Compare McAfee vs Avast

McAfee vs Avast: Which is Best in 2020?

McAfee is all about a brick-strong defense that relies on a leading antivirus engine, on par with Kaspersky and Bitdefender. Avast, in turn, is slightly less effective against modern-day threats. But it’s more user-friendly, accessible, and comes with a generous free edition. In some ways, these two products appeal to the same users. However, there are more than enough differences between the two.

In this Avast vs. McAfee review, we’ll talk about the available packages, feature sets, different clients, and, of course, free editions. Plus, we’ll go over the pricing and come up with a verdict at the end, which will help you decide which antivirus is a better pick for you. Avast has a very low system performance impact, and it’s very easy to download, install; it runs on its own in the background.

McAfee is also quite straightforward and intuitive, plus, it’s got an impressive list of features and is competitively priced. Let’s start this McAfee versus Avast competition by looking at the available features and extras. Next, we’ll talk about what they have to offer to the Android and Mac users.

 Features Comparison of Avast vs McAfee

These days, the majority of leading antivirus solutions come packed not only with advanced anti-malware modules but also with useful extras. Without proper protection against ransomware and phishing, an advanced firewall, and a safe browser, you won’t be fully secure while surfing the web. But which is the best antivirus in this regard – is it Avast, or maybe McAfee?

As we already mentioned, both products are strong regarding the feature set. What’s more important, however, is how generous their entry-level and premium packages are. First, we’ll take a look at every single feature available with these antiviruses. And if you want to check out the various tiers in more detail, go to the “McAfee vs. Avast price comparison” section. 

McAfee Antivirus

Here’s what McAfee has to offer to the potential clients:

• Complete anti-malware protection (the feature protects against all known threats);
• Protection against spam (self-explanatory: keeps spam away from the user);
• Ransomware protection (prevents cybercriminals from encrypting your files and demanding a ransom);
• Phishing protection (keeps you away from malicious websites, and more);
• PC optimization tools (Quick clean – removes all the junk from your hard drive);
• Data Shredder (permanently gets rid of files and folders of your choosing);
• Two-Way Firewall (controls all incoming/outgoing connections and blocks any potential attacks);
• Vulnerability Scanner (monitors the network and fixes flaws in the system);
• Network Manager (Wi-Fi network protection against incoming threats);
• Password Manager (safely stores your credentials; helps to come up with hard-to-crack logins-passwords);
• File Encryption (self-explanatory: encrypts files of your choosing to protect them from hackers);
• ID Theft Protection (powerful anti-theft module);
• True Key (a secure vault for storing passwords, logins, and important files/folders);
• Safe Family (parental controls, allows setting up limits and block certain websites for your kids);
• Safe Connect (VPN service to ensure anonymity on the internet);
• Fully compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

This is it for the list of McAfee features. It provides not only “traditional” anti-malware protection, but also a number of advanced extras that further improve your device’s security.

Avast Antivirus

And what about Avast – does it have what it takes to compete with McAfee? Let’s check it out:

• Real-time malware protection (blocks viruses, Trojans, rootkits, and other threats);
• Fake site blocker (phishing protection: keeps criminals from accessing the user’s credentials when shopping or banking);
• Ransomware protection (similar to the McAfee anti-ransomware module);
• Password security (encrypted vault for the user’s passwords: takes one click to access it);
• Two-Way Firewall (fixes flaws in the network and prevents the attacks from exploiting them);
• Spam/phishing email block (self-explanatory: keeps your inbox safe and clean)
• Wi-Fi Scans (in many ways, works as a firewall and patches up your active network)
• Cleanup tools (good for boosting overall performance, speeding up the OS, and freeing up space on the hard drive);
• Data shredder (choose the files you don’t need, and Avast will delete them)
• Password manager (keeps your passwords safe)
• Webcam protection (prevent cybercriminals from spying on you via your web camera);
• Sandbox (safe environment, allows launching potentially dangerous files without endangering the OS);
• Auto-updates (downloads and installs all the latest updates in a fully automatic mode);
• SecureLine VPN (Avast’s Virtual Private Network, not very fast, but stable);
• Real Site (DNS routing prevention, an advanced form of anti-phishing protection);
• Fully compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

Can McAfee and Avast work together?

The short answer – yes, they can, but we strongly recommend against it. The reason is: while working together, these antivirus products will significantly slow down the OS. Plus, they will interfere with each other’s work, and scans will take much longer to complete. McAfee and Avast conflict can even lead to constant freezes of the operating system.

Some people think that by running two antivirus programs instead of one, they’ll have a double layer of protection. However, that’s not true, and the cons strongly outweigh any potential pros. Even if you have a powerful computer, we still advise against it.

