McAfee vs TotalAV: Which One is Better? [2022 Top Picks]
Find the best antivirus for you and your devices.
We compare security, extra features, ease of use, and more to help you decide.
McAfee vs TotalAV: Which Is Right for You?
McAfee vs TotalAV: Which Is Right for You?
McAfee and TotalAV differ in a lot of key areas. McAfee caught more malware files in our tests and has a wider range of features than TotalAV. But TotalAV doesn’t cause any system slowdown and is easier to use than McAfee.
McAfee vs. TotalAV: Final Verdict
- 1st place:
- 2nd place:
McAfee — Winner in Malware Detection Rates, Extra Features, and Pricing. If you want premium protection for all of your devices at a price that’s lower than many competing brands, go with McAfee.
TotalAV — Winner in Speed, Ease of Use, and VPN. If you want a good internet security suite with functions that are incredibly simple to use, go with TotalAV.
McAfee vs. TotalAV: Malware Protection
McAfee’s antivirus scanner checks files against a huge virus database and uses heuristics to identify potentially dangerous files.
I downloaded hundreds of malware samples onto my computer to test McAfee’s malware scanner. It detected 100% of them, which is really impressive. However, the scan did cause some slowdown on my computer. While I could still use it for browsing the web, gaming was out of the question while the scan was running.
The full system scan took around an hour. If you’d rather not run it while you’re using your computer, you can easily schedule scans for a convenient time.
McAfee also offers a real-time protection engine, which successfully blocked me from downloading or opening any malware files.
TotalAV’s malware scanner is a whitelisted version of Avira’s anti-malware engine, which is among the best on the market.
To test TotalAV’s malware scanner, I downloaded hundreds of files to my PC, including viruses, rootkits, spyware, and keylogging malware. The scan picked up over 99% of the malware. Like McAfee’s scan, it took about an hour, but unlike McAfee, it didn’t use up much CPU. There was no impact on my computer’s performance, which was great.
Like McAfee, TotalAV’s real-time protection immediately blocked all the malware files I tested it with.
McAfee vs. TotalAV: Web Security
McAfee’s WebAdvisor tool offers excellent web protection, and is available as a free download. However, it’s only compatible with Windows.
WebAdvisor identifies phishing sites from a massive database that is continuously updated. In my tests, it blocked 100% of phishing sites and exploit attacks, and it detected many dangerous sites that Chrome and Firefox’s built-in protections failed to.
If you’re looking for online protection just for your Windows device, WebAdvisor is a great option.
TotalAV’s WebShield tool effectively blocks phishing sites and online malware distributors. Like WebAdvisor, it also detected more phishing sites than Chrome or Firefox when I tested it.
WebShield uses blacklists of dangerous websites and its own AI-based dangerous website detection system, which works well.
WebShield can be downloaded for free, with no purchase necessary. Unlike WebAdvisor, it’s available on Mac, Android and iOS as well as Windows.
McAfee vs. TotalAV: Features
McAfee Total Protection Plus covers 5 devices and includes:
- Customizable firewall.
- Web protection & browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
- System tuneup tools.
- Network scanner.
- Parental controls.
- VPN with unlimited data.
- Password manager (True Key).
- Identity theft protection.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
- And more…
McAfee offers excellent parental controls. You can filter web content, limit device usage and internet access, block specific apps, and track device locations. In my tests, all the features worked really well and were easy to navigate.
McAfee’s True Key is a decent password manager. It offers all the essentials, like unlimited password storage across devices, secure notes, and a password generator. However, there are no secure 2FA options, and it’s missing password sharing and breach monitoring.
I really like McAfee’s Gamer Security, which is an optional download with all McAfee’s Total Protection plans. It helps to maximize system performance, and is an excellent tool for gamers.
McAfee’s Safe Connect VPN isn’t so great, though. It offers decent speeds, but it didn’t work for torrenting or for watching Disney+ and Hulu.
TotalAV Total Security covers 6 devices and includes:
- Web protection & ad blocker.
- System speedup and cleanup tools.
- VPN with unlimited browsing data.
- Basic password manager.
- Basic dark web monitoring.
- Identity theft protection (US only).
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
TotalAV’s Safe Browsing VPN is better than McAfee’s VPN. It’s pretty fast, and has more than 100 server locations all over the world. When I tested it, my download and upload speeds remained high, and unlike McAfee’s VPN, it worked with Hulu and Disney+. Also unlike McAfee, it’s good for torrenting.
