McAfee Review: Best Antivirus of 2020

Detailed expert opinion

It is mainly famous for being a typical antivirus, although mcAfee is a recognizable community name. Over the past few decades, the company has split off from Intel, redesigned its port, and has become one of the most effective antivirus programs readily available, on par with other business giants such as Norton and Kaspersky.

I spent many hours analyzing the latest version of McAfee Total Protection. At first, I was attracted to the slick interface along with additional features like Internet Boost and the safe browsing extension, WebAdvisor. After trying out all the security features and functionality of Total Security, my overall conclusion is this:

McAfee is great, but he’s not perfect.
It’s full of extras that were extra security features. It is able to block most zero-day attacks and widespread malware. Additionally, the purchase of the 10 hearing aids The Home Program (known as the US Family Program) is excellent value for money.

You get all the antivirus features you need — such as real-time security and a secure firewall — along with a few extras — such as functionality optimization and a password manager. However, for the sake of user-friendliness, a tweak is definitely needed and I also found the WebAdvisor tool along with its productivity enhancing features to be disappointing and quite disappointing.

McAfee security characteristics
McAfee Total Protection protects you against viruses, malware, malware and ransomware attacks, and also protects against suspicious or vulnerable websites.

In the face of zero-day attacks, Total Safety efficiently detects and prevents attacks in 99%. This can be on par with other elite brands like Avast and Bitdefender. As soon as I analyzed Total Protection from a sampling of different types of malware, it scored an excellent 100%.

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And while McAfee’s results are better than in previous decades, Norton 360 continues to outperform as a whole.

However, Total Protection gives users a wide selection of attributes, from protected surfing to permanently deleting files, and much more, including:

Optimizing your computer’s performance.
Encrypted memory (128-bit encryption).
House Network Security (firewall).
Password supervisor.
Compatible with many devices.
A number of these attributes, such as optimizing computer performance, safe browsing enhancement, and manager, are special. You can discover the same features in most other anti-virus applications like TotalAV.

But if you’re looking for a used antivirus program at an affordable price — more affordable than many premium antivirus programs like BullGuard and AVG — McAfee is a good option.

Antivirus scanning
McAfee Total Protection provides two types of virus scans:

Fast scanning
Complete Scan
It took 20 minutes to run a quick scan on my previous computer and it scanned over 12,000 of my documents. Honestly, 20 minutes is a long time for a “quick scan”. I tried it and also just under 6,000 documents were scanned in 5 minutes. This is a much better result.

two different computers, did a full scan like quick scan. It took almost 20 hours to scan my computer, which is a long time. However, it only took 1 hour to fully scan my new computer. While this is a much more reasonable amount of time, it is still longer than other antivirus scanners such as Bitdefender and Avira.

Something I learned right away while using McAfee — it provides all the useful data in popups. For example, if you want to know which documents have been scanned or to see which documents have been marked suspicious, you will find all this data in the popup. This isn’t a problem, but I really found it a bit annoying.

You can only find small information from the notification window of the dashboard. This is not a problem, although I have this information displayed on the dashboard instead of the boxes.

After the scan is complete, you can see how many documents were scanned and also what files that were infected were eliminated. I was not given a choice to quarantine or assess which documents were contaminated — Total Protection just removed them. It will be fine for you in case you have no purpose in examining the files. But if you want more control, other apps like Malwarebytes allow you to quarantine, delete, or ignore documents.

It is also possible to view a complete record of the scans using the Safety Report feature.

Total, Fast Scan, and Complete Scan work equally as planned, although I find the scanning engine quite slow compared to other antiviruses like TotalAV and Norton. I would also like to have the details of this scan when the scan is done, collected in the dashboard, but most people don’t care. Rather than automatically removing them, I like the decision to reinstall or remove files that are moot after scanning. But for many people, this probably isn’t a problem.

Vulnerability Scanner — keep programs updated
Outdated applications pose a serious security risk, which is why Vulnerability Scanner is a great addition to the Total Protection suite. It hunted for all the outdated applications and applications on my computer. McAfee will automatically run the Vulnerability Scanner on the specified day, or you can create a program and choose to run a scan every week, every other week, or even monthly.

For me personally, it took over 10 minutes to complete the Vulnerability Scanner. He revealed how many updates were discovered and then the result of how important it is to keep the program updated. In my case, my Adobe Reader had a “critical” update because the McAfee rating system assessed the probability of the vulnerabilities as “high”.

