McAfee+ Ultimate offers a comprehensive suite of online security features, including antivirus protection, a VPN, identity theft protection, and more. While it provides strong protection against various threats, some aspects of its functionality and user experience could benefit from further refinement.
What’s Included in McAfee+ Ultimate?
McAfee+ Ultimate bundles an impressive array of online security tools. Beyond the standard antivirus, firewall, and link screening, you also get a password manager, VPN, web link screening, dark web identity monitoring, tracker removal, and parental controls for family plans. Additional features include Social Privacy Manager for social media privacy settings, Scam Protection powered by AI, Online Account Cleanup for removing unused accounts, Personal Data Cleanup for managing data broker listings, and live assistance for setting up privacy and identity protections.
Furthermore, McAfee+ Ultimate offers financial protections. It monitors bank and credit card transactions, investment and loan accounts, potential bank takeovers, payday loans taken in your name, and your credit reports and score. It also provides a centralized interface for locking your credit and freezing access to credit, banking, and utility accounts. McAfee offers identity theft restoration assistance with up to $2 million in coverage for losses and restoration efforts, as well as $25,000 in ransomware coverage. It even assists with replacing lost or stolen identification, credit, and debit cards. Family plans extend these benefits to up to six users, with separate coverage for each adult account.
A comprehensive list of McAfee+ Ultimate’s online protections.
McAfee+ Ultimate Pricing and Availability
McAfee+ Ultimate is available exclusively through the McAfee website. An individual plan costs $200 for the first year and $280 per year thereafter. A family plan is $250 for the first year and $425 annually after that. All plans cover an unlimited number of devices and are compatible with Windows, Windows for Arm, macOS, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android, although not all features are available across all platforms. A 30-day money-back guarantee is included, but be aware of the automatic renewal policy, which charges 30 days before the subscription expires.
Key Features and User Experience
Installation and Interface
Despite a clean and modern aesthetic, the McAfee app’s interface can feel disorganized. Key features are accessible via a slide-out menu in the left navigation bar, while premium features like financial transaction and credit monitoring require logging into the McAfee Protection Center portal. This fragmented approach can be cumbersome, as remembering the location of each feature takes time. The apps and websites also exhibit occasional inconsistencies, requiring refreshes or workarounds.
The main menu for accessing McAfee+ Ultimate’s features.
Security and Protection
McAfee+ Ultimate excels in antivirus protection, scoring high marks in independent tests. Real-time protection constantly monitors files and applications. Web protection is handled by the McAfee WebAdvisor browser extension, which scans links and content, but lacks Bing support. Scheduled and manual scans offer Quick and Full options. The Advanced Firewall feature complements Windows Firewall, focusing on outgoing connections. Scam Protection, an AI-powered tool, screens text messages for risky links.
VPN and Password Manager
McAfee’s VPN is accessible through the McAfee app or the separate McAfee Safe Connect app. It offers servers in 47 countries. However, the Safe Connect app has exhibited some bugs, including connection and upgrade notification issues. The True Key password manager is basic, lacking robust two-factor authentication and suffering from login verification problems. Its limited accessibility through browser extensions and mobile apps further restricts its usability.
The McAfee Protection Center website.
Additional Features and Performance
McAfee+ Ultimate includes parental controls via the Safe Family software, identity and financial protection features, a file shredder, online account cleanup, and a Social Privacy Manager browser extension. While these features offer valuable functionality, their effectiveness varies. Performance-wise, McAfee can impact system resources during scans, particularly on mid-range PCs. While background performance is generally unaffected, heavy scans can noticeably slow down certain tasks. Additionally, some users have reported encountering a persistent Windows error notification related to the McAfee software.
McAfee WebAdvisor browser extension displays safety ratings.
Conclusion
McAfee+ Ultimate offers a comprehensive security solution with a wide range of features. However, its fragmented interface, occasional bugs, and performance impact detract from the overall experience. While it provides strong antivirus protection and a robust suite of tools, some aspects require improvement to justify its premium price. Improvements in user experience and consistency across its features would make McAfee+ Ultimate a more compelling option.
Editor’s note: This review may be updated to reflect changes and improvements to the service.
