McAfee 2022 — Best Parental Controls for Gamers

McAfee offers excellent malware protection. They can cover up to 10 devices, and US users have unlimited coverage.

McAfee’s antimalware scanner scored 100 percent in all of my malware detection tests.

McAfee has more features than most anti-viruses.

• Wi Fi Network Protection & Firewall
• Anti-phishing protection.
• Virtual private network (VPN)
• Performance optimization
• Password manger.
• Parental control
• For US Customers Only: Identity Protection
• Secure file storage

McAfee’s features seem to be as good or better than they appear. I was impressed by McAfee’s antiphishing/anti-exploit browser extension which blocked more dangerous sites in my tests than Chrome and Firefox. McAfee’s firewall and WiFi protections are superior to those offered by premium competitors such as TotalAV or Avira.

McAfee VPN doesn’t seem to be my favorite. It logs users and blocks torrenting.

McAfee has 1-year plans that protect 1, 5, 10, and unlimited devices. McAfee also offers 2-year plans at a steeply discounted rate (for Multi-Devices and Family).

McAfee Antivirus Full Review

McAfee provides a variety of security options and is a premium Antimalware suite.

McAfee Security Protections worked great on my MacBook Pro and iPhone.

McAfee’s 2022 web security suite is undoubtedly the most effective. It is reliable, user-friendly and comes with a 2-year contract that is among the best.

McAfee Security Antivirus Software Features

Antivirus Scanner

Firewall

McAfee firewall works well and is very simple to use.

McAfee firewall offers many security options. McAfee users have the option to:

• Choose which programs provide web access.
• Certain network ports can be opened and closed.
• There is 4 levels of network security.
• Modify trust settings in order to store networks.
• Activate software intrusion detection.
• Some programs can be whitelisted

McAfee firewall is flexible. I have many options. Anyone can set it up and block suspicious activity.

McAfee firewall does not make it easy to use because there are no detailed logs. McAfee gives information about network activity, but not traffic details.

McAfee firewall provides network users with top-of-the-line protection. McAfee can give more information about threats but it remains my favorite firewall.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

VPN tunnels all internet traffic through secure servers which encrypt all data. This also hides your internet traffic. VPNs conceal your IP address, making it appear that you are connecting from another country. If you’re in the UK and want to connect to a UK server, your IP address will be from the UK. You can then use the internet as if you were actually in the UK.

McAfee Secure Connect VPN makes browsing and streaming content easy.

McAfee Safe Connect VPN offers 1,900+ servers to users in 41 countries. ExpressVPN has over 3,000 servers across 94 countries, but this network isn’t as reliable and robust as McAfee Safe Connect VPN. McAfee Safe Connect VPN offers encryption with 256 bit AES encryption. If your VPN connection drops, you can disconnect from the Internet.

During testing, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ were both available. I was also able to access other streaming services like Pluto TV. Crunchyroll blocked my access. You can stream streaming videos using CyberGhost VPN and ExpressVPN VPN.

I was able to stream streaming videos with CyberGhost VPN or ExpressVPN VPN.

McAfee Secure ConnectVPN also stopped my torrent clients from downloading or uploading files during my testing – ProtonVPN is my top choice for torrenting.

McAfee Safe Connect VPN has some good aspects. However, there are some downsides. McAfee Safe Connect VPN logs all IP addresses and visits to websites.

WebAdvisor for Windows Only

McAfee WebAdvisor protects against exploit attacks and malware that uses browsers.

WebAdvisor scans all websites you visit to identify exploit attacks. WebAdvisor also keeps track of phishing websites and detects them.

WebAdvisor stopped all my phishing attempts and exploit attempts.

WebAdvisor also offers Secure Search Mode. This mode assigns safety ratings to search results and rates them in color. It doesn’t give ratings for every site. However, it does give ratings of “Dangerous”, for certain pirate sites. It did not consider safe sites dangerous.

WebAdvisor lets you rate social networks like Facebook and Twitter. It flagged phishing sites if someone was hacked via Twitter.

Performance Optimization

Total protection offers a variety of performance optimization tools that are compatible with both web browsers and desktops.

• QuickClean.
• App Boost.
• HTML Boost.

McAfee QuickClean removes temporary files from your computer. Only the PC Security tab can access it. Click the “Tracker Removal” button.

QuickClean took only one minute. It saved almost 2GB of my hard drive.

QuickClean’s details can be viewed easily. McAfee lets you split files into different categories. McAfee offers drop-down menus that show file names to be deleted. Users with less technical skills can also delete files from McAfee.

McAfee App Boost speeds up your computer by allocating processing resource for active open apps. McAfee will correct this issue in future updates.

McAfee Chrome Extension prevents YouTube thumbnail previews from loading.

McAfee has some great performance optimization tools. QuickClean’s junk elimination is especially useful.

Password Manager

McAfee’s Tru Key password management program can be used to protect passwords.

TrueKey 256-bit AES encryption secures and syncs user data in the cloud. McAfee offers a password manager that is compatible with Windows, Mac OS and Android.

True Key does not have security features such as password sharing or password vault auditing.

True Key offers simple master account recovery. Dashlane password manager do not offer this service.

