McAfee vs Webroot: Which is best?

McAfee vs Webroot

McAfee and Webroot are top antivirus software products, but which one is the best choice?

There are a number of things to take into consideration when choosing the best software for you and your devices. This guide will look at the most important factors to consider before you buy and give you all the information you need to make a well-informed choice.

Starting with malware protection, I will provide the results of my own tests and cross-analyze this data with studies from leading antivirus websites and experts. I will also consider additional features, as well as performance and pricing.

Don’t have time to read the full article?

If you’re short on time, here is the quick answer: McAfee is the winner. With a wide range of plans and price points, and an abundance of features to protect your privacy, McAfee is the best value for money, especially with the promotional 50% discount. Are you looking for a little more? Keep reading for an in-depth comparison of McAfee and Webroot and what each can offer.

Summary: McAfee vs Webroot

McAfee

Multi-faceted privacy protection
Comprehensive security
McAfee Shredder

Webroot Complete

Anti-phishing
Password manager
Identity theft protection

Feature	McAfee Total Protection	Webroot Antivirus
Antivirus and antispyware
Firewall
Webcam protection
Password manager
Anti-phishing
Ransomware protection
Banking and payment protection
Parental control
Network attack protection
Encrypted storage
Automatically update apps
VPN
PC cloud backup		(25GB)
File shredder
Performance optimization
Identity theft protection	(Included when you are enrolled in auto renewal)
Run suspicious apps in sandbox

Background

McAfee

McAfee was established in the US in 1987. In 2011 it was purchased by Intel. For the last 30 years, it has grown exponentially to a global entity of 7,000 employees based in 189 countries. It is one of the largest providers of antivirus software in the world. The company protects an estimated 525 million consumer devices. McAfee became a major player by creating a plethora of products designed to fight cybercrime.

Webroot

Founded in 1997, Webroot provides antivirus protection for both businesses and consumers around the globe. Webroot and its parent company, Carbonite, were acquired by OpenText in 2019. Canadian company OpenText develops and sells enterprise information management software, and in 2014 it was Canada’s largest software company and one of the country’s top 100 employers.

Pricing and compatibility

Having a paid antivirus software plan in place reduces your risk online. Free, limited versions lack appropriate protection of your digital information. Though it’s appealing to use no-cost software, these typically leave you more vulnerable to cybercrime than their paid counterparts. To protect your privacy and identity online, it’s better to pay for antivirus software.

First, consider the cost of McAfee and Webroot. Choosing affordable and effective software is important, as it can make subsequent renewals much easier. The prices and packages available are outlined in the table below.

McAfee Total Protection - 1 Device	McAfee Total Protection - 5 Devices	McAfee Total Protection - 10 Devices	McAfee Total Protection Plus VPN - 5 Devices	McAfee LiveSafe - Unlimited Devices
$79.99 per year	$99.99 per year	$99.99 pear year	$99.99 per year	$99.99 per year

Webroot Antivirus	Webroot Internet Security Plus	Webroot Internet Security Complete
$39.99 per year	$59.99 per year	$79.99 per year

McAfee offers a much wider range of options than Webroot with a variety of plans designed for households with multiple devices. Its multi-device plans make McAfee better suited to modern-day living as most people have more than one device.

McAfee’s packages allow you more flexibility as you can choose how many devices you want to cover. Webroot, on the other hand, only offers three products. While the simplicity of its packaging structure requires slightly less comparison, there is a smaller chance of finding a product fully aligned to your needs. However, at $39.99 per year, Webroot’s basic plan is less than half the price of McAfee’s Total Protection for either one or five devices.

Not only is Webroot’s basic package half the price of McAfee’s more basic options, but its mid-level package is also substantially cheaper and offers protection for five devices for $59.99 per year. Arguably, McAfee’s LiveSafe package is the best value at $99.99 per year. At just $20 more, LiveSafe offers better coverage for an unlimited number of devices.

TIP: McAfee frequently runs discounts of up to 50%, making it great value for money at the promotional rate.

If you’re unsatisfied, McAfee offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can claim your money back from Webroot within 70 days.

Compatibility is also important when considering which software to invest in. Both McAfee and Webroot work with Windows, Android, and MacOS.

Effectiveness against malware

Paying for antivirus software is more likely to provide you with greater protection against online threats and cybercrime. Most importantly, you need to ensure your antivirus software can deal with these threats effectively.

