Norton vs McAfee: Which Antivirus Is Better in 2026?

Which protects better, Norton or McAfee?

Neither protects meaningfully better: Norton 360 and McAfee Total Protection both got 6/6 for protection, 6/6 for performance and 6/6 for usability in AV-TEST’s July–August 2026 Windows 11 round.

AV-Comparatives tested the two products on 400 live malicious websites between February and May 2026. Norton Antivirus Plus scored a protection rate of 99.3% and McAfee Total Protection 98.5%. AV-Comparatives puts the two in different result clusters, so on that test Norton has a small, real edge. McAfee had fewer false alarms (4 against 5). In AV-Comparatives’ March 2026 Malware Protection Test the order flipped: Norton detected 96.3% of samples offline against McAfee’s 86.1%, with 9 false alarms against McAfee’s 14.

On phones the picture is the same. In AV-TEST’s July 2026 Android round, McAfee Mobile Security and Norton 360 both scored 6/6 for protection.

Norton vs McAfee price: year one vs renewal

Norton is cheaper for one device and McAfee from 5 devices up, in year one and at renewal; at 3 devices both cost $39.99 in year one, but Norton renews lower. Both brands discount the first year and then renew at list price automatically.

At 5 devices, McAfee Essential saves you $10 in year one and $5 a year after that (our sums of published prices). The renewal jump is steep on both: Norton 360 Deluxe renews $75 higher, McAfee Essential $80 higher.

McAfee charges your card 30 days before an annual term ends and says to cancel at least 31 days before expiry to avoid the charge. Norton bills annual renewals up to 35 days early. Both let you turn off auto-renewal in your online account. Both also tie their virus-removal money-back promise to staying on auto-renewal.

What do you get with each plan?

McAfee puts identity monitoring and a VPN on every plan, while Norton adds cloud backup and parental controls that McAfee’s plan pages don’t list.

• Norton 360: VPN, password manager, dark web monitoring and cloud backup (2 GB on Standard, 50 GB on Deluxe, 250 GB on Select Plus; Windows only). Parental Control starts at Deluxe. The LifeLock plans add identity theft protection, covered on our LifeLock cost page.
• McAfee Total Protection Essential: antivirus, Scam Detector, Secure VPN, password manager, identity monitoring and alerts, and personal info scans for 5 devices.
• McAfee+ Premium and Advanced: the same tools for unlimited devices; Advanced adds personal info removal and bank and credit monitoring.

Does Norton or McAfee slow your PC?

Neither slows a typical PC much, and McAfee measured slightly lighter in the latest test. In AV-Comparatives’ September 2026 Performance Test, McAfee had the lowest impact score of all products tested (3.1) and Norton was close behind (4.9); lower is better. AV-TEST gave both 6/6 for performance.

Who owns Norton and McAfee?

Norton belongs to Gen Digital, which also owns Avast, AVG, Avira and LifeLock. McAfee has been privately owned since March 1, 2022, when an investor group led by Advent International and Permira completed its purchase of the company.

The Gen Digital link matters for privacy. In June 2024 the FTC finalized an order banning Avast from selling or licensing web browsing data for advertising and requiring a payment for consumer refunds, over charges that it sold browsing data after claiming its products would block tracking. The FTC’s order names Avast, not Norton.

Should you pick Norton, McAfee or neither?

Pick Norton if you protect one device, want the lower renewal at 3 devices, want cloud backup or parental controls, or want the longer 60-day refund window. Pick McAfee if you protect 5 or more devices, or want identity monitoring without paying for a LifeLock plan.

Pick neither if you only use Windows and don’t want the extras. Microsoft Defender is built into Windows and scored 6/6 for protection in the same AV-TEST round; see if free Windows Defender is enough. For more on each brand alone, read our Norton verdict and our McAfee verdict. Mac owners should first check whether a Mac needs antivirus at all, and iPhone owners can compare antivirus apps for iPhone.