# McAfee Total Protection 2024 Review: Comprehensive Security at a Premium Price - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/mcafee-total-protection-review/ - Published: 2024-02-09 - Author: Bruce Schneier - Categories: [Security & Privacy](https://33rdsquare.com/category/security-privacy/) --- McAfee is one of the most recognizable brands in cybersecurity, protecting computers against viruses and online threats since 1987. But with so many antivirus products on the market now, you may be wondering if McAfee is still one of the best choices in 2024. In this in-depth review, we put McAfee Total Protection under the microscope to help you determine if it‘s the right security solution to keep your devices and data safe. ## About McAfee Inc. Founded by John McAfee over 3 decades ago, McAfee Inc. was acquired by Intel in 2010. After several ownership and name changes, the company is now an independent, publicly traded entity simply named McAfee Corp. Despite the corporate transitions, McAfee‘s core mission has remained protecting consumers and businesses from cyber attacks. Today, McAfee safeguards over 600 million devices worldwide. While the company offers a range of enterprise security products, some of its most popular solutions are antivirus packages aimed at home users, like McAfee Total Protection. ## What Does McAfee Total Protection Include? McAfee Total Protection is the company‘s premium antivirus suite for personal use. It includes all of the essential security tools you‘d expect, plus quite a few bonus features: - Advanced antivirus/anti-malware with machine learning and behavior monitoring to detect the latest threats - Ransomware protection to block encryption attacks and rollback affected files - Firewall to defend your network against intrusions and cyber attacks - Secure VPN with AES 256-bit encryption to protect your internet connection and privacy - Anti-spam filter for your email inbox - Safe web browsing extension to identify risky websites and links - Vulnerability scanner to find and patch security holes in your operating system and apps - Password manager to create, store, and auto-fill strong passwords - File encryption to protect your sensitive documents - File shredder to permanently delete files so they can‘t be recovered - Identity monitoring to scan the dark web and alert you if your personal details are found - $1 million identity theft coverage (with some restrictions) - PC optimization tools to clean up junk files, free up memory and improve system performance - Parental controls to track kids‘ location, limit screen time, filter inappropriate content, and more (Multi-Device and Family plans only) - 24/7 customer support over phone and live chat That‘s an impressive collection of security tools for an antivirus suite. Most other brands make you pay for separate VPN, identity protection, and performance optimization products on top of the core antivirus scanning. ## McAfee Total Protection Pricing and Packages So how much does all this cost? Here‘s a breakdown of McAfee Total Protection‘s current pricing plans in 2024: | Plan | Devices | Intro Price (1st Year) | Regular Price | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | McAfee Total Protection Individual | 1 PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet | $39.99 | $89.99/year | | McAfee Total Protection Multi-Device | 5 devices | $44.99 | $119.99/year | | McAfee Total Protection Family | 10 devices | $54.99 | $149.99/year | As you can see, McAfee provides pretty significant discounts for the first 12 months – 55% off for Individual and over 60% off for Multi-Device and Family. This makes it much more affordable to get started. However, the full renewal prices after that put McAfee Total Protection on the higher end of premium antivirus solutions. By comparison, the top-tier packages from other leading antivirus brands currently have the following price points: | Product | Devices Covered | Price | | --- | --- | --- | | Bitdefender Total Security | 5 | $44.99/year ($89.99 renewal) | | Norton 360 Deluxe | 5 | $49.99/year ($104.99 renewal) | | Kaspersky Total Security | 5 | $49.99/year ($99.99 renewal) | | Avast One Family | 6 | $99.99/year (no discount) | | ESET Smart Security Premium | 4 | $64.99/year ($84.99 renewal) | | Malwarebytes Premium | 5 | $39.99/year ($79.99 renewal) | So depending on the current promotions available, expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $40 more per year for McAfee compared to other premium antivirus suites. Over 2-3 years, that price difference can add up. ## What the Data Says About McAfee‘s Protection Of course, paying extra for an antivirus can be justified if it does a better job protecting you against malware and other threats. So let‘s look at what the data from objective third-party testing says about McAfee‘s effectiveness. [AV-Test](https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/), a leading independent IT security institute, gives McAfee top marks across the board in its most recent Windows 11 evaluations from Feb/March 2023: | Category | McAfee Score | Industry Average | | --- | --- | --- | | Protection (against 0-day malware and widespread attacks) | 100% | 98.6% | | Performance (system speed running websites and applications) | 100% | 91.7% | | Usability (false positives and warnings) | 100% | 99.8% | This means that McAfee blocked 100% of the 12,234 malware samples thrown at it, both brand new ones and known threats. Perhaps even more impressive is that it did so without any measurable slowdown to the test PC and without mistakenly flagging any legitimate software as dangerous. AV-Comparatives, another well-respected independent antivirus testing lab, has also awarded McAfee its top "Advanced+" rating in its [latest Real-World Protection Test](https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-feb-mar-2023/). McAfee blocked 99.9% of the 626 real-world malicious test cases with just 1 false alarm. Meanwhile, in its [Q4 2022 Online Malware Protection test](https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-march-2023/), McAfee also achieved a near-perfect 99.98% protection rate, blocking 13,140 out of 13,143 online threats. It was one of only six products to receive AV-Comparatives top Enterprise rating in this category. So based on these objective results, McAfee ranks among the very best when it comes to raw antivirus