McAfee — Secure antivirus with a PC optimizer and web protection.

McAfee offers excellent malware protection, and web protections that are highly effective at a very affordable price. They provide coverage for as many as 10 devices, and US users have unlimited coverage.

McAfee’s anti-malware scanner scored 100% in all of my malware detection tests. This was Windows, Mac OS, Android and iOS devices. Spyware, ransomware and cryptojackers are all possible.

McAfee has more features than most antiviruses.

• Wi Fi Network Security and Firewall.
• Anti-phishing protection.
• A virtual private network (VPN).
• Performance optimization.
• Password manger.
• Parental control.
• Identity Protection (only for US customers)
• Secure file storage.

McAfee’s features are generally as promised. 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 Wi-Fi and firewall protections are also superior to those offered by premium rivals like TotalAV and Avira.

McAfee VPN is not my favorite. It logs user activity and blocks torrenting. McAfee’s VPN is compatible with Hulu and Disney+.

McAfee remains my favorite antivirus. It has a great malware scanner, a wide range of security features, and an easy to use dashboard. All this at a very affordable price.

McAfee offers 1-year plans for 1, 5, 10, and unlimited devices. Unfortunately, only US users can avail this coverage. McAfee offers 2-year plans at a heavily discounted price (for Multi-Device and Family), which makes McAfee a premium, affordable antivirus suite.

McAfee Full Review

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

McAfee Security Protections worked very well on my MacBook Pro and iPhone, as well as my Samsung Galaxy Galaxy S5 & iPhone.

McAfee 2022 internet security suite has to be one of the best. It’s very reliable, user-friendly and comes with a 2-year subscription.

McAfee Security Features

Antivirus Scanner

McAfee’s anti-virus scanner employs traditional malware detection techniques. These are used to verify files against McAfee’s vast virus database. It also uses heuristics to detect potentially dangerous files based on their behavior.

I first downloaded malware files to my computer, including trojans and spyware. Then, McAfee ran the virus scanner. The scan was successful. I was not surprised.

McAfee’s scanner wasn’t the first time I tested it. McAfee was tested several months ago. It detected all of my malware samples with a 100% rate.

McAfee is one of the few antiviruses that consistently delivers excellent results against all types of malware. Avira, Bitdefender TotalAV, and Norton are the only brands that can match McAfee’s performance. All of them were able to identify and remove all malware samples in our tests.

McAfee took around 1 hour to complete a system scan. McAfee took approximately 1 hour to run a complete system scan. Avira, Norton, and Bitdefender scans take around 40 minutes. McAfee also did a quick scan in less than 2 minutes. McAfee, a specialist in custom scans, takes into account a variety files so it can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour depending on the types of files I scan.

McAfee scanner can cause system slowdowns. McAfee’s scanner does slow down my computer. Although I could surf the web and use word-processing software, I was unable to play video or view any other games.

McAfee’s anti-virus scanner is a top choice. You can schedule full scans during the night or non-peak hours.

Firewall

McAfee’s firewall works well and is easy to use. It can be set up easily. It works flawlessly right out of the box. McAfee detected a variety of threats during my testing. These included network intrusions and exploit attacks.

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

• Choose which programs have web access.
• Close and open particular network ports.
• There is 4 levels of network protection.
• Modify trust configurations for stored networks.
• Activate software intrusion detection.
• Whitelist certain programs.

McAfee firewall has a lot of flexibility. It allows me to select from many options. Even users with less technical skills can set up the firewall to block suspicious activity without any user input.

I dislike McAfee’s firewall for the lack of detailed logs. McAfee informs you about network activity, but not what traffic.

McAfee’s firewall provides network users with top-of-the-line protection. Its program blocking tool and network intrusion protection are great features. It has advanced settings that can be used by tech-savvy users.

VPN (Virtual Private Network).

VPNs route all internet traffic through secure servers that encrypt all data. It hides your internet traffic. The VPN will allow you to browse the internet as though you were in the UK.

McAfee SafeConnect VPN makes it easy to browse and stream content.

McAfee Safe Connect VPN provides 1,900+ servers to users from 41 countries. This is a huge network, but it is not as strong as ExpressVPN’s over 3,000 servers in 94 different countries. McAfee Safe Connect VPN offers 1,900+ servers to users in 41 countries. You can also disconnect from internet access via the kill switch (Safe Connect).

My tests showed that Netflix and Amazon Prime were available, but I could not access Disney+, Hulu or Disney+. I was blocked from Crunchyroll. ExpressVPN VPN and CyberGhost VPN are both available to stream streaming services.

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

McAfee Safe Connect VPN has some positive points. McAfee Safe Connect VPN has some negative aspects. McAfee Safe Connect VPN logs your visits to websites and IP addresses.

