Antivirus protection is made possible today by many software security providers. Bitdefender and McAfee are two of the most trusted names on the market, each providing antivirus software with their own unique array of features, perks, and drawbacks.
So join me in this article, where I’ll share my deep dive into the intricacies and offerings of each of these providers, so that you can get the most in the software security sphere.
- Bitdefender: Best for small to mid-sized organizations looking to leverage its customization options
- McAfee: Best for individuals or small businesses that prefer a range of security tools in one system
Featured Partners
Bitdefender vs McAfee: Comparison table
| Our rating (out of 5) —if applicable | ||
| Starting price | ||
| VPN Included | ||
| Password manager included | ||
| Supported OS | ||
| 30 day money back trial | ||
Bitdefender vs McAfee: Pricing
Bitdefender pricing
Bitdefender offers its antivirus service with plans curated for both individuals and small business use. Buyers can opt for one of five plans, each of which can be purchased through an annual, two year, or three year contract. As for devices, shoppers can choose plans that cover one, three, five, or 10 total devices. Starting prices and details for individual plans are provided below.
| Plan | Bitdefender Antivirus Plus | Bitdefender Internet Security | Bitdefender Total Security | Bitdefender Premium Security | Bitdefender Ultimate Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9.99 per year | $49.99 per year | $19.99 per year | $79.99 per year | $89.99 per year |
| Number of devices covered | Up to 3 Windows devices | Up to 3 Windows devices | Up to 5 devices (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS) | Up to 10 devices | Up to 10 devices |
| Noteworthy features | Ransomware defence, web filtering, and a password manager | Microphone and webcam protection features | Device optimization and anti-theft tools | Priority support and unlimited VPN | Credit monitoring and identity theft protection |
Customers seeking out organizational security solutions can pick from the following Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security plans. These plans can be a bit trickier to calculate a price on, as their final cost will depend on the plan you choose, your desired number of devices protected, and your desired contract length. Luckily, less mathematically-inclined shoppers can skip the hassle of calculating themselves and instead hop on over to Bitdefender’s website, where they can insert all necessary info into an online portal that will determine an estimated price for the solution.
| Plan | GravityZone Small Business Security | GravityZone Business Security | GravityZone Business Security Premium | GravityZone Business Security Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $24.49 per year for 5 devices | $81.19 per year for 5 devices | $286.99 per year for 5 devices | Custom pricing |
| Number of devices covered | Up to | Up to 3 devices | Up to 5 devices | Custom; contact sales |
| Noteworthy features | Robust phishing and ransomware attack prevention | Created with endpoint security features to safeguard small businesses | Comes with features like advanced threat defence | Provides enterprise-grade antivirus security capabilities like the sandbox analyzer |
Seem like a bit much for your budget? Well, maybe you’d feel more confident in your decision to buy Bitdefender if you’ve had the chance to take the security software for a spin. Bitdefender is currently running a promotion where shoppers can test out the security solution through a one-month free trial. And if you’re still unsure about making the purchase, you can instead utilize Bitdefender’s completely free antivirus solution for Windows. This free solution comes with enough basic security features to protect against online threats, like malware and other attacks.
McAfee pricing
Shoppers can select between five different subscription plans offered for McAfee’s antivirus software service. Each plan is priced per year of use, with the vendor’s website showing prices that reflect the “Introductory Pricing for New Customers” offer. The following prices are exclusive to new buyers throughout the first year of their plans.
| Plan | Basic | Essential | Premium | Advanced | Ultimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 per year | $39.99 per year | $49.99 per year | $89.99 per year | $199.99 per year |
| Number of devices covered | 1 | 5 | Unlimited devices | Unlimited devices | Unlimited devices |
| Noteworthy features | VPN, identity alerts and protection scoring | VPN, scam protection, password manager and protection score | Essential plan offerings plus personal data clean-up tool and social privacy manager. | Premium plan offerings plus security freeze and identity theft coverage. | Advance plan offerings plus ransomware coverage and 401(k) transaction monitoring, |
McAfee’s antivirus subscription plans include options for buyers to protect single gadgets, and for ones looking to safeguard multiple devices. For this reason, many organizations utilize these subscription services, despite the fact that they are advertised as “Individual” and “Family” plans on the vendor’s website. But “family,” “business,” tomayto, tomahto – McAfee’s offerings make it an economic antivirus protection option for companies, especially small businesses.
McAfee also offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee to annual subscription customers.
Bitdefender vs McAfee: Feature comparison
Now it’s time to buckle down for a head-to-head comparison, where I’ve chosen to analyse three key features and will consider how they differ between the two antivirus solutions.
SEE: Cybersecurity: Benefits and Best Practices (TechRepublic Premium)
Advanced threat defence tools
Winner: McAfee
Everybody knows that, when experiencing a cyberattack, time is of the essence to avoid potential data loss or privacy breaches. For this reason, real-time monitoring and threat response capabilities are paramount when selecting an antivirus solution.