My only problem is that it’s not called “Vulnerability Scanner” in the Total Protection panel. It is labeled “Update my programs”. It’s not a big deal, but it can cause confusion. If you are looking for “Vulnerability Scanner”, you won’t find it.

Overall, this is a handy little feature. If you ever forget to update old programs, Vulnerability Scanner will locate them and keep them updated.

QuickClean — Delete unnecessary files
QuickClean attribute eliminated all unwanted cookies and temporary files from my own browser.

Before idle click, I had marked these system documents for checking or unchecking. This includes documents in my personal email and papers as well as cookies.

During the scan, I was able to “hide” the scan and asked for permission before deleting any documents. I didn’t want to do it, although I had the option to remove anything immediately.

There isn’t much to say about this particular tool. Works as planned. After a while, 4.4 GB was on my computer. I was given a lot of details — McAfee told me that files were deleted, how many were deleted and which documents were selected not for deletion.

Like the vulnerability scanner, QuickClean can be scheduled in advance. And, annoyingly, it’s not marked as “QuickClean” in the Total Protection dash — it is in the “Remove cookies and trackers” section.

Boost and McAfee Internet Boost — Keep your programs and browsers running fast
On the Computer Performance tab, McAfee provides two tools to enhance the functionality of your computer:

Boost program
McAfee Internet Boost
Once enabled, Boost Program identifies programs that will need boosting and gives it a few extra powers. Works or is expected to speed up the loading of programs.

McAfee’s Internet Boost service prevents your browser from automatically playing videos, which can help you surf faster and save battery life. Of course, none of these attributes increase safety, and your mileage will vary depending on how your own programs and battery life are affected.

I haven’t seen a big gap on my personal computer with Internet Boost or App Boost. For example, even though Firefox has become “99 Deals” for more than two days, I haven’t noticed any significant change in navigation.

Additionally, the Program Boost attribute only works on Windows 10, however, as I mentioned earlier versions of Windows don’t miss a lot of files.

Reversing the computer’s performance attributes (they are disabled by default) won’t hurt, but a crazy change in functionality is not expected.

Password manager (truly key)
McAfee launched with True Crucial to provide us with a password manager for each Total Protection subscription. True Essential features on Mac, PC, iOS and Android devices.

To start a complex True Key subscription, go to the My Privacy tab and click “Manage Passwords”.

You will be taken to where you create the master password and can set up your account — the password that allows you to access the account that was the key.

It is possible to log in with a master password as well as alternative multi-factor authentication such as an authenticator or fingerprint scanning (only for iOS and Android devices). The browser extension, which is Key, works in Internet Explorer and Chrome Safari Edge.

Includes attributes including:

AutoComplete
Password generator
Digital wallet
Safe Notes
It syncs multiple devices, stores passwords anywhere, and uses “the most powerful encryption available” — typical AES 256-bit encryption. This is definitely a solid solution, and can come as standard with many password supervisors such as Dashlane, Keeper, and 1Password.

True Key is simple and easy to use. You can see which site logins have been added in the dashboard.

Unlike many password managers, True Crucial allows you to change your master password as many times as you like. If you don’t like your master password, you can convert it to a brand new one while you’re logged in.

You can add a different device and a different email address to keep your accounts safe.

One particularly annoying thing about McAfee’s True Secret password manager is that it’s limited to 15 logins until you have to pay to get the update. Although “included” with Total Protection, you cannot use more than 15 logins. This is outrageous! Even Dashlane Free provides 50 logins. NordPass provides an infinite number of logins in its own free program (on one device). This is an Authentic and McAfee Key offering.

Overall, it’s a very simple password manager, but it doesn’t have some standout attributes either, but since it’s included in your McAfee Total Protection subscription, it’s worth using if you don’t have a password manager setup.

However, I wouldn’t download the Total Protection strategy just for that. And I certainly don’t need to pay for a better True Crucial account after just 15 logins. If you want an antivirus with a fantastic password manager, Norton 360 will give you a better deal. Nevertheless, it’s ideal to opt for a standalone password supervisor — such as Dashlane or 1Password.

McAfee WebAdvisor
McAfee WebAdvisor is designed to help you avoid malicious websites and warn you before downloading suspicious attachments. However, I had some problems with that. The first point is that it just works under Windows.

Once you are in the Total Protection dash, you can click the “Protect Me Online” button. Takes you to a landing page that describes exactly what WebAdvisor is. I’m not sure why it is supposed to take you off the dashboard just to explain it … but ok.

