McAfee vs. Norton 360 Antivirus 2024: Two OG Antiviruses Go Head-to-Head

McAfee and Norton are two quality products highly rated by independent third-party reviewers, but Norton slightly edges out McAfee. Each has a user-friendly interface and anti-malware protection. 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. 

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. 

So your choice comes down to your needs — let’s dig in and help you decide.

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?

Star rating	4.8 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.8 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Starting price	Starts at $39.99/first 2 yrs	Starts at $29.99/first yr
Max number of protected devices	Unlimited devices	Up to 10 devices
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled	Manual and scheduled
Real-time protection
Phishing protection
Ransomware protection
24/7 customer support
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and more	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and more
Learn more	Get McAfee Read Our McAfee Review	Get Norton Read Our Norton Review

McAfee pros and cons

McAfee is a little more expensive, but when you go up to the middle pricing tier, you’ll receive unlimited device coverage. McAfee has wide browser compatibility, including Safari. It also includes bonuses like a password manager and a virtual private network (VPN).

Norton pros and cons

Norton has a lower starting price with more devices covered. Norton includes webcam coverage and a file shredder, too. Norton also has staple bonuses like a password manager and a VPN.

McAfee vs. Norton: prices

		Our Pick
Price range	$29.99–$249.99/yr	$29.99–$99.99/first yr
Best value plan	McAfee+ Premium plan for $49.99/first yr	Norton 360 Deluxe for $49.99/first yr
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
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

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

		Our Pick
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.

FAQs

McAfee vs. Norton: which is better?

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