My speed testing with McAfee Safe Connect VPN was very successful. When I connected to a US server I experienced very fast speeds. McAfee Safe Connect VPN provided reasonable speeds for browsing distant servers in Europe and South America. In Australia, websites took around 4-5 seconds.

McAfee Safe Connect VPN is easy to use, has faster local servers, and works with Netflix. However, logs of internet traffic and IP addresses are kept. It does not allow P2P traffic, and logs of online traffic and IP addresses are stored.

WebAdvisor (Windows Only).

McAfee WebAdvisor protects against exploit attacks, phishing, and browser-based malware.

WebAdvisor analyzes every website you visit to detect exploit attacks. WebAdvisor also detects phishing sites and keeps it updated.

WebAdvisor stopped all exploit and phishing attacks I tried. It detected many dangerous sites and was unable to be detected by Chrome’s or Firefox’s built in protections.

WebAdvisor offers an optional Secure Search mode. This mode assigns safety ratings and ratings in color to search results. It does not give ratings for all sites. It does however provide ratings for certain pirate sites.

WebAdvisor can rate social network links such as Twitter and Facebook. Most of the links were rated safe by WebAdvisor. It also flagged phishing links when a friend was hacked via Instagram.

WebAdvisor provides excellent protection online. Its antiphishing protections outperform Firefox’s and Chrome’s built-in protections. WebAdvisor’s search engine and social media rating are excellent for users who lack technical skills or have trouble identifying potentially hazardous sites.

Performance Optimization

Total Protection is a set of performance optimization tools for desktops and web browsers. It’s not an easy tool to use.

• QuickClean.
• App Boost.
• HTML Boost.

McAfee QuickClean removes cookies from your computer. Click on the “Tracker Removal” button.

QuickClean scan was quick and took only one minute. It saved me nearly 2GB on my computer.

It’s very easy to see the details of the QuickClean scanner. McAfee splits files into different categories and offers drop-down menus that show the file names that can be removed. This makes it easier for advanced users to decide which files they want to keep. McAfee can also delete all files for less-tech-savvy users.

McAfee App Boost speeds up your computer by allocating processing power for your open active applications

McAfee Web Boost Chrome extension stops videos online from autoplaying. Although it can improve your browser speed, I found it irritating because it stopped YouTube thumbnail previews from loading.

McAfee’s performance optimization tools can be quite useful. QuickClean’s junk elimination is especially useful.

Password Manager

McAfee’s Tru Key password manager can be a good choice for password protection. However, it does not have the advanced features found in standalone password managers.

True Key 256-bit AES encryption secures and syncs user data in the cloud. It also employs zero-knowledge architecture. McAfee cannot access saved logins.

True Key offers essential features like unlimited password storage across devices, credit card and document storage, as well as unlimited credit card and document storage. True Key doesn’t offer 2FA security. True Key can be used on mobile devices to log in using biometric scanning. True Key cannot be used with TOTP tokens or USB tokens like Yubikey.

I also dislike the fact that True Key doesn’t have security features such as password vault auditing and password sharing, or password breach monitoring like LastPass or Dashlane.

True Key is a strong password manager. True Key can be set up to automatically fill passwords after you have saved them. True Key can be used to automatically enter login information each time you visit a website that you have saved (although this is not a very secure feature span>).

True Key provides simple master account recovery. McAfee will send you an email notification if your master password has been lost. These account recovery tools are not offered by Dashlane password managers.

True Key is very user-friendly. True Key is a convenient and useful addition to total protection, even though its features are limited in comparison 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 Windows, Android, iOS, and other devices. McAfee Total Protection plans include Safe Family.

Safe Family allows for you to:

• Filter webcontent.
• Limit internet connection to devices.
• Block-specific applications.
• Track the device within 10 metres.

Safe Family’s interface was easy to use when I first tried it. McAfee also allows you to manually set permissions to specific content categories, and add websites to block. This makes it easy to plan screen time for each child.

During my testing, McAfee Safe Family performed well. It blocked all content, even violent games and pornographic websites. Safe Family also tracked my searches, which is great for parents who want ).

Safe Family’s most important feature is its ability track your child’s location within 10 meters. Safe Family’s mobile application allows you to send your child an update once they reach their destination. It was amazing how accurate it was in tracking my daughter’s device. Safe Family was more responsive than Apple’s Find My tool and Google’s.

Protection from Identity Theft

McAfee Identity Theft Protection provides real-time monitoring of a wide range of personally identifiable data (PII) through real-time monitoring. This is done by Experian’s credit network, live dark net monitoring and Experian’s credit database.

McAfee monitors the dark web for any potential leaks once you have created an account. Experian’s Credit Network is also monitored for any changes to your PII. These could appear on your credit report (changes in address, loan applications etc. ). ).