My problem is your landing page. It won’t guide you to getting the WebAdvisor browser extension. The download is on a completely different page. I mean UX which is unintuitive.

You also don’t need a Total Protection subscription to use this extension while it is included, anyone can download it.

After installing and enabling the extension, I did a quick search (“hair”) to see how well the app was performing. I’ve found that some websites require a green lock icon and a “McAfee SECURE” badge next to the article name.

Hovering over the badge revealed more information about the connection, including what it was about and how often McAfee reviews it for questionable activity.

However, after scrolling a bit more, I realized that no additional site needed this badge.

I tried another hunt (for a “kitten”). The Petco and Wikipedia website had a McAfee badge but nothing else. McAfee appears to have a limited number of sites it crawls and approves. Not that the other hyperlinks are harmful, but the simple fact that McAfee does not have a large number of articles in its own vault causes the extension discussion.

I also dislike the fact that the McAfee WebAdvisor add-on doesn’t explain its standards for which sites get a badge and which don’t (even if they’re safe).

Overall, I was frustrated by WebAdvisor. It sounds pretty futile, especially since many search terms have the badge next to about 2 of the first 15 sites.

Security against identity theft (US only)
US customers have the added benefit of identity theft protection and black web tracking as part of a multi-device or a household program.

McAfee monitoring on the dark web pops up on the web to detect if data leaked or your data has been hacked. Assesses the network in terms of:

E-mail addresses
Medical IDs
Social security numbers
Bank accounts
Phone number
Credit / Debit Cards
Driver approvals
passports
I entered my e-mail addresses and it turned out that one of my addresses is registered in 4 regions on the network!

Fortunately, none of this information would have hacked my account (only one temporary password was leaked), however, it’s good to know that McAfee can immediately search your darkened network for almost all of the leaking information.

McAfee will always be monitoring the network for some of my tips, and when something comes up I’ll find an email.

McAfee plans and pricing
McAfee Total Protection can be found in three unique plans. They have the same characteristics

Real-time protection
firewall
Document encryption application
WebAdvisor
Boost program
You can install Total Protection on PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices. The difference between the programs is how many devices you can configure Total Protection on:

Personal: 1 camera
Multiple devices: 5 cameras
Household / family: 10 devices
To get hold of one device, the personal cost isn’t too bad. It is similar to Norton’s most entry-level 360 for the first year and provides a wide variety of features.

When it comes time to reignite, the cost of “Personal” Total Protection goes up, however I wouldn’t say it’s worth it, the cost almost doubles after the first year. It’s still cheaper than the cost of a Kaspersky or TotalAV renewal program, however you get much less in terms of extra attributes from McAfee.

But that the Household / Family program has fantastic value for money — that the additional cost is minimal because it contains the same attributes as the Multi-Device program.

The program is not, but it is a trial version. It sets you up. You also don’t have to enter your credit card details to sign up, which is fine.

This is the way to go if you want the program to be approved before you see it. And if you like it, you’ll get it for free!

Regarding refunds, you can also request a full refund within 30 days of purchasing a subscription, or within 60 days of auto-renew if you subscribe for a year or two longer.

Ease of use and configuration of McAfee
The Total Protection installation was quick. It took me less than 10 minutes.

It was easy to use after I ran the dash. You can browse and look at the listings, but locating the specific tools is a bit tricky.

McAfee gets his advice a little weird. Not all of this is mentioned — Vulnerability Scanner is known as “Update my programs” under the “Computer Security” tab. This way, as soon as you click on it, the attribute is completely explained, however it really is.

What’s quite annoying is that most of the data is hidden in the equipment icon at the top of the dashboard.

Here are the configurations for Anti-Spam, Scheduled Scans, Firewall, and more. I would recommend going through each of these settings to correct them.

For example, I found that the scan should start at 5am or 4am — since my computer is turned off at these times, it won’t work. If I hadn’t checked, I would have assumed, otherwise, that these scans go away. Also, I was never asked to approve or modify a schedule for scheduled scans, so when I was not looking for them, I would never understand.

My main criticism is the pop-ups. The vast majority of McAfee’s data was given in pop-ups. For example, when I use the scan function, I have to click “Run” in the popup. Exactly the same is with using file shredder, all password manager and document lock for file locking.

It’s just a personal taste and I understand that some people prefer these popups today, but for me it just doesn’t work.

McAfee mobile app
The mobile program works on devices with iOS and Android. You can download the program from the Program or the Play Store or connect to it directly through the dashboard on your personal computer by clicking Shield More Devices.

