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Best for PC and Mac
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Premium antivirus, scam, and web protection, plus a VPN, identity monitoring, and secure password manager
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Added peace of mind with 24/7 expert online support and McAfee’s Virus Protection Pledge
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Compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS on up to 5 devices
Best for Low-Cost Coverage
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4 plans available, all including antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection, Cloud backup, and a secure password manager
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Option to add VPN connection, dark web monitoring, privacy monitoring, and more
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Compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS on up to 10 devices depending on plan
McAfee and Norton are two quality products highly rated by independent third-party reviewers. McAfee covers PCs and Macs and offers browser extensions that support Safari. Norton may not cover Safari, but its customer support is easier to navigate and offers more options.
Each has a user-friendly interface and anti-malware protection, as well as coverage for Windows PCs, Macs, smartphones, and even tablets. And both offer a host of additional features that make them valuable additions to your computer or mobile device, making them some of the best antivirus solutions we've tested. So your choice comes down to your needs — let’s dig in and help you decide.
McAfee vs. Norton: prices
McAfee vs. Norton: features
McAfee vs. Norton: test results
McAfee vs. Norton: compatibility and customer support
McAfee vs. Norton FAQs
Which is better, Norton or McAfee?
McAfee vs. Norton 360 at a glance
The McAfee versus Norton question is nearly as old as the internet itself, with both having a long history of fighting for space on our computers. If you’re old enough to remember when personal computers became common in every household, both products were there to protect us against the dangers of the new thing called the World Wide Web.
As we progressed, certain manufacturers partnered with either Norton or McAfee to present these products preinstalled on your new PC. Even now, with a host of other competitors, both Norton and McAfee still have the name recognition and security chops to be key players in the fight against ransomware and other nasties you find online.
But which of these products is better for online threats? And which has the most security features to eliminate the need for additional products? Let's dive into the answers.
- McAfee: Best for PC and Mac
- Norton 360: Best for covering more devices at a low cost
How do McAfee and Norton compare?
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Starting price | Starts at $39.99/yr (first yr only) | Starts at $29.99/yr (first year only) |
Max number of protected devices | Unlimited devices | Up to 10 devices |
24/7 customer support | ||
Compatibility | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and more | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and more |
Free version | ||
Real-time protection | ||
Phishing protection | ||
Ransomware protection | ||
Get McAfee Read Our McAfee Review |
Get Norton Read Our Norton Review |
Although both antivirus programs have been around for a long time, they’ve both continued to add extra features necessary for the modern internet.
Norton has a lower starting price with more devices covered. McAfee is a little more expensive, but when you go up to the middle pricing tier, you’ll receive unlimited device coverage.
Is Safari coverage important to you? Go with McAfee. Are you looking for quality protection for the least expensive price you can find? McAfee does that, too. Do you want webcam coverage and a file shredder? Norton has that. Are you worried about false positives or if it’ll work on your operating system? AV-TEST says they’re both secure with few false positives. These are questions you’ll need to consider when deciding on an antivirus product.
McAfee vs. Norton: prices
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![]() Our Pick
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Price range | $29.99–$249.99/yr | $29.99–$99.99/first yr |
Best value plan | McAfee+ Premium plan for $49.99/yr (first yr only) | Norton 360 Deluxe for $49.99/yr (first year only) |
Money-back guarantee | Yes, 30 days | Yes, 14 days for monthly plans and 60 days for annual plans |
Get McAfee Read Our McAfee Review |
Get Norton Read Our Norton Review |
Norton stands out when it comes to pricing and features. It also has a more-than-generous 60-day money-back guarantee for its annual plans. McAfee’s basic plan only covers one device.
When you go up to McAfee’s next tier, you’ll receive coverage for five devices plus a virtual private network (VPN), but not much more in terms of features. You’ll need to go up to the McAfee+ Premium plan to receive all the privacy features. Norton starts off at a lower price, includes privacy features like a password manager and cloud backup, and provides coverage for one or five devices in its lowest-priced tier.