TotalAV’s system tune-up is great too. It helps clear out junk files and speeds up your computer’s performance.
However, I’m not keen on TotalAV’s password manager. It’s pretty basic, and it’s only included with the most expensive plan. While it has all of the essentials for password management, it’s a shame that it doesn’t offer a mobile version. McAfee’s True Key isn’t amazing, but at least it’s available on mobile.
McAfee vs. TotalAV: Ease of Use
McAfee is really simple to install and use. The dashboard is intuitive, and everything is organized neatly into 3 buttons on the home screen: PC, Web, and Identity.
It’s extremely easy to schedule a scan with McAfee. It’s also simple to customize your firewall protection, access the VPN, and run system tune-ups. That said, it did take me a little while to find all the system tune-up features.
McAfee’s mobile apps are well designed, intuitive, and feature-rich.
TotalAV is intuitive to use and simple to set up. The interface is attractive and simple, and it’s never confusing.
To customize the interface, you can use the advanced options under the Settings menu. You can also find the online dashboard in Settings, which has some useful video tutorials and FAQs.
TotalAV’s mobile apps are decent too, with solid security and some good features. However, they’re not quite as feature-rich as McAfee’s.
McAfee vs. TotalAV: Customer Support
McAfee’s customer support is really good. There’s 24/7 live chat and phone support, an active forum, and a useful knowledge base.
When I contacted McAfee’s phone support team about an issue with my plan, they resolved it within a few minutes. The live chat support was great, too. I was connected to a support person within seconds, and they were helpful and knowledgeable. The support reps can take control of your PC through a downloadable applet and solve your issue while you watch, which is helpful for beginners.
I also like the McAfee support forum. There’s an active community available there to answer your questions, and each time I asked a question, I got an answer within 5 hours.
The only thing I don’t like is the knowledge base. Many of the FAQs refer to outdated versions of the software, so you can’t get the answers you need. However, McAfee’s other support channels are so helpful that it’s not a big issue.
TotalAV’s customer support is decent, but it can’t quite compete with McAfee’s. It offers live chat, email, and 24/7 phone support.
Unfortunately, the live chat is blocked in many countries, including where I live. So I had to go into Incognito mode on Chrome to get through to the team. Once I’d done this, I found TotalAV’s live chat support was responsive and helpful.
TotalAV’s email support team was really helpful, but not very fast. When I contacted them about an issue I had, I got a great response, but it took 18 hours to arrive.
However, TotalAV’s phone support is great. There’s country-specific support for the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and Spain. Otherwise, you call a ‘Europe’ or ‘International’ number. Each time I called, I got a quick and knowledgeable response.
Frequently Asked Questions
The first thing to do is to understand what you need — all antiviruses come with different internet security tools to help you stay protected, so identifying what level of protection you want will help you figure out which product is right for you.
Some antiviruses have a virtual private network (VPN), some have safe browsing extensions, and some have a password manager. Some only work on certain operating systems, while others cover all operating systems across multiple devices.
It’s important to compare the best antiviruses on the market to find the perfect one with the functionality you need.
A high-quality antivirus suite will detect, flag, and remove viruses and various types of malware. It will also offer real-time protection against all threats, regardless of whether you are browsing the internet, downloading software, shopping online, or opening email. For additional security, many antivirus suites offer a VPN, secure storage, and a password manager — these things all add several layers of protection against various cyber threats.
For more information on how antiviruses work, read this.
An antivirus needs to protect against all types of malware — trojans, rootkits, worms, spyware, viruses, ransomware, and anything else that might cause damage to your devices. This is done in a variety of ways, but the most essential feature of an antivirus is real-time protection — this makes sure that an active threat is effectively stopped before anything serious can happen.
Other things to look for include — excellent detection rates, fast system performance, included extra features (like a VPN, password manager, etc.), easy-to-use interface, good customer support, and overall value.
When researching antiviruses, it’s a good idea to visit a few well-known antivirus software websites such as Norton, McAfee, and Bitdefender to directly compare each antivirus’s features.
You can also look at the expert opinions of our reviewers at SafetyDetectives.com to find the most up-to-date and unbiased information about the best cybersecurity products on the market today.