True Key is very user-friendly. True Key’s capabilities are limited compared to standalone password managers. True Key lets you create and store unique passwords using advanced encryption.

Parental Controls

McAfee Safe Family offers excellent parental controls for iOS and Android devices. McAfee Total Protection plans also include Safe Family.

Safe Family allows you:

• Filter webcontent.
• Block internet access for devices
• Block certain applications
• Follow the device for 10 metres

Safe Family’s interface is very intuitive the first time I used it. You can adjust screen time to suit each child’s needs.

McAfee Safe Family performed well during my testing. It also tracked my searches which was great news for parents.

Safe Family’s most valuable feature is its ability track your child’s exact location.

Identity Theft

McAfee Identity Theft Protection provides real-time monitoring of a range of personally identifiable information. Experian’s credit network, and live darknet monitoring are used to achieve this.

McAfee monitors dark web for potential leaks after you create an account.

McAfee Identity Protection allows you monitor:

• 1 Social Security Number (SSN),
• 1 driver’s license.
• 1 passport.
• 1 International bank account
• You may have up to 10 medical IDs.
• Up To 10 email addresses.
• Maximum 10 numbers
• Maximum 10 credit or debit cards
• Other cards (storecards, etc. ) Maximum 10
• You may have up to 10 bank account

McAfee’s Social Media Monitoring alerts you to privacy concerns whenever content is shared via Facebook or Instagram.

Change in Address Monitoring can be set to monitor mail going to other addresses. McAfee’s Recovery Team can assist with cancellations, refunds and reissues.

McAfee offers many identity theft protection levels. Total Privacy customers can opt out from auto-renewal to have dedicated support staff and dark-web monitoring for up 10 email addresses.

McAfee identity security offers a strong and affordable solution for US citizens who want to prevent identity theft.

Additional Features

McAfee Complete Protection Also includes other security tools such as:

• File Lock. Use security questions or passwords to protect your files
• Antispam. Antispam filters filter spam from your inbox and check for suspicious emails.
• Network monitoring. Alerts to untrusted devices trying connect to your network.
• Vulnerability scanner. All your programs are up to date.
• File destruction. Protects sensitive files.

McAfee file lock is very useful but cannot do more than what is allowed in Windows and macOS. Gmail, and other popular email services, provide excellent anti-spam protections.

The McAfee McAfee Home-Network Analyzer is my favorite McAfee product. This shows a network map that allows users identify and troubleshoot each device.

A vulnerability scanner is another useful tool. This scans your entire system and alerts you if any of them need to be updated.

McAfee also offers an easy-to-use file shredder.

McAfee may not offer all the features you need, but they do provide a premium anti-virus program.

McAfee Plans and Prices

McAfee currently has four pricing tiers for its Total Protectionplans. Subscribers of McAfee’s 2-year Multidevice and Familyplans get a great deal.

McAfee allows you to request a complete refund for any of your plans.

• Your subscription will activate within 30 days.
• Automatic Renewal within 60 Days
• McAfee can remove any malware McAfee discovers and removes within the term of your subscription.

Customers who sign up to auto renewal (ID protection and VPN) McAfee plans get additional features

McAfee Setup & Use Easier

McAfee was easy to download and install. The scan took only 45 minutes.

McAfee’s dashboard is very easy to use. McAfee’s homescreen has three buttons.

• PC.
• Web.
• Identity.

Clicking on any button will open another window listing the main features for each category. To see options such as antivirus scanner, firewall or software updater, click on “PC”.

You can click on the buttons to access many options Clicking “Antivirus” will open several scanning options

Schedule a McAfee scan. McAfee’s desktop app lets you connect to the VPN to set up firewall protection.

McAfee’s online portal lets you view parental controls, identity theft protections and the online dashboard.

McAfee features are intuitive and simple to use.

McAfee Mobile App

McAfees mobile app, Safety can be activated either by emailing or texting McAfees, or downloaded from the app store on your device and entering your login details.

The mobile app’s interface is simple and clean. Access the rest by clicking on the menu in the upper-right.

McAfee found all Android-specific malware in 10 minutes. McAfee does not offer an iOS antivirus scanner. Traditional malware files can’t infect iOS apps.

McAfee Antitheft Protections impressed my particularly.

• Remote alarm. In case your phone is lost or stolen, you can remotely turn on the alarm.
• Constant monitoring. You have the option to receive periodic notifications about your device’s location and activity.
• Last location. Notify about the last place you tracked before your battery died.
• Thief camera. Takes photos of anyone who enters the wrong PIN more than three times.

McAfee’s mobile app has these helpful features:

• Secure media vault Secure media vault.
• Backup contacts. Stores contacts in a cloud.
• Safe web. Blocks malicious sites and phishing websites while browsing.

McAfee’s Android app has more features than the iOS. Here are my top picks:

• App Lock. You can lock certain apps using a pin. This makes sure that they aren’t accessible by anyone else.
• Guest Mode. Your private apps are completely hidden
• Keep track how much data you are using. See which apps are using too much data.

McAfee’s Android app is one of the most feature-rich. This application is especially affordable if you are part McAfee’s Family plan.