McAfee is a well-known name in cybersecurity and holds a strong position in the antivirus software market. While its initial pricing is appealing, and its security rating is commendable, small details can significantly impact user experience and convenience. I tested McAfee+ Premium to assess its ease of installation, user-friendliness, and customer service responsiveness in case of issues. Here’s my evaluation.
Tiers and Pricing
Price is not the most crucial factor when it comes to security, but cost undoubtedly plays a role in selecting the right solution. McAfee Essential offers a basic antivirus subscription plan for one device at $30 for the first year. However, the regular price is $90, so be prepared for a substantial price increase upon renewal. McAfee provides a 30-day free trial, but you don’t need to pay for basic protection. Our guide to the best free antivirus software can help you find a more reliable solution than Windows Defender.
If you need coverage for multiple devices, McAfee Essential for five devices costs $40 for the first year and renews at $120. It includes a VPN, password manager, and a browser extension to protect against online malware. McAfee+ Premium costs $50/$150 and covers an unlimited number of devices for one person. The “plus” feature adds privacy monitoring that scans your accounts and social media, alerting you to potential concerns. You also receive dark web monitoring.
McAfee also offers plans with identity theft insurance and financial monitoring: the $90/$200 McAfee+ Advanced and $200/$280 McAfee+ Ultimate. The latter doubles the insurance coverage from $1 million to $2 million, includes $25,000 in ransomware coverage, and protects against bank account takeover. McAfee provides the same subscription tiers as family plans covering two adults with parental controls to manage antivirus accounts for children. McAfee family plans are more expensive, starting at $70 for Essential, $120 for Premium, and $250 for Ultimate.
Design
McAfee+ Premium’s installation process is swift and straightforward. The Windows app guided me to install the McAfee WebAdvisor browser extension, which warns me of threats and checks downloads for viruses. Next, McAfee’s app helped me set up a VPN to mask my location and enhance my privacy. It was as simple as flipping a switch to use the fastest virtual location. I could adjust VPN settings to automatically connect when using Wi-Fi with less-than-ideal security, use the VPN consistently, or leave it as a manual switch. A Safe reconnect option blocks internet use if the VPN connection is interrupted. Within minutes, my computer was protected from new threats, so I took the opportunity to explore the app.
A menu button is located at the top left, but all features are accessible from a toolbar on the left. Below the home button, a circled star opens my protection score. A grid of four boxes reveals a panel with various protection features. The last button displays subscription details and general settings. The McAfee app didn’t guide me to install the included password manager, so I initiated the setup from the protection panel. After installing McAfee True Key, I noticed that it considered me a free user, limiting me to 15 log-ins. I contacted support and resolved the issue quickly. Despite the minor glitch, setup was simple. While the McAfee app has a somewhat awkward layout with many features crammed into a narrow side panel, it remains easy to understand.
Features
When installing antivirus software, I expect strong and reliable protection against malware and other cybersecurity threats. McAfee Premium has a solid record, receiving a perfect score for the past four years in continuous evaluations from the third-party security research lab AV-Test. However, McAfee cannot match the reliability of industry leader Norton antivirus, boasting nine consecutive years of perfect protection. The chart above shows that McAfee encountered minor issues as recently as March 2020 and more significant cybersecurity problems in 2016 and 2017. AV-Test’s research is thorough, but I conducted some spot testing to verify the results myself. McAfee+ Premium successfully identified intentionally harmless threats on Wicar.org, displaying a warning page for each test to prevent accidental infection. Next, I checked the VPN to verify its location-masking capabilities. I selected a server in Peru and then searched for “vegan restaurants near me.” Google displayed listings for Lima, Peru, indicating that McAfee+ Premium successfully hid my actual location in Canada.
Support
McAfee+ Premium includes customer support, including live support via phone or chat, available 24/7. I tested the quality and speed by inquiring about the issue I encountered with McAfee’s True Key password manager. First, I accessed the account panel in the McAfee app and selected the help option. A browser window opened to the McAfee support center. I signed in, selected the contact option, opened a chat window, and joined the queue for a live agent. The estimated wait time was 19 minutes, the longest I’ve ever experienced for live chat. It took only 13 minutes to receive a response, exceeding the estimate by six minutes. This is significantly faster than email support, which typically takes about a day. The agent provided me with the activation code for True Key, which I had somehow missed in an email. I also confirmed that live chat is available 24/7. The website uses the term chatbot, implying an automated system. I was satisfied with McAfee’s support, and it adds value to my subscription.
Privacy and Security
McAfee does share some of your personal information with third-party companies, including advertisers. The data shared includes “name, mailing address, email address, account log-in credentials, including online identifiers, payment information, billing address, bank account information, or other similar identifiers.” You can opt out of this data sharing through McAfee’s data request form, and it’s advisable to do so. While I haven’t experienced a surge in email spam since signing up, the amount and type of data McAfee shares are somewhat concerning. In terms of security, I haven’t found any records of a McAfee data breach, suggesting that your personal data should be safe from hackers.
McAfee Protects All Your Devices
McAfee Essential starts at just $30, making it one of the best deals on antivirus software. Unfortunately, this discounted pricing is only valid for the first year. The same applies to more full-featured plans like McAfee+ Premium, which starts at $50 but triples to $150 in the second year. Significant discounts for the first year are common. Norton 360 Deluxe costs $50 annually with a $120 renewal, and Bitdefender Premium Security starts at $80 and then climbs to $160 per year. Malwarebytes offers the same or lower prices year after year, a refreshing change. Malwarebytes Premium Plus costs $80 annually with a slight discount if you purchase two years upfront. However, McAfee has a better protection record.
Many antivirus solutions cover one to 10 devices. If you own multiple desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones, you could quickly reach the limit, leaving some devices unprotected. McAfee+ Premium is one of the few antivirus solutions that provides protection for an unlimited number of computers and phones. For excellent protection, user-friendliness, and easy installation, McAfee offers good value. Customer support is always available through live chat or a phone call.
