Best McAfee alternatives ranked in 2026
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If you’re searching for the best McAfee alternatives, you’re not alone. While McAfee is a well-known name in the antivirus market, many users find it overpriced, difficult to use, or perhaps even unreliable. Fortunately, there are several strong contenders that can replace McAfee and even outperform it in protection and usability.
To identify the top McAfee alternatives, I joined the Cybernews research team to test leading antivirus providers side by side. We evaluated every single one based on real-life malware detection capabilities, system performance, compatibility, interface design, and overall value. After extensive testing, TotalAV is my top McAfee alternative.
Of course, TotalAV isn’t the only great choice to consider. Every antivirus on this list offers solid protection, user-friendly features, and risk-free trials. Here are my top 5 recommendations for the best McAfee alternatives.
Top 5 best McAfee alternatives
- TotalAV Pro Antivirus – best alternative to McAfee in 2026
- Norton 360 Antivirus – feature-rich McAfee alternative
- Bitdefender Antivirus Plus – great McAfee alternative for Macs
- Surfshark Antivirus – privacy-oriented McAfee replacement
- Malwarebytes – replacement to McAfee with great free version
Why look for an alternative to McAfee?
McAfee is one of the oldest antivirus programs and is regarded as one of the best antivirus tools in 2026. However, it has some limitations. Here's why you may want to consider a McAfee competitor:
- Pricing. McAfee antivirus plans start at $29.99/year, compared to Bitdefender's $12.99/month and TotalAV's $19.00/month. Furthermore, these are discounted prices for the first year, and McAfee costs $119.99/year after that, which is more expensive than the Surfshark One bundle, which also offers a top-notch VPN.
- No free plan. Although we don't recommend staying on a free antivirus version for long due to its lack of advanced features, sometimes it is sufficient to protect one device from malware infection. While McAfee doesn't have one, you can use Malwarebytes or TotalAV to get rid of viruses without paying anything.
- False positives. This antivirus occasionally produces false positives that could block access to legitimate websites or mislead the user about a safe app. During the False Alarm Test in September 2025, AV-Comparatives revealed that McAfee produced “remarkably many” false positives – 46.
Best McAfee alternatives in 2026
McAfee's basic plan is packed with features, including a VPN, Scam Detector, and identity monitoring. Below are McAfee alternatives that can meet this level of functionality. In-house tests also show which McAfee competitor outperforms it regarding specific features.
1. TotalAV – the best McAfee alternative overall
| Max devices protected: | 8 |
| Free version: | ✅ Yes |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| Coupons: | TotalAV coupon 80% OFF |
Based on my hands-on experience and our in-house tests, TotalAV is the best McAfee alternative that offers great cyber protection at a lower price.
This antivirus software has a built-in ad blocker, disk and browser cleaner, as well as system tune-up tools. More importantly, it offers real-time malware detection and strong anti-phishing and anti-ransomware protection. Plus, it notifies of potentially unwanted programs. Higher-tier plans include a password manager, a VPN, and simultaneous support for up to 8 devices.
AV-Comparatives revealed that TotalAV guarantees a 99.5% online protection rate (July-October, 2025 tests). At the same time, AV-TEST awarded TotalAV a maximum score of 6/6 for efficient protection against malware. During our in-house testing, the antivirus maintained a light 8% to 38% CPU load during a quick scan that didn't even last a minute.
TotalAV antivirus pricing starts from $19.00/year for 3 devices. If you notice something you don't like, there's a 30-day money-back guarantee.
2. Norton 360 – McAfee alternative with cloud backup
| Max devices protected: | 10 |
| Free version: | ❌ No, free trial only |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| Coupons: | Norton coupon 60% OFF |
Norton 360 is another excellent McAfee alternative that adds cloud backup storage to all plans.
The antivirus is just one part of Norton's full cybersecurity package. Starting with the entry plan, users get 2GB of cloud backup to safeguard important files and a password manager for online account protection. More expensive plans add a VPN, dark web monitoring, parental controls, and identity theft protection features.
During the AV-Comparatives performance test, Norton demonstrated the highest level of protection and received a score of 100%. AV-TEST also awarded Norton with the 6/6 score during the November-December review.
In-house Norton 360 tests delivered mixed results. We started by testing real-time protection with 10 malware samples, and the antivirus had a 70% success rate. It failed to identify and remove 3 malicious files.
The most advanced Norton 360 plan (Premium) costs $59.99/year for 10 devices. If you want to protect only 1 device, you can pay as little as $29.99/year. The antivirus also offers a lengthy 60-day money-back guarantee.
3. Bitdefender – highly rated alternative to McAfee
| Max devices protected: | 10 |
| Free version: | ✅ Yes |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
| Coupons: | Bitdefender coupon 78% OFF |
Bitdefender is a McAfee alternative that continuously receives high independent test results.