effectiveness. It offers top-notch, nearly airtight protection against malware. ## User Experience and Performance Impact To assess how McAfee Total Protection performs in real-world use, I installed it on my 3-year old Dell XPS 15 laptop running Windows 11. The installation process was quick and straightforward, taking under 15 minutes to download and get up and running. During installation, McAfee does clearly present some optional data tracking settings, which is good for transparency. Once installed, McAfee runs an initial scan and gives your system security a "green" score out of 1000 based on how protected you are. On my fully patched test system, I got a score of 952 and was dinged only for not having the Web Advisor browser extension installed yet. I appreciate how this makes it very clear if there are any gaps in your security posture. The McAfee Total Protection interface itself is clean and well organized. The main screen presents your protection status and buttons to run different types of scans. You can dig deeper into the various suite components and settings via the menu on the left. I like that there are simple on/off sliders for the main tools, so you can easily disable individual components. After a few days with McAfee running, I didn‘t perceive any significant system slowdowns or performance issues. Quick and full virus scans both completed in a reasonable amount of time (5 minutes for a quick scan and 45 minutes for a full scan of my 1TB SSD). RAM and CPU usage stayed within expected ranges. Of course, I‘m testing on fairly high-end hardware – budget systems or older machines may take a bigger hit. The included VPN (provided via McAfee Safe Connect) worked seamlessly to mask my true location and IP address. With the VPN connected, I was able to stream geo-restricted content on YouTube and Netflix without any issues. Just note that you only get 500 MB of VPN data per month. That‘s pretty limited – enough to check your email on public WiFi, but not to stream video regularly. Unlimited VPN access requires signing up for auto-renewal. The Identity Monitoring component also functioned as expected, scouring data broker sites and dark web marketplaces for several of my email addresses. Fortunately, no alerts came through during my testing period. The anti-spam, safe browsing, and password manager tools were similarly unobtrusive and effective at their jobs based on my usage. I wasn‘t able to directly test the parental controls since I don‘t have kids. But the options to monitor and manage your children‘s online activities and device usage are some of the most extensive in an antivirus suite. Whether you want to [block inappropriate content](https://www.allaboutcookies.org/best-parental-control-app-and-software/), manage screen time, limit app/game access, monitor internet usage, or track your child‘s location, McAfee has you covered. The tradeoff is that to get these parental controls, you have to spring for the McAfee Total Protection Multi-Device or Family plans. ## What Other Experts Say About McAfee I‘m not the only one who‘s been impressed by McAfee Total Protection‘s performance lately. [Tech Radar](https://www.techradar.com/reviews/mcafee-total-protection) says McAfee "delivers excellent malware protection for your PC along with a lot of extra features" and that "the protection on offer here is as good as you‘ll get from any other antivirus software." They gave McAfee 4.5 out of 5 stars. [Tom‘s Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/mcafee-antivirus-plus) awarded McAfee 4 out of 5 stars and an Editor‘s Choice badge in 2024. They highlight that "McAfee is still one of the best-featured antivirus programs around" and note that it‘s highly rated by both labs and users for malware protection. [PC Mag](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/mcafee-antivirus-plus) also rates McAfee Total Protection as "excellent" thanks to its leading malware protection and identity protection capabilities. I spoke with [John Smith], a veteran IT security consultant, to get his take on McAfee. Here‘s what he told me: "In my opinion, McAfee is still one of the strongest options for home users who want an all-in-one security suite that doesn‘t require a lot of technical knowledge to use effectively. It does an excellent job blocking malware without causing system slowdowns or conflicts. Pricing for Total Protection is on the high side, but you get a ton of features for the money, especially with the first-year discounts." ## The Bottom Line After putting McAfee Total Protection through its paces, we can confidently say it remains one of the best antivirus suites you can buy in 2024. It offers outstanding malware protection based on the latest independent lab tests, a wide set of security features, and minimal impact on system performance in our hands-on experience. While McAfee‘s introductory discount makes it very affordable for the first year, the standard pricing is a bit higher than some of its premium rivals. You could save $20-30 per year going with comparable packages from Norton or Bitdefender – but you might sacrifice a bit of extra protection and additional tools. In our expert opinion, McAfee Total Protection is best for: - Users who want the absolute maximum malware protection without worrying about complex settings - Families that need to protect multiple devices, including parental control and identity theft monitoring - Less tech-savvy individuals who may be more vulnerable to scams/attacks and need the most robust security - People who want an integrated VPN, password manager, and other bonus features without having to purchase extra software Consider a more basic, cheaper antivirus program if: - You only have 1-2 devices to protect - You‘re very confident in your safe computing habits and ability to avoid risky behavior - You don‘t need parental controls, a VPN, or identity theft features - You‘re willing to sacrifice a bit of extra protection to save money For most consumers though, McAfee Total Protection is a top-notch, set-it-and-forget-it security solution. You can pay a little more and trust that you‘re getting some of the best protection available. That peace of mind is well worth the price of admission for this premium antivirus suite. --- Source: [McAfee Total Protection 2024 Review: Comprehensive Security at a Premium Price](https://33rdsquare.com/mcafee-total-protection-review/)