The best thing about a cellular program is that it provides real-time security. Plus, it works pretty well. It grabbed the malware I was trying to download.

You can even scan your phone by pressing the main dial near the top of the display that says “Scan”. This checks if your documents, program and Wi-Fi are protected. You can even wipe device memory, improve memory, and view reports on data and scans.

The scanning was quick and effortless — it took about a minute and I could see what documents were being scanned at the very top. I did not notice any performance issues during the scan.

Clicking on the 3 lines in the top right corner (configurations) will give you access to more features such as the battery booster below “Performance”, “Guest Mode” as well as the ability to track information usage.

Anti-Theft, very similar to Kaspersky’s mobile program, allows you to remotely block and block information in the event of your device being stolen. Like Kaspersky’s program, there is also the “Thief Cam” attribute which allows you to get a photo of the person who stole your phone using the front camera. This is better than some antivirus applications — such as TotalAV — that lack these attributes.

All in all, the program works easily without affecting the usability of your own cell phone. The port seems a bit cluttered, but there are tons of features so I can’t complain.

McAfee customer service
McAfee has all the basics of service

Telephone
Live discussion
FAQs
Community discussion
Telephone and live chat are available 24/7 for English speakers. Depending on what you say, Live Chat may not be an alternative and your phone service hours will be different.

You can usually find a representative within minutes, but it may take longer depending on the time of day. If true, a banner is displayed at the top of the McAfee page, warning users to wait longer.

There is also a knowledge base that answers standard problems. Unfortunately, the company currently has these articles. There are hundreds to choose from, however scroll until you find the answer and have to rely on the search bar. And while the support posts are exhaustive, they lack videos or images.

The community forum is very active. People ask questions and other members of this forum can answer. 1 the good thing is that the discussion is conducted in many languages ​​such as Italian, Arabic and Spanish.

You can even use a virtual notepad to diagnose and fix technical problems — not ideal, but useful for easy questions. And if you’re away from your computer, you can use Techmaster — and innovative paid support — to fix your problems.

Overall, the McAfee Total Protection support alternatives are excellent — you can get anything from a phone call to a digital helper. I really wish the knowledge foundation had videos and photos where it’s much easier to fix the problem.

Is McAfee good? Is “Total Protection” worth the price?
McAfee Total Protection has significantly improved its previous applications. It scores high in the prevention and detection of malware, and will surely keep your devices safe. The package also includes a large selection of additional security and functionality alternatives, some of which are excellent (QuickClean) and a few not that good (such as WebAdvisor). And if you’re like me, you’ll be annoying. But if you go for this fashion, McAfee will do you good.

The app is a good addition to the McAfee suite. It’s fast, efficient, low-resource, and offers many great features to further protect your mobile devices. Also, I like the fact that McAfee provides a lot of service options — forums, chat, knowledge base, phone, and available AI technicians.

If you are new to antivirus and you will need to secure multiple devices, especially Windows devices, the Household / Family program is both a fantastic price and provides all the features you will need to protect. The multi-device program still offers a lot of value, however the personal program (only one device) is not really cost effective. If you only need to protect 1 device, it’s much better to go with something else like Norton 360 or Avira Prime.

Everything I like:
Quick setup and simple setup.
Affordable multi-user plans.
A wide range of functions.
Great selection of services.
Attractive dash and user-friendly interface.
What I don’t like:
Pop-up notifications.
Limited password supervisor.
Ineffective browser extension.

Frequently asked questions about McAfee Total Protection
Can McAfee remove malware?
Can McAfee Total Protection have a free trial?
Can McAfee run on a Mac?
Can McAfee protect my iPhone or Android device?
Can McAfee Remove Malware?
Yes, all McAfee antivirus eliminates malware from your device like spyware and ransomware. McAfee will even protect your device in real time, which means it will block malware from damaging your device and stealing all your personal information.

Can McAfee have a free version?
The single free version of McAfee is a 30-day free trial of this Total Protection package that can be used for 30 days without providing payment information. This is one of the best antivirus tests on the market if you know you want to test a strong antivirus.

Can McAfee run on a Mac?
Yes, McAfee does include a Mac version of this Total Protection suite, but it’s not one of the best Mac antivirus on the market.

Can McAfee protect my iPhone or Android device?
McAfee’s Mobile Security can protect your iPhone or Android device from online threats. The program scans Wi-Fi programs for vulnerabilities that hackers can use to attack your device. The program also provides anti-theft protection along with Media Vault, where you can safely store photos and other files that support a secure PIN code.