I ran some tests to determine which software performed better in response to malware. My first test involved downloading test malware samples from the European Institute of Computer Antivirus Research (EICAR). The second used live samples of malware to see how the antivirus software works in real-time.

Test File	EICAR Sample 1	EICAR Sample 2	EICAR Sample 3	EICAR Sample 4	Live Sample 1 (Adware)	Live Sample 2 (Trojan)	Live Sample 3 (Trojan)
McAfee	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked
Webroot	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked

Webroot allowed all EICAR samples, but blocked and removed the live samples.

Is McAfee more effective than Webroot? In short, yes. McAfee blocked all samples, whereas Webroot didn’t block any of the test files. This means it’s hard to tell how Webroot would react in real situations that EICAR files simulate.

While you can see McAfee is more effective at blocking and removing malware threats than Webroot in my own tests, let’s look at further evidence from independent lab AV-Test.

According to AV-Test’s experiments, McAfee is effective at protecting devices against zero-day malware attacks, including web and email threats. These studies were conducted over September and October 2021 and gave McAfee a perfect score of 100 percent. Webroot was not tested by AV-Test.

Moving on to AV-Comparatives’ real-world protection test summary for July to October 2021, McAfee scored 99.8 percent, placing it among the top-performing antivirus software products in the test. The small percentage McAfee didn’t detect as malicious resulted in McAfee giving the user a prompt to block or allow the file. AV-Comparatives didn’t test Webroot.

While comparing antivirus products, it’s important to consider false alarms. These can give insight into how accurately antivirus software identifies threats from files or apps. McAfee flagged two false alarms, below the average of seven and putting it close to the top of the results. Webroot wasn’t included in this test either.

Due to the lack of data for Webroot on any third-party testing website, and the fact that Webroot does not detect EICAR files, I have to conclude that McAfee is the winner as it performed exceptionally well in all tests.

Impact on PC Performance

Antivirus software can have a big impact on how your PC functions, either as you use it for simple tasks or while a scan is taking place. I tested how my PC performance was affected while I ran a scan.

Test Type	Full Scan Time (minutes)	Full Scan Items Scanned	Quick Scan CPU Utilization %	Quick Scan Memory Utilization %	Quick Scan Disk Utilization (MB/s)	Quick Scan Time (seconds)
McAfee	223	785000	39	77	912	633
Webroot	72	11938	31	78	97	1

As you can see from the table above, McAfee’s scan took over twice the time of Webroot’s. McAfee did scan over 70 times the items Webroot managed to check and therefore delivers a more in-depth result. While McAfee’s quick scan took far longer than Webroot’s, it does give a more thorough picture of what is on my device.

The data below indicates how each antivirus software impacts PC performance when no scan was running and when a scan was active.

Test Type	Control CPU Utilization % (no scan)	Control Memory Utilization % (no scan)	Control Disk Utilization (MB/s) (no scan)	Full Scan CPU Utilization %	Full Scan Memory Utilization %	Full Scan Disk Utilization (MB/s)
McAfee	12	10	66	100	75	253
Webroot	25	67	10	95	63	721

Both services have a relatively low impact on PC performance while no scan was being performed. McAfee’s 12 percent CPU utilization is less than half of Webroot’s. However, it’s disk utilization is six times higher at 66MB/s compared to Webroot’s 10MB/s.

These tests indicate that Webroot has a lighter impact than McAfee on a PC’s performance. While Webroot might have less impact on a day-to-day basis, McAfee is more effective at protecting your device from threats because its scans go much deeper.

Looking at results from AV-Comparatives’ performance tests in October 2021 reveals yet more data. This gives a more accurate picture of how McAfee and Webroot impact PC performance. The test looks at eight common tasks:

Downloading files
Browsing websites
File copying: first and subsequent run
Installing and uninstalling applications
Archiving and unarchiving
Launching applications: first and subsequent run

McAfee scored very fast in all common tasks apart from installing applications, where it scored a fast rating. Webroot again was not tested by AV-Comparatives.

Features

The additional features of an antivirus scanner are just as important as the scanner itself. These features provide you with the best protection for your devices. Below are some of the standout features of McAfee and Webroot, which should clarify which system is the best value for money and offers better protection.

McAfee Total Protection

Password Manager: Securely store all of your online passwords in one place and ensure all of your personal and private information is protected.