McAfee Identity Protection allows for you to monitor:

• 1 Social Security Number.
• 1 driver’s license.
• 1 passport.
• 1 international bank accounts.
• Maximum 10 medical IDs.
• Up To 10 email addresses.
• Maximum 10 phone numbers.
• Maximum credit and debit cards:
• Other cards (store card, etc.) Up to 10
• Upto 10 bank accounts.

McAfee’s Social Media Monitoring alerts you to privacy concerns when you share content via Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

To monitor any attempts to send mail to another address, you can also set Change of Address Monitoring. Identity Restoration is also available. This will help you if your wallet or credit card gets stolen. McAfee’s Recovery Team can assist with cancellations, refunds and re-issues.

McAfee offers a range of identity theft protection levels. Total Privacy customers who choose not to have auto-renewal enabled can access dark web monitoring of up to 10 email accounts, and dedicated support representatives. Total Protection Ultimate customers also get $1,000,000 Identity Recovery Insurance and $10,000 theft funds reimbursement coverage. Norton doesn’t offer stolen funds reimbursement coverage for the LifeLock Select Plan. This plan is more expensive than McAfee.

McAfee Identity Protection is a strong, affordable solution for US users who want to prevent identity theft.

Additional Features

McAfee Complete Protection also includes many other security tools such as:

• File lock. Protects files with a security question and password.
• Antispam. Spam filters your email to block spamming messages.
• Home network monitoring. Alerts when untrusted devices attempt to connect to your network.
• Vulnerability scanner. You can rest assured that your programs are up-to-date.
• File destruction. Protects sensitive files.

McAfee file lock can be helpful, but it’s not able to do any other than what is already possible in Windows and macOS. Gmail, as well as many other email services, offer exceptional anti-spam protections.

McAfee’s home-network analyzer has been my favorite. It displays a clear network map, which allows users to identify and troubleshoot any device.

A vulnerability scanner is also a useful tool. It scans all your apps and will notify you if any of them need to be updated.

McAfee can also offer a secure file shredder that is a great choice. This can remove files from your desk in seconds.

McAfee may not have all the features you need, but they do offer a premium version of their antivirus program.

McAfee Plans and Prices

McAfee currently offers 4 pricing tiers for its Total Protectionplans. Subscribers to the 2-year Multidevice and Familyplans get a great deal.

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

• Within 30 days, your subscription will be activated.
• Within 60 days of automatic renewal.
• McAfee will remove any malware McAfee discovers and removes during your subscription term.

Customers who sign up for an auto renewal of McAfee plans get additional features (the VPN, ID Protection, and Gamer Security).

McAfee Setup and Use Easier

McAfee took only a few minutes to download and install. I was offered a virus scan right away. It took only 45 minutes.

McAfee’s dashboard is very easy to use. McAfee contains three main buttons on the homescreen.

• PC.
• Web.
• Identity.

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

You can click on the buttons to access a wide variety of options Clicking “Antivirus” brings up a variety of scanning options

Schedule a McAfee scan is easy. McAfee’s desktop application allows you to access the VPN and configure firewall protection.

McAfee’s online dashboard allows you to access parental controls, identity theft protections and the online dashboard. It is also easy to access and use.

I find McAfee’s features to be very intuitive.

McAfee Mobile App

McAfees mobile app, Safety can be activated either by emailing or texting McAfees a link or downloading it directly from your device’s app store and entering your login details.

The mobile app’s interface is simple and clean. You can access the rest via the menu in the upper-right corner.

McAfee found all Android-specific malware in a quick 10-minute scan. McAfee’s iOS antivirus scanner is not available because iOS apps cannot be infected with traditional malware files.

McAfee Anti-Theft Protections were particularly impressive to me. They include:

• Remote alarm. In case your phone is lost or stolen, this allows you to remotely activate the alarm.
• Constant Tracking. You have the option to receive periodic notifications about your device’s location and activity.
• Last location. Notifies you about the last place you tracked before your battery died.
• Thief camera. Takes photos of anyone who has entered their PIN incorrectly three times.

McAfee’s app for mobile has these useful features:

• Secure media vault. Face ID Locked Folder to Photos and Videos
• Backup contacts. Stores contacts in a cloud.
• Safe web. Blocks malicious and phishing links while browsing.

McAfee’s Android app has additional features than the iOS. These are my favorites:

• App lock. You can protect certain apps with a pin so they are not accessible by anyone else on your phone.
• Guest Mode. Completely hides any private apps from your smartphone
• Track data usage. See which apps are using too much data.

McAfee’s Android app is one of the most feature-rich available. It is especially affordable when it is part of McAfee’s Familie plan.