How Much Does
McAfee Total Protection Cost in 2026?
McAfee's calling card is 'unlimited devices' starting at Premium tier ($49.99 first year). If you have 7+ devices to protect, McAfee is the cheapest per-device option. Test scores are respectable but below Bitdefender. Renewal pricing is aggressive: Ultimate at $149.99 first year becomes ~$249.99 renewal.
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
Plans & Pricing
Basic
$29.99/mo billed annually
- devices 1
- scope Antivirus + basic VPN + password manager + SafeFamily
Premium
$49.99/mo billed annually
- devices Unlimited
- scope + Unlimited devices + dark web monitoring
Advanced
$84.99/mo billed annually
- devices Unlimited
- scope + Identity monitoring + personal data cleanup + credit monitoring
Ultimate
$149.99/mo billed annually
- devices Unlimited
- scope + $2M ID theft coverage + ransomware coverage + 24/7 restoration support
From the StackScored blog
Features
Our Verdict
McAfee's pricing strategy is 'unlimited device' differentiation. Basic at $29.99 for 1 device is competitive but capped; Plus at $39.99 for 5 devices matches Bitdefender Total Security. Where McAfee wins: Premium at $49.99 first year unlocks UNLIMITED devices — families with teenagers having 3 devices each, small home offices with 10 devices, this is the cheapest unlimited device consumer AV. Advanced at $84.99 adds identity monitoring + personal data cleanup (automated requests to data brokers to remove your info) + credit monitoring. Ultimate at $149.99 adds $2M ID theft coverage + ransomware coverage + 24/7 restoration support — on paper matching Norton LifeLock Select Plus ($189.99) at lower price. The caveat: McAfee renewal prices are steepest in category. Basic $29.99 → $84.99 renewal. Plus $39.99 → $99.99. Premium $49.99 → $124.99. Advanced $84.99 → $179.99. Ultimate $149.99 → $249.99. The $249.99 renewal on Ultimate is genuinely higher than almost any consumer AV — budget accordingly. McAfee also heavily bundles with PC manufacturers — 'free McAfee' with your new Dell/HP routinely auto-renews at $100-250/year without clear notice. Test scores lag Bitdefender and Kaspersky in AV-Test evaluations but remain category-acceptable. Where McAfee wins: unlimited devices at Premium+ tier, aggressive first-year pricing, strong ID theft coverage at Ultimate. Where it loses: steepest renewal jumps in category, pre-installed bundle auto-renewals, mid-pack test scores vs Bitdefender.
Pros
- Unlimited devices from Premium ($50) up — cheapest for large households
- Personal Data Cleanup (Advanced+) automates removing your info from 40+ data brokers
- $2M ID theft coverage on Ultimate exceeds most competitors
- Cross-platform coverage (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) across all tiers
- 30-day free trial with full features
Cons
- Steepest renewal jumps in category — Ultimate $150 becomes $250
- Pre-installed 'free' McAfee with PCs often auto-renews without clear notice
- AV-Test scores lag Bitdefender and Kaspersky in detection benchmarks
- Pricing marked UNVERIFIED — mcafee.com page timed out, rates from public McAfee documentation
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Does McAfee Total Protection offer a free trial?
- Yes, McAfee Total Protection offers a free trial for 30 days. No credit card is typically required to start.