McAfee Shredder: This handy shredder is pretty unique to McAfee as many competitors lack this feature. The McAfee shredder enables you to delete files and ensures no traces are left behind.

Encrypted Storage: Encrypted storage allows you to securely store your most private files. McAfee stores them on your PC using 256-bit AES encryption.

Webroot Complete

Lightning-fast scans: Webroot scans your device within 20 seconds, which is much faster than many of its competitors.

LastPass: Protect your passwords and personal information with the LastPass password manager.

25GB of secure online storage: Safely store your important files and photos with Webroot’s secure online storage.

McAfee and Webroot boast similar features that would be useful day to day. McAfee’s offerings are superior with its data shredder and encryption features being more useful for the average user.

See also: Best password managers

Signup and installation

If you’re new to installing antivirus software, there’s no need to worry as the signup processes for both Webroot and McAfee are straightforward.

Webroot’s one-page layout allows users to input payment and customer information in one place. It also allows you to choose how many devices are covered by your plan. A software CD is included at an additional cost. Nowadays most people don’t require a CD, so if this is the case for you, make sure you remove this before proceeding to payment.

McAfee will take you to a separate page when you choose your package, but it outlines any savings you make and shows the price of your product before you pay. It also provides you with a 30-day notice before auto-renewal, so you don’t accidentally pay your annual subscription fee when it’s not required.

How easy is the interface to use?

Any program you install should be easy to use. From the images below, it is clear each interface is simple and straightforward.

McAfee maintains its recognizable branding with the red and grey color scheme. It also shows you how many apps and files it’s protecting, so you can see how effectively it’s working. The left-hand panel shows you what is enabled, giving you a clear indication of the level of protection you are receiving. It’s very easy to read and understand, making it especially suitable for beginners.

Webroot’s interface is relatively easy to use with its simple navigation structure. The design is a little lacking, but it does the job. You’ll find easy access to your identity protection, backups, and passwords in the right-hand panel of the interface. You can also stay up to date with the Webroot community by clicking on the bottom panel.

Customer support

If you’re new to dealing with antivirus software, you may not be familiar with how to solve any problems you may encounter. Therefore, it’s important to choose a service that provides solid customer support.

McAfee offers 24/7 support via web chat and phone, meaning you can get the help you need whatever the time of day. The company also provides a knowledge base, forum, and support hub, as well as additional advice on social media. McAfee also guarantees your system remains malware-free by providing technicians who can connect to your devices remotely to fix infections. This is a feature many of its competitors do not offer.

Unfortunately, Webroot only provides support over the phone during business hours, which may be a problem if you encounter an issue at another time. They do also provide an online support section, and if you’re really stuck, you can ask Webroot’s online user community.

Antivirus testing: Methodology

Many consumers find it hard to pick an antivirus and there really is no wonder. There are many different products to pick from, and it can be hard to know which is the best option. To help consumers with making their choice, we have devised a scientific antivirus testing methodology.

Our method uses in-house testing and analysis to ascertain how easy an AV tool is to use, and how trustworthy the antivirus company is. To this end, we check the apps, and we look at the company’s privacy policies to see how it treats user data. Our testing method also aims to identify:

The impact of running quick and full scans on system resources
The amount of time it takes to run full and quick scans
The effectiveness of the AV app’s real-time scanning and online threat prevention tools
The effectiveness of the software’s scanning tool and its ability to detect and remove malware

Our process provides detailed information about what users can expect to get from each antivirus, and its ability to detect, prevent, and remove infections. To ensure the best and most unbiased results possible, we leverage data from four of the world’s leading antivirus testing laboratories:

These trusted, third-party auditors provide up-to-date results for each of the world’s leading antivirus programs. Through careful analysis of these results, we aim to back up our own research and findings to provide a completely unbiased account of an antivirus’ ability to protect a variety of different devices and operating systems.

Conclusion

Now that I have looked at all the features, advantages, and disadvantages of McAfee and Webroot, it’s clear to me that McAfee is the superior antivirus provider. McAfee’s system is designed to keep your devices safe while being easy to use. The company provides a robust customer support system and its interface is straightforward and designed for beginners. McAfee has a wide variety of packages making it easy to choose one specifically suited to your needs.

See also:

L’article McAfee vs Webroot: Which is best? est apparu en premier sur Comparitech.