's interface isn't too remarkably different than most AV software, but the biggest difference is navigation is on the right side of the app. The window on the left shows you the device you're currently using and lets you know if it's protected or not. You can also choose to "find unprotected devices" on your home network, so you can easily see which devices are vulnerable.
You can also "protect more" devices as part of your subscription. It also includes a 100% virus removal guarantee that if your PC gets infected and one of their techs can't remove it via remote control, they will refund your money. This feature requires an auto-renewal subscription, however.
Another feature included with your subscription is enrollment into True Key password manager. True Key is a password manager that places heavy emphasis on multi-factor authentication. It's a nice addition to the package, especially if you want to beef up your password game while at the same time simplifying it.
There's also a Quick Clean feature that helps free up room on your device. It's extremely similar in function to the native Windows disk cleanup tool: it removes both unwanted and unneeded files, but the McAfee cleaner goes a little further, as you can have it scan your registry, too. It also cleans up your browser history, wipes the cache and removes cookies. It's not an essential feature but it is a welcome extra.
McAfee also keeps on top of software updates by scanning installed software for missing updates, including checking to see if Windows itself is up to date. Since many vulnerabilities and exploits in software are fixed through updates, running out-of-date software puts you at risk. The process can be scheduled to run once a week, and before it installs any updates it asks for your permission. It's a handy feature for any software you might use that doesn't have an automatic updater, but redundant for ensuring that Windows itself is up to date. A file shredder and firewall are included as well.
While McAfee can be installed on Mac, iOS, and Android devices, the feature set isn't as large as McAfee on a Windows PC. It makes sense, since Windows is the largest target for attackers by a sizable margin. Mac protection is limited to a firewall, protection from malware, and scanning email and IM attachments. Android devices benefit most from the option to remotely locate a lost device, or even to wipe it completely should the need arise. The iOS feature set isn't nearly as robust, but you can still remotely locate and wipe your device.
Of course, McAfee includes all the features you expect from modern antivirus software, including malware protection, a firewall, antivirus and anti-phishing protection.
Performance
A full scan with McAfee is a slow affair. The initial scan took an hour and a half to complete, way more than the average 44 minutes. A follow-up scan cut the time down substantially, to just 35 minutes.
Test Results
McAfee takes part in 3 of the 5 tests offered by AV-Comparatives, scoring Standard in one and Advanced in the other two. Both BitDefender and Kaspersky score Advanced+, the highest possible rating, in all 5 tests. In the AV-Test Institute tests, McAfee scored 17 out of 18, and against web attacks, it got an 8.2 out of 10, which is pretty good overall on this scale.
For malware protection, McAfee scored 9.2 out of 10 and blocked 85-percent of malware downloads. When it comes to anti-phishing protection, however, McAfee lags behind the built-in protection in Chrome and Internet Explorer, only beating Firefox.
Purchasing Guide
Like most antivirus suites, McAfee offers three product tiers, differentiated mostly by the number of devices they support, along with a few other small perks at higher tiers. McAfee gets one up on most of its competition by offering support for 10 devices in its highest-end package, which is more than most AV services.
The Verdict
McAfee's security performance was mixed, as it didn't finish at the top of the charts in any particular test but still performed well across the board. However, if you're looking to protect a whole bunch of devices, McAfee is a great bargain. In fact, it's such a great deal that I think it makes up for its shortcomings given its overall level of security. However, if you only need to protect a few Windows devices, you're better off with a more thorough service like Webroot, which scores higher in all the tests.
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