When it comes to family plans, McAfee is less than half the cost of Norton for unlimited device protection and identity monitoring. Unfortunately, McAfee doesn’t offer a monthly payment for its family plans. (Although you can subscribe monthly through Amazon for three or 10 devices.)
McAfee+ Ultimate vs. Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus software bundles
McAfee+ Ultimate is considerably more expensive than Norton 360 with LifeLock Select, even at the renewal price. This Norton plan comes with 250 GB of cloud backup, while McAfee doesn’t have a cloud storage option built into any of its products. This is the key difference between the two products’ most expensive plans.
In fact, cloud storage is the biggest difference between any of the paid tiers. All Norton products come with some form of cloud storage. If you want a safe place to store specific digital documents, you can do that with Norton. On the other hand, if you don’t need cloud storage, McAfee may be the product for you.
McAfee+ Ultimate and Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus features
- Norton only: 250 GB cloud backup
- McAfee only: Personal data cleanup service
- Antivirus and web protection
- Credit monitoring
- Credit lock and credit freeze
- Identity theft coverage
- Ransomware coverage
- Transaction monitoring
- Parental controls
- Password manager
- VPN
Finally, McAfee requires a yearly subscription, which must be paid all at once (unless you subscribe through Amazon). Norton products, except for the Basic plan, have monthly payment options. Sometimes, it isn’t financially feasible to purchase the plan you need at the annual cost, so having a monthly option is nice.
McAfee vs. Norton: features
Feature | ![]() |
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Manual and scheduled scans | ||
Phishing protection | ||
Ransomware protection | ||
Firewall | ||
Parental controls | ||
Password manager | ||
VPN | ||
Device optimization tools | ||
Get McAfee Read Our McAfee Review |
Get Norton Read Our Norton Review |
Considering these two antiviruses both offer additional features such as a VPN and phishing protection, it’ll depend on preference to decide which one you find to be the better antivirus.
Most of the features here are straightforward, but the ransomware protection feature might seem difficult to find. Ransomware is another form of malware or malicious software created with the intention of doing harm. All antivirus products that protect against viruses and malware also protect against ransomware. As far as the other features, they’re all value-adds that enhance your antivirus program and overall protection.
Firewalls are built into products such as Mac, so having one on your security software may require you to disable the feature. A firewall is good for a PC, however, and augmenting your Windows Defender protection with a firewall can increase your security. No matter what, you’ll want a product with a good adware cleaner.
Phishing and other social engineering hacks are rampant on social media, through email, and even through text messaging, so having an alert system in your antivirus software may help keep you from becoming a victim.
Other features, such as the VPN, password manager, and device optimization tools, are great additions that aren’t necessarily included in all antivirus products. If you’re looking to round out your security suite, having these included can save you some money.
McAfee vs. Norton: test results
When comparing antivirus products, third-party testing is a must. These tests have the resources and capabilities to really attack the software with every malicious element, and they also know software vulnerabilities.
This means the third-party testers are doing whatever they can to break the product to make sure hackers can’t break it once you’ve installed it. It also means you get an objective look at a product outside of its marketing claims. If you really want to know whether a product is worth your money, third-party testing can tell you.
Here’s what third-party testing site AV-TEST said about McAfee and Norton.
McAfee vs. Norton AV-TEST scores
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Windows score | 18/18 | 16.5/18 |
macOS score | N/A | 18/18 |
Android score | 18/18 | 18/18 |
Get McAfee Read Our McAfee Review |
Get Norton Read Our Norton Review |
AV-TEST gives numerical scores from zero to six in three separate categories for computers, with consideration of protection, performance, and usability. Both McAfee and Norton scored 18/18 for Android. Until recently, Norton also had an 18/18 for Windows but got dinged for false positives and slowing down system performance.
But the most glaring difference was the lack of testing for macOS on McAfee. This doesn’t mean that Mac users aren’t covered. There is a fee for third-party testing, and sometimes a company isn’t interested in paying this to test their product. A lack of test results doesn’t necessarily mean the product is bad or incompatible, but it does indicate that it hasn’t been tested.
