McAfee Price 2026: What Do You Get for Your Money?

We found McAfee to be worth the money, thanks to its feature-rich plans and a long industry track record of demonstrated performance. All McAfee subscriptions include real-time malware protection and bonus features such as a VPN and a password manager. Higher tiers cover unlimited devices and add identity theft protection and related features.

McAfee prices range from $39.99–$249.99/yr, depending on the antivirus plan you choose. After the first year, prices increase significantly — more than doubling in some cases — which is typical of premium antivirus software. 

However, McAfee offers lightweight performance, delivers consistently high third-party test scores, and is the only antivirus provider to offer unlimited device coverage across plans. Read on for more details.

How much does McAfee cost?

McAfee plans start at $29.99/first yr, 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+ Premium and Norton 360 Deluxe, which are roughly comparable, start at $49.99/first yr.

McAfee price

	McAfee Basic	McAfee Essential	McAfee+ Premium	McAfee+ Advanced	McAfee+ Ultimate
Starting cost	$29.99/first yr	$39.99/first yr	$49.99/first yr	$89.99/first yr	$199.99/first yr
Best for	Affordable antivirus protection	Antivirus for multiple devices	Families with lots of devices	Basic identity theft protection	Users who need additional identity theft coverage
Number of devices	1	Up to 5	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Compatibility	Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, iOS	Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, iOS	Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, iOS	Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, iOS	Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, iOS
Firewall
Real-time protection
Phishing protection
Scam protection
Extras	McAfee Protection Score VPN Identity monitoring alerts Password manager	McAfee Protection Score VPN Identity monitoring alerts Password manager	McAfee Protection Score VPN Identity monitoring alerts Password manager Personal Data Cleanup (scans only) Online Account Cleanup (scans only) Social Privacy Manager	McAfee Protection Score VPN Identity monitoring alerts Password manager Personal Data Cleanup (full service) Online Account Cleanup (scans only) Social Privacy Manager Identity theft protection features with up to $1M in identity theft coverage	McAfee Protection Score VPN Identity monitoring alerts Password manager Personal Data Cleanup (full service) Online Account Cleanup (full service) Social Privacy Manager Additional identity theft protection features with up to $2M in identity theft coverage McAfee Assist setup
24/7 customer support
Learn more	View plan	View plan	View plan	View plan	View plan

McAfee Basic and Essential are part of the McAfee Total Protection suite. They’re essentially the same, except for the number of devices allowed. The other three plans comprise the McAfee+ suite, and each adds an increasing amount of identity theft protection features.

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. 

What do you get with McAfee?

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 every facet of your digital life. Some of the major features include:

• Scam protection: This AI-powered service scans your text messages and blocks potentially risky links.
• McAfee Protection Score: You get a personalized score that rates how protected you are in real-time and offers guidance on how to improve your online security.
• VPN: McAfee includes a built-in virtual private network (VPN) to help ensure safe browsing and keep your online activity private.
• Identity monitoring alerts: McAfee monitors the dark web for personal information and alerts you if it finds anything.
• Password manager: The password manager helps secure all of your login credentials while also making them easier to remember.
• Personal Data Cleanup: This feature monitors data broker sites and alerts you if your information is found. McAfee+ Advanced and Ultimate also feature automated data removal requests.
• Online Account Cleanup: This tool helps remove personal information from old online accounts.
• Social Privacy Manager: McAfee helps simplify changing your social media privacy settings.
• Identity theft protection features: McAfee has a robust suite of identity theft protection features, including credit monitoring and reports, ransomware coverage, and a credit lock feature. The McAfee+ Advanced and Ultimate plans include up to $1 million and $2 million of identity theft coverage, respectively.
• McAfee Assist setup: You can join a live session where a McAfee expert will help you set up your service — but it’s available only with the McAfee+ Ultimate plan.

Top alternatives

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 they’re better served by one of its competitors. 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:

FAQs

Bottom line: Is McAfee worth it?

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 plans, including the Essential plan. 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.