McAfee vs. Norton Antivirus

Antivirus software is a critical part of any secure personal device, whether it’s a desktop computer, a laptop, or even a smartphone. And there are tons of antivirus software out there. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff? Antivirus software defends against potential malware and other cyberthreats targeting your devices. It can also remove existing malware, getting your infected system back up and running. These days, a lot of antivirus provides protection 24/7, keeping a constant watch over your computer while booted up.

In this article, our digital security experts will look at two of the most well-known antivirus programs, McAfee Antivirus and Norton Antivirus, and put them head-to-head. McAfee bears the name of its founder, legendary British computer programmer John McAfee, while Norton gets its name from founder Peter Norton, also a veteran technologist.

>> Also See: A Complete Guide to Antivirus Protection & Internet Security in 2024

We will compare these two brands’ antivirus programs across several different metrics including cost, comprehensiveness of protection and detection, as well as the additional bells and whistles each software comes with. Call it “The Price is Right” for the 21st century. There are a lot of programs out there, but we know you come to us to help sift through the noise. So without further ado, let’s get right into it.

Protection on a Budget: Cost of McAfee vs. Norton

We won’t leave you in suspense: Neither McAfee Antivirus nor Norton Antivirus are free. But the good news is that both software are pretty affordable, especially when you get the most basic version of these programs.

McAfee’s most basic tier, McAfee Plus, currently starts at $39.99 for the first year and allows the software to be run on five different devices. But if you’re looking for more comprehensive features, like credit monitoring or $25K ransomware protection (we’ll get into more of some of these details later), you’ll have to fork over a bit more cash.

Norton’s low-tier package, Antivirus Plus, is currently priced at $29.99. This only allows you to use the software on one device, but if you even have one additional device, Norton 360 Standard covers three and costs $39.99. We recommend, however, that you go a tier higher and get Norton 360 Deluxe, which we picked up for $49.99. With both the Standard and Deluxe, we got a host of features, including VPN protection, a password manager, and dark web monitoring. Parental controls, however, were only added with the Deluxe option.

Other Pricing Info

We’ve put together a table to help unpack the different price points for some of McAfee and Norton’s most popular programs. There are many products out there, and we aim to narrow down some of the most popular packages of the two brands.

How McAfee and Norton Protect You

Both McAfee Antivirus and Norton Antivirus boast a range of protections with their software. You can expect standard malware protection, even with the most basic versions. As you escalate along the ladder, you’ll get additional features, including bank and credit card activity alerts, data breach notifications, a secure VPN, and plenty more. Here are a few things you can expect from each of these programs:

Multiple device protection: Once you move beyond the basic tier, each of these antivirus programs provides protection for multiple devices, from your computer and your tablet to your mobile device. The top-tier Norton antivirus program, 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus for $299.88, provides protection for up to 10 devices.

Secure VPN: Higher up the rung, these programs provide built-in VPN software. We tested out Secure VPN in Norton 360 Deluxe, which was extremely easy to use and a happy medium that gives good protection without an overwhelming number of additional features that up the price. We also liked that it came with an ability to block ad trackers through its VPN panel as well.

Password manager: Having a strong and secure password is critical these days to keep your personally identifiable information safe. Both McAfee and Norton deliver in this department, and we liked that this feature was available even at the lower tiers.

Firewall: Any good antivirus program also brings good firewall tools to the table to protect not just your devices but your broader network. While there are plenty of good stand-alone firewall programs you can purchase (and we’ve recommended plenty of the best firewalls), it’s nice to have extra insurance too.

Antivirus: Oh, you had the expectation that you’d be protected from viruses with these programs?! We kid. Both McAfee and Norton have robust antivirus functions that scan “on-access,” quietly running in the background and keeping your devices safe, as well as “on-demand,” allowing you to manually scan your devices for malware, spyware, adware, viruses, and more.

Scanning With McAfee and Norton

Initiating a scan with Norton 360 Deluxe was straightforward, though we noticed that the program crashed at times when we initiated a manual scan. Quick scans completed in under a few minutes, whereas a full hard drive scan took about 14 minutes.

McAfee Total Protection was a bit less easy to get going, in part because there were several commands we needed to run through Terminal on our Mac computer to allow permissions. Once we finally got that squared away, the first time we ran a full scan, McAfee completed it in about 20 minutes, so a bit longer than Norton. We also noticed that the scan bogged down our system a bit more but nothing hugely noticeable. However, the menu and overall app were much more user-friendly than Norton.

Putting McAfee and Norton Antivirus Detection to the Test

While McAfee Antivirus and Norton Antivirus offer similar protections, the two programs received slightly different marks from top antivirus review sites.

Virus online detection rate: Norton earned a perfect score from AV-TEST in 20241 and received a 99.7 percent online detection rate with three false alarms, per AV Comparatives.2 McAfee, meanwhile, also received a perfect score and achieved a 99.7 percent detection rate in that same test — though tallied nine false alarms.

Offline detection rate: Here’s where Norton scored slightly better, with a 91.1 percent offline detection rate compared to McAfee’s 89.6 percent.2 We do recommend that you keep your virus scan connected to the internet at all times but understand that this might not always be possible.

Online protection rate: This refers to how well McAfee and Norton keep you protected while they’re running. Both antivirus programs scored an impressive 99.99 percent2 at keeping new viruses at bay.

Going Mobile With McAfee and Norton

After we completed our deep dive with McAfee and Norton on some computers, we then took the experience to each company’s mobile app. Both programs easily installed and synced my account easily. One thing we liked about Norton is how easy it was to figure out which devices are synced to your account. It even includes a QR code that you can quickly scan to add another device.

On the McAfee front, we liked that the Wi-Fi scan settings allowed us to keep track of trusted networks, with the option of adding up to 100 networks and giving each a unique name. Across all of your devices, McAfee Total Protection also provides identity theft protection, meaning monitoring as well as recovery tools.

Customer Support

McAfee and Norton also offer customer support across your different devices. Norton offers 24-7 service 365 days a year along with an FAQ section, message forums, and live chat online. McAfee has a “contact us” page to address a range of troubleshooting problems. Both programs also do a good job providing information on common security threats, including cyberscams in the form of phishing and spam emails.

Tabulating the Results and Picking a Winner

Both McAfee and Norton are great choices for superior antivirus protection. But which one ranks better? Here’s how things add up as we pick our winner.

Antivirus scan speed: Norton has the edge here, finishing a scan we initiated a whole six minutes faster than McAfee.

Range of features: From VPN to ransomware protection, especially as you get into the higher tiers, both McAfee and Norton have quite a bit to offer. This one comes in as a wash.

Antivirus protection and detection strength: When it comes to antivirus protection, both programs were neck and neck in many tests, but ultimately, Norton stands out for its superior offline detection rate.

Mobile app: Norton’s mobile app has the edge here, particularly with Wi-Fi scan and overall ability to easily sync across different devices.

Ultimately, in a close battle, though both programs are great tools, Norton has a slight edge over McAfee in our choice for antivirus protection. For more information on Norton and McAfee, read our full reviews of these products below.

>> Read More: McAfee Antivirus Review & Norton Antivirus Review