McAfee and TotalAV offer great features, but they differ in many 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.
Short on Time? McAfee vs. TotalAV — Final Verdict:
- 1st place:
- 2nd place:
McAfee is better for malware protection, 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 is better for speed and ease of use, and it has a better VPN. If you want a good internet security suite with functions that are incredibly simple to use, go with TotalAV.
Malware Protection
McAfee
McAfee’s antivirus scanner checks files against a huge virus database and uses heuristics to identify potentially dangerous files.
It detected 100% of the hundreds of malware samples I downloaded to my PC. 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
TotalAV’s malware scanner is a whitelisted version of Avira’s scanner, which is among the best on the market.
TotalAV’s malware scanner detected over 99% of malware in my tests. This included hundreds of files such as viruses, rootkits, spyware, and keylogging 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.
TotalAV’s real-time protection immediately blocked all the malware files in my tests, putting it on par with McAfee.
Web Security
McAfee
McAfee’s WebAdvisor tool offers excellent web protection, and it’s available as a free download for Windows and macOS. It 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 for your Windows or Mac device, WebAdvisor is a great option.
TotalAV
TotalAV’s WebShield blocks phishing sites and online malware distributors. While WebShield blocked most of the phishing sites I tested it against, it didn’t achieve the same perfect score as WebAdvisor.
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 Android and iOS as well as Windows and Mac.
Features
McAfee
McAfee Total Protection covers either 5 or unlimited 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 monitoring.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
McAfee offers excellent parental controls with its Premium and Advanced Family plans. 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.
McAfee’s Safe Connect VPN is really good. It offers decent speeds, works with most streaming sites (though not Disney+ or Hulu), and allows torrenting.
TotalAV
TotalAV Total Security covers 8 devices and includes:
- Web protection & ad blocker.
- System speedup and cleanup tools.
- VPN with unlimited browsing data.
- Password manager.
- Basic dark web monitoring.
- Identity theft protection (US only).
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
TotalAV’s Safe Browsing VPN is a bit better than McAfee’s VPN. It’s pretty fast and has more than 70 server locations all over the world. When I tested it, my download and upload speeds remained high. Unlike McAfee’s VPN, it can access Hulu and Disney+.
TotalAV’s system tune-up is great too. It helps clear out junk files and speeds up your computer’s performance.
TotalAV’s password manager, Total Password, is also very good. It includes all the standard features you’d expect from a good password manager like unlimited password storage, auto-fill, password history, data breach monitoring, and more.
Ease of Use
McAfee
McAfee is really simple to install and use. 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
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 also decent, with solid security and some good features. However, they’re not quite as feature-rich as McAfee’s.
Customer Support
McAfee
McAfee’s customer support is really good. There’s live chat and phone support, an active forum, and a useful knowledge base.
McAfee’s phone and live chat support are excellent. Whenever I reached out to either, I was immediately connected to an agent who was very helpful. I also found it super convenient that there’s an option to grant remote PC access to support, which makes it much faster and easier to fix a tricky issue.
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. That said, it’s temporarily offline while preparations are made for its relaunch.
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
TotalAV’s customer support is decent, but it can’t compete with McAfee’s. It offers live chat, email, and 24/7 phone support.
It’s a shame that TotalAV’s live chat is inaccessible in various regions, including my own. I had to resort to Chrome’s Incognito mode and a VPN to reach the live chat, which, once accessed, proved efficient and supportive.
TotalAV’s email support team turned out to be helpful, although their response time was less than satisfactory. They provided a thorough solution to my issue, but it took them 18 hours to reply.
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.
