Is McAfee Good? Is It Worth It in 2026?

Our verdictMcAfee

McAfee protects as well as the best antivirus apps in AV-TEST's latest Windows round, and its plans bundle a VPN and identity monitoring. The catch is the renewal price.

Best for

Households covering 5 or more devices who want antivirus, a VPN and identity monitoring on one bill

Skip it if

You have one Windows PC and only need antivirus; Microsoft Defender is built in

$39.99first year, 5 devices

Visit McAfee (official site, opens in a new tab) Official site

Is McAfee good at protecting you?

McAfee protects well: McAfee Total Protection scored 6/6 for protection in AV-TEST’s July–August 2026 Windows 11 round, and has scored the maximum in every round since December 2025.

AV-TEST’s detailed report shows McAfee stopped 99.3% of zero-day attacks in July and all of them in August. AV-Comparatives tested McAfee against 400 live malicious websites from February to May 2026 and recorded a protection rate of 98.5% with 4 false alarms. Norton scored 99.3% and Microsoft Defender 99% in the same test, so McAfee is good but not the leader there.

McAfee is also light on your PC. AV-Comparatives’ September 2026 Performance Test gave McAfee the lowest impact score of every product tested (3.1; lower is better).

How much does McAfee cost per year?

McAfee costs $39.99 for the first year of Total Protection Essential, then $119.99 a year. Every plan renews automatically at its higher price.

The Essential renewal is $80 more than the first year (our sums of published prices). McAfee charges your card 30 days before the annual term ends, and says unlimited plans cover only household devices you own for personal use.

What do you get beyond antivirus?

McAfee bundles privacy and identity tools into every plan, which is where the money goes.

• Total Protection Essential: antivirus, Scam Detector for texts, email and video, Secure VPN, password manager, web protection, identity monitoring and alerts, and personal info scans.
• McAfee+ Premium: the same tools for unlimited devices.
• McAfee+ Advanced: adds removal of your personal info from data broker sites, bank and credit card transaction monitoring, and credit monitoring.

What are the downsides of McAfee, and why do people dislike it?

McAfee’s biggest downside is the renewal: the price roughly triples after year one (see the price table above).

• Auto-renewal timing: McAfee bills 30 days before your term ends and says to cancel at least 31 days before expiry to avoid the charge.
• Short refund window: 30 days after first purchase.
• Protection perks tied to auto-renewal: the Virus Protection Pledge refund applies only if you stay enrolled in auto-renewal.
• Not top at AV-Comparatives: 98.5% in February–May 2026, below Norton and Defender.
• More false alarms in malware scans: 14 in AV-Comparatives’ March 2026 Malware Protection Test, against 9 for Norton and 3 for Defender.

Is McAfee better than the free Windows Defender?

McAfee is not better at blocking malware than Microsoft Defender, which is built into Windows and costs nothing extra. McAfee wins on extras and PC speed.

For the full Defender picture, read our Windows Defender verdict.

Is McAfee better than Norton?

McAfee and Norton tie on AV-TEST protection; McAfee is cheaper if you cover 5 or more devices, Norton if you cover one; at 3 devices the first year costs the same and Norton renews lower. Norton also offers a 60-day refund window and cloud backup. Our Norton vs McAfee comparison has the side-by-side prices, and our full take on Norton covers Norton alone.

How do you cancel McAfee or turn off auto-renewal?

McAfee lets you turn off auto-renewal in My Account on mcafee.com; turning it off stops the next automatic charge.

1. Sign in to My Account at mcafee.com (type the address yourself).
2. Change your auto-renewal settings on the My Account page and turn auto-renewal off.
3. Do it at least 31 days before your term ends; McAfee bills 30 days early.

For a refund, contact McAfee within 30 days of the first purchase or 60 days of a renewal charge; monthly plans don’t qualify.

Is McAfee safe, and is that alert real?

McAfee itself is safe, legitimate software: McAfee Total Protection is certified by AV-TEST (6/6 for protection, August 2026). A McAfee alert is real only if it comes from the McAfee app you installed or appears in your McAfee account. McAfee’s own scam guidance says it will never ask you to confirm personal details, never require you to call a phone number in an email or text, and never call to make you pay for customer service. Report fake McAfee emails to scam@mcafee.com.

If you’re shopping for an iPhone, see whether an iPhone needs antivirus instead; this page covers McAfee’s Windows and Android protection.