McAfee vs. Norton: compatibility and customer support
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![]() Our Pick
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Windows | ||
macOS | ||
Android | ||
iOS | ||
Browser extensions | Yes, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge | Yes, Firefox, Chrome, Edge |
24/7 customer support | ||
Customer support options | Live chat, phone, online guides, support forums | Live chat, phone, online guides, support forums |
View Plans Read Our McAfee Review |
View Plans Read Our Norton Review |
We had similarly positive experiences with both McAfee and Norton in terms of usability, speed, and detection. Neither program had a lengthy initial scan, nor did either security product have a lengthy quick scan process. Both Norton and McAfee were easy to use, even for novices.
One of the most important considerations in choosing an antivirus is if it slows down your computer while it’s running. We were pleased to see that both Norton and McAfee performed well with little to no performance degradation. McAfee had a slight advantage by including a browser extension for Safari, but that wasn’t enough to have us favor it over Norton. However, both require the manual set up of individual features
However, there’s a definite difference between the support options available between McAfee and Norton. McAfee’s website focuses more on self-help through forums and guides and makes finding options such as chat, email, and phone difficult. We had to search for a support number. You should never have to do a separate internet search for a support number. That can lead to fake support numbers that scam you.
Norton, on the other hand, has links and clearly labeled support sections. We were able to chat, call, or search the guides and forums. We could quickly and easily find everything we needed within Norton’s site, eliminating the chance we may get scammed. A security product should make sure you’re secure rather than hiding support options.
McAfee vs. Norton FAQs
Do I need McAfee if I already have Norton?
The short answer is no. Running separate antivirus programs against one another on the same device can create problems. These aren’t compatible and might lessen the effectiveness of the protection you receive.
What’s the No. 1 antivirus for PC?
According to AV-TEST, the top antivirus software for PCs were Avast Free AntiVirus, AVG Internet Security, Bitdefender Internet Security, McAfee Total Protection, and Norton with Norton 360, earning AV-TEST’s Best Protection 2023 award.
Does McAfee slow your computer down?
Yes, McAfee has been reported to slow down computers and third-party applications running on your computer. McAfee does have a fix for third-party applications, but the nature of antivirus means you have something using memory on your computer to keep you protected. In our testing, the slow-down was not noticeable enough to cause issues. If you do find it’s slowing down your computer too much, you can disable McAfee to make sure that’s the problem before switching to a faster security product.
Can hackers get past Norton?
Yes, but no antivirus program is infallible. Using highly rated, third-party-tested antivirus software along with internet hygiene best practices gives you the best chance of staying secure. For ultimate protection, consider a cybersecurity suite that bundles antivirus protection with a secure VPN.
Which is better, Norton or McAfee?
Because both McAfee and Norton have been in the game so long, they’ve had time to mold and adapt to the ever-changing internet. Both have solid, third-party-tested protection and a plethora of features wrapped into the security product offering. Both have an easy user interface and pleasant user experience.
In our opinion, Norton takes the lead on price and customer service. However, either of these products is a solid choice. The downside to these antivirus programs is that they’re both still priced fairly high even though competitors are lower (and sometimes free) with similar or more features.
Even so, you know you’re getting a trusted security product when using either of these antivirus solutions. It’s going to be up to you to decide whether the history behind these products makes them worth the price. Either way, you should always have security software installed, so having McAfee or Norton will go a long way in keeping you safe online.
Top antivirus software compared
Antivirus | ![]() |
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Best for | Best overall antivirus software | All-in-one software | Comprehensive security | Best value |
Starting price | $29.00/yr (first year only) | $35.99/first yr | $29.99/yr (first year only) | $3.19/mo (billed annually) |
Features | Zero-day scans, anti-phishing, ransomware protection, password manager, ad blocker | Antivirus protection, VPN, password manager, security for multiple devices | Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection, Cloud backup, password manager | Antivirus protection, VPN, private search engine, data leak alerts |
Learn more | Get TotalAV | Get Aura | Get Norton360 Antivirus | Get Surfshark Antivirus |
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