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McAfee Antivirus price starts at $79.99/first 2 yrs for the Essential plan and goes up to $199.99/first yr for McAfee+ Ultimate, depending on how much coverage you need. After the introductory period, renewal prices jump significantly, more than doubling in some cases, but this is typical of premium antivirus software.
Still, McAfee is worth considering. It delivers consistently high third-party test scores and is one of the only antivirus providers to include unlimited device coverage across most plans.
We break down each McAfee plan, price, and feature below.
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Premium antivirus software with perfect scores from AV-TEST and SE Labs in 2026
Bundles identity monitoring, credit monitoring, and ID restoration without needing a separate subscription
Plans above the entry tier cover unlimited devices, including phones, tablets, and computers
McAfee plans start at $79.99/first 2 yrs, which is generally competitive with other antivirus software. For example, industry titan TotalAV starts at $19.00/first yr.
At the higher end, both McAfee+ Ultimate and Norton 360 LifeLock plans, which are comparable, start at $199.99/first yr.
| McAfee Essential | McAfee+ Premium | McAfee+ Advanced | McAfee+ Ultimate | |
| Starting cost | $79.99/first 2 yrs | $49.99/first yr | $89.99/first yr | $199.99/first yr |
| Best for | Affordable antivirus for multiple devices | Families with lots of devices | Basic identity theft protection | Additional identity theft coverage |
| Number of devices | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Firewall | ||||
| Real-time protection | ||||
| Phishing protection | ||||
| Scam Detector | ||||
| Extras | VPN, identity monitoring alerts, password manager | McAfee Protection Score, VPN, identity monitoring alerts, password manager, cleanup tools, social privacy manager | McAfee Protection Score, VPN, identity monitoring alerts, password manager, cleanup tools, social privacy manager, identity theft protection features with up to $1M in identity theft coverage | McAfee Protection Score, VPN, identity monitoring alerts, password manager, cleanup tools, social privacy manager, additional identity theft protection features with up to $2M in identity theft coverage, McAfee Assist setup |
| Learn more | View plan | View plan | View plan | View plan |
The best-value plans are McAfee Essential (for users who aren’t interested in identity theft protection) and McAfee+ Advanced (for those who are).
A downside is that McAfee plans don't automatically include device optimization tools. But overall, we think McAfee is worth it for users who need unlimited device coverage at a reasonable price.
McAfee also offers family plans for the Premium, Advanced, and Ultimate tiers. All family plans cover two adults and up to four children.
That means both adults on each plan will receive separate identity monitoring, credit monitoring, and identity theft insurance, depending on the plan, but there's still unlimited device coverage.
You can compare family plan pricing in the table below.
| Family plan | McAfee+ Premium | McAfee+ Advanced | McAfee+ Ultimate |
| Starting cost | $69.99/first yr | $119.99/first yr | $249.99/first yr |
| Number of people covered | 2 adults, 4 children | 2 adults, 4 children | 2 adults, 4 children |
| Number of devices | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Learn more | View plan | View plan | View plan |
McAfee’s headline feature has always been antivirus — and it’s still true. Typically, the Basic and Essential plans support one and five devices, respectively, while all of the McAfee+ plans protect an unlimited number of devices.
Aside from antivirus, McAfee plans include an array of security, privacy, and identity features to help protect many aspects of your digital life. Some of the major features include:
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While McAfee has been in the antivirus industry for decades, and we think it’s a valuable online security service, it’s not the only option. Some users may find one of its competitors better suits their needs.
TotalAV offers advanced browsing protection, Aura offers advanced identity theft protection, and Norton offers an all-around comprehensive security suite.
Here are some of our top-tested McAfee antivirus alternatives:
| Antivirus |  TotalAV |
 Aura Antivirus |
 Norton 360 |
 Surfshark Antivirus |
| Best for | Best web protection | Best online identity protection | Best overall antivirus software | Best value |
| Starting price | $19.00/first yr | $35.99/first yr | $29.99/first yr | $2.79/mo |
| Features | Zero-day scans, anti-phishing, ransomware protection, password manager, ad blocker, TotalVPN | Antivirus protection, VPN, password manager, security for multiple devices | Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection, cloud backup, password manager, Norton Secure VPN | Antivirus protection, Surfshark VPN, private search engine, data leak alerts, ad blocker |
| Learn more | Get TotalAV | Get Aura | Get Norton360 Antivirus | Get Surfshark Antivirus |
Yes, we think McAfee is worth the money. It offers all the features you could want from an antivirus, along with plenty of extras, including a password manager, VPN, and identity theft protection. We appreciate that McAfee typically runs deals to offer unlimited device coverage across all McAfee+ plans. With competitors, you'd be paying hundreds of dollars annually for the same perk.
In fact, that's a big reason McAfee is one of our top antivirus programs.
You can pay for McAfee using a credit card, debit card, or PayPal.
No, McAfee doesn’t have a free plan. However, there is a 30-day free trial of McAfee Total Protection that can be used to check out the service. You get access to all the features and can use it on up to five devices, including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS.
The main disadvantage of McAfee is that the renewal price can be a bit high. For example, McAfee+ Advanced is $89.99/first yr but jumps up to $199.99/yr for subsequent years.
Premium antivirus software with perfect scores from AV-TEST and SE Labs in 2026
Bundles identity monitoring, credit monitoring, and ID restoration without needing a separate subscription
Plans above the entry tier cover unlimited devices, including phones, tablets, and computers
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