McAfee has a no-nonsense approach toward threat defense. It accomplishes this by conducting real-time monitoring of program activities, enabling the program to detect and flag any suspicious activity before tragedy has the chance to strike. The solution employs many tried-and-true malware detection techniques, and a few unique perks like a protection engine to block the download of malware. McAfee’s higher-priced plans take this to a different level with their scam protection tools, so users can confidently avoid the consequences of falling for them.
Bitdefender accomplishes threat defense through its featured techniques such as behavior monitoring and heuristic analysis. With fast scanning speeds and a vast directory for detection and response, the system’s machine learning technology identifies, and blocks malware before it can impair the device system.
Independent test results and threat detection
Winner: Tie
Threat detection is the first step toward threat elimination. To compare these capabilities between the two providers, I decided to take a look at how Bitdefender and McAfee scored from AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives. For anyone unfamiliar – these are highly respected AV testing firms that many refer to when choosing an antivirus software. The following results are scores from the AV-TEST antivirus solution product evaluations that took place in January and February 2025, running on a Windows 10 Professional platform.
| Protection rating | Malware detection | Protection against 0-day malware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitdefender | 6/6 | 100% | 100% |
| McAfee | 6/6 | 100% | 100% |
Both antivirus solutions scored beautifully on the AV-TEST, with perfect results that reflect their robust capabilities when it comes to detecting and processing malware threats. The AV-Comparatives real-world protection test that took place in March 2025 also shows very similar results scored between the two products, based on their protection rate percentage.
| Protection rate | |
|---|---|
| Bitdefender | 99.97% |
| McAfee | 99.96% |
Although Bitdefender’s score beat out McAfee’s slightly, the similar results of these tests confirm for me that both Bitdefender and McAfee provide quality threat detection and prevention services.
Performance and optimization tools
Winner: Bitdefender
As for performance, each of these solutions would work well in safeguarding your sensitive data. However, they each operate uniquely – and differently – to accomplish this.
McAfee offers several tricks to help improve the performance of the device it is operating on. While it prioritizes CPU resources to apps that are in-use, it also provides capabilities for improving system speed by deleting temporary files, junk files, and cookies that could be slowing down your device.
On the other hand, Bitdefender comes out of the box as a more lightweight solution regarding CPU and RAM usage, and goes the extra mile to deliver top-tier performance. Bitdefender accounts for potential performance snafus with its Smart Profiles and performance modes that monitor system activity and adjust the solution automatically, based on its needs. These performance modes optimize your device’s output by minimizing other background processes and interruptions that could otherwise take up energy and hinder its performance.
I really enjoy this feature, as it comes with smart profiles and performance modes to optimize the solution for working, gaming, watching movies, or whatever you’re into. For example, the Battery Mode saves your device’s battery by limiting background scans and reducing effects that utilize excess power. The Work Profile mode would alternatively prioritize apps made for work productivity, while muting distracting notifications and reducing system load when the system detects that those apps are running.
All in all, Bitdefender’s unique performance tools make it a good, low-impact program for your devices.
Bitdefender pros and cons
Pros of Bitdefender
- Offers a free version on its antivirus solution.
- Efficient performance with minimal slow-downs.
- More customization and granular control options.
Cons of Bitdefender
- Some plans, like Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, are only available on Windows devices.
- Lower tier individual plans have limited VPN usage, capped at 200MB per day.
- Identity Theft Protection features are only offered through the higher-priced Ultimate Plan.
McAfee pros and cons
Pros of McAfee
- Plans provide features for password management and VPN browsing.
- High malware detection rate.
- McAfee offers unlimited VPN with most of its plans.
Cons of McAfee
- Known to feature intrusive advertisements to try to upsell to consumers.
- Running the software may be resource-intensive.
- Full system scans can cause lower-powered devices to lag.
Bitdefender vs McAfee on Reddit
While researching and testing software can give you a good feel for how you will like it, I like to visit the tech-savvy users over on Reddit for additional opinions. Here’s what some users had to say about each of these antivirus services and their experiences using them.
In Reddit community discussions comparing the features and drawbacks of the antivirus solutions, users were torn. Many appreciated the offerings of each, even citing them as some of their top antivirus software picks. However, people did not hold back on their opinions regarding McAfee and Bitfinder’s solutions, either. Some Reddit users were critical of Bitdefender for its high subscription prices, meanwhile others brought up McAfee’s drawbacks, such as its intrusive pop up advertisements.
Should your business use Bitdefender or McAfee?
Choose Bitdefender if:
- You prefer a less resource-intensive solution.
- You value a distraction-free experience when using your devices.
- You want more customization options and software configuration capabilities.
Choose McAfee if:
- You want an effective antivirus that requires little tech knowledge to operate.
- You wish to use the software across multiple devices.
- You value identity theft protection features.
Methodology
I wrote this technical review using compiled literature researched from relevant databases. The information provided within this article is gathered from vendor websites or based on an aggregate of user feedback to ensure a high-quality review.