This excellent antivirus scored a maximum of 6 in all three categories (Protection, Performance, and Usability) during the most recent AV-TEST trials, earning it a Top Product badge. The last time it got something less was in October 2024, with a 5.5 for performance, which is still a high score. AV-Comparatives scored Bitdefender’s protection at 99.1%.
Just like TotalAV and Norton 360, Bitdefender got the highest results in terms of macOS protection from AV-TEST (6/6). Overall, Bitdefender antivirus is one of the best choices for protecting Apple devices. Besides real-time protection, the tool also offers a device optimizer, firewall, and VPN. The only downside is that the VPN is highly limited – 200MB/day/device.
Regarding the price, Bitdefender costs $12.99/year for a single device. You can also use a 30-day money-back guarantee.
4. Surfshark Antivirus – best McAfee substitute with outstanding VPN
| Max devices protected: | Unlimited |
| Free version: | ❌ No |
| Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, FireTV |
| Coupons: | Surfshark Antivirus coupon 86% OFF + 3 months FREE |
This alternative to McAfee will protect your online privacy like no other, and it includes one of the best VPNs in 2026.
Surfshark is best known for its VPN, a simplistic app, and family-friendly plans. It aims to protect large households and individual users simultaneously, so it wasn't surprising that it launched an antivirus, which is included in its Surfshark One bundle. The antivirus offers quick, complete, scheduled, and drag-and-drop file scans, which we found efficient and comfortable.
Among its many cybersecurity features, you'll find real-time email, credit card, ID breach alerts, a private search tool, an ad blocker, and, of course, thousands of VPN servers across the globe. The more expensive Surfshark One+ plan adds identity theft coverage (for US users only) and data removal by Incogni.
While Surfshark’s primary strength has always been its VPN, its antivirus has been gaining recognition as well. In fact, during the June 2025 analysis by AV-TEST, Surfshark received solid protection test results: 6/6 for Protection and 5.5/6 for Performance and Usability.
Surfshark One costs $29.88/year or just $2.49/month for unlimited devices. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Malwarebytes – McAfee alternative suited for beginners
| Max devices protected: | 10 |
| Free version: | ✅ Yes |
| Platforms: | Windows, Android, macOS, ChromeOS, iOS |
| Coupons: | Malwarebytes coupon 50% OFF |
Malwarebytes is a top McAfee alternative thanks to its free version, which provides sufficient malware protection.
There is no need to be alarmed if you can't find Malwarebytes on AV-TEST because this antivirus decided to switch testing partners, and more trial results are yet to come. However, when AV-Comparatives tested the antivirus in July-October2025, it demonstrated a 98.1% protection score.
Our in-house tests confirm that the Malwarebytes antivirus free version can efficiently clean up an infected device. However, its real-time protection features are paid, which is standard in this industry.
Malwarebytes pricing starts at $78.73/year for 3 devices and offers a 60-day money-back guarantee alongside its free version.
Which McAfee alternative should I pick?
The best alternative to McAfee depends on your demands and browsing habits. Of course, during in-house tests, we checked each antivirus in terms of cross-device compatibility. We also tested and confirmed each product can successfully detect malware on different operating systems.
My top McAfee alternatives will satisfy most needs, but here are some more aspects to consider before you make the final decision:
- Additional benefits. McAfee offers a VPN and a scam detector with its entry plan. To pick great alternatives, I looked for antiviruses that offer great additional features. I prioritized tools (e.g., Surfshark One) that offer unique online privacy protection features (e.g., personal data removal from online databases).
- Pricing. McAfee is pretty pricey, especially after the first-year discount ends. The costs quickly build up to quite a sum if you add other paid apps to your device. My top McAfee substitutes are either more affordable or offer benefits that you'd otherwise have to pay for additionally.
- Free version. While free plans might be limited, they offer a great opportunity to try an antivirus before committing long-term. Free plans are also important for people on a budget who can't spend much on antivirus protection. In this case, I recommend trying out TotalAV, Bitdefender, and Malwarebytes, which offer completely free plans. Norton comes with a short-term free trial as well, so you can try it out risk-free.
Do I really need an antivirus tool?
Yes, a reliable antivirus is a must-have for active internet users. In fact, cybercrime has been steadily rising over the last decade, amplified by the ongoing geopolitical tensions. For example, cybercriminals have been known to successfully exploit social crises to attack victims who are already preoccupied with other worries.
Besides that, my top McAfee alternatives go beyond anti-malware protection. For example, TotalAV also offers a disk cleaner, system tune-up, a web shield browser extension, robust real-time online protection, a password manager, a VPN, and more. From just $19.00/year, it’s a great tool to explore if you’re looking for a strong McAfee alternative.
Conclusion
McAfee antivirus is a very popular pick, mostly due to the marketing tactics, which include bundling the product with new devices or other third-party software. Sooner or later, however, many users opt to replace McAfee due to high pricing, mediocre performance, and invasive pop-ups. If you're looking for a McAfee alternative, I recommend TotalAV or Norton 360 as my top picks.