Сomparison McAfee vs Avast for Android

As leading security products, both McAfee and Avast offer full-fledged apps for Android. Here’s what you can expect to get with McAfee:

• Security Scan (checks files, apps, and networks for any potential threats);
• Privacy Check (controls the apps and their access to your data);
• Anti-Theft (protection against thieves);
• Safe Wi-Fi (warns the user whenever he/she connects to a vulnerable network);
• Battery Booster (extends the battery’s life);
• Memory Booster (optimizes performance);
• Storage Cleaner;
• Media Backup (protects the most important files)
• App Lock; 
• Safe Web (shopping/banking protection);
• Safe Connect (VPN).

Here’s the list of Avast Pro features:

• Malware protection;
• Anti-phishing protection;
• Wi-Fi Network protection;
• SecureLine (VPN);
• Remote wipe and lock (does exactly that – locks and wipes your phone’s drive);
• Device tracker (similar to Anti-Theft);
• App security (PIN code/fingerprint password protection for sensitive data);
• Optimization (both for the Smartphone and the operating system);
• Automatic app scans (detects malicious apps and warns the user);
• Automatic loss registration (sends out a warning every time the SIM card is changed).

Сomparison McAfee vs Avast for Mac

While macOS isn’t nearly as vulnerable as Windows, it still does require a modern-day antivirus to protect it. With McAfee, you’ll have access to:

• Malware protection
• Ransomware protection
• Phishing protection
• Two-Way Firewall
• ID Theft Protection
• VPN
• Data shredder 
• Vulnerability Scanner
• Performance optimization
• Network Manager
• Password manager
• File Encryption
• True Key
• Safe Family

Avast is also available for the Mac operating system and has the following features to offer:

• Malware protection
• Ransomware protection
• Phishing protection
• Email Shield
• Web Shield
• VPN
• Security Scan
• W-Fi Intruder Alert 
• Password manager
• Cleanup Pro

It’s easy to see from these two lists that McAfee is a more feature-packed solution compared to Avast. It includes several important extras that will improve your security and keep hackers at bay.

Compare McAfee Free vs. Avast Free

As strange as it might sound, there’s no free version of the McAfee antivirus. All that you’ll get with this company is a 30-day trial of the Total Protection package. Once the trial is over, you’ll have to pay to be able to use the antivirus further. It is the only “free” product available from McAfee.

And what about Avast, you might ask? Well, Avast Free is a 100% free solution, and it’s one of the best offers on the market right now. It fully supports all the leading platforms (Win, Mac, Android, and iOS). This antivirus software is user-friendly, easy-to-use, and features the same antivirus engine as the higher packages.

A quick note: Passwords and Secure Browser are available on Avast’s website for free. Plus, we recommend taking advantage of the SecureLine and AntiTrack free trials. True, they only last for seven days, but that’s more than enough time to see whether you want to buy them or not. So, in this round of our comparison, McAfee falls behind its rival in the market for a free product.

McAfee vs. Avast Price Comparison

Last but not least, let’s take a look at the various plans available with McAfee and Avast. Here are the McAfee internet security tiers:

McAfee Total Protection:

• Malware protection
• Ransomware protection
• Phishing protection
• Two-Way Firewall
• Safe Connect
• Performance optimization
• Network Manager
• Password manager
• Safe Web Browsing
• Identity Theft Protection
• McAfee Shredder
• Safe Family
• Vulnerability Scanner
• File Encryption
• True Key (encrypted storage)

McAfee LiveSafe :

• Protection for an unlimited number of devices

Recently, Avast decided to let go of a couple of packages, and now, there are only two tiers to choose from:

Avast Premium Security:

• Malware protection
• Ransomware protection
• Phishing protection
• Anti-spam protection
• Webcam protection
• Two-way firewall
• Safe shopping/banking
• Automatic updates
• Sandbox
• Data Shredder

Avast Ultimate:

• SecureLine VPN
• Cleanup (Premium)
• Passwords (Premium)

Which is Better, McAfee or Avast?

Now that we’ve talked about both products in detail, it’s time to come up with a verdict. Well, it’s easy to say that McAfee is a better pick, as it’s got a more comprehensive feature set with lots of extras. And, it also costs less, has better performance scores, and is almost as user-friendly as its rival. Avast is a highly competitive product, but compared to McAfee, it’s not nearly as good.

However, if you’re not planning on paying for an antivirus just yet and don’t need any advanced features, Avast Free will be exactly what you need. It beats the rival pretty easily, as McAfee doesn’t have a free antivirus yet. Avast Free, in turn, can serve as a good solution until you upgrade to a paid antivirus package.