2013 Antivirus Software Reviews

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McAfee Internet Security 2013 Overall Score: 74%

McAfee Internet Security 2013 offers the same virus protection as McAfee Antivirus plus extra security.

McAfee started out of the gate strong, and continues to offer good real-time virus protection.

But it simply has not kept pace with its competitors.

Virus scanning and removal were quite subpar in terms of effectiveness. Further, during scanning or checking for system updates, speed for other computer processes was severely compromised - the worst we've ever seen.

Technical support is good, though much too pricey to compete in today's marketplace.

Thus, while competent, we would recommend several other products over McAfee.

Certified by:

• AV Comparatives
• Anti-Malware Test Lab
• PC Security Labs
• Malware Research Group
• AV-Test
• ICSA

McAfee offers great real-time virus protection, blocking almost every threat. System speed was severely compromised, however, in the process.

Also, system scanning missed more than 25% of threats tests in our tests, and more than 50% in tests from other labs.

McAfee was also challenged in virus removal too often to be acceptable.
Perhaps McAfee's biggest weakness is here.

During real-time usage, McAfee often CPU spiked to above 50%, rendering most any other computer program unusable.

Manual scans were better, averaging just under 40% CPU.
We found McAfee's interface poorly designed and difficult to navigate.

The interface launches in a small, constricted box.

You are able to stretch it to fit your screen, but we were puzzled why this was not the default.

We were also a little lost in the vertical, expanding sections that often required scrolling to reveal all options. We'd prefer standard left or top navigation.

Further, clicking a link in an option list opens another window, disorienting the user and confusing the process.
McAfee offers both free and paid technical support.

McAfee's free support comes in the form of forums, FAQ pages, video tutorials, chat and email. We found all to be comprehensive and helpful. There is also an optional software download — "McAfee Virtual Technician" that will scan your system and make recommendations on problems.

If none of this works, McAfee offers premium support for a fee for $89.95.

We find this fee pretty high, especially when compared to the excellent free support now offered by Avira and VIPRE.

Definition updates are set to automatically download and install. There is an option for notification before install.

There is also a record of date and time of all virus updates and an estimate of the next scheduled update, however, there is no option for manually setting the frequency of update checks. When we checked, the next update was scheduled four hours later — too long of an interval in today's world of swift virus activity.
McAfee offers several useful extra features.

Parental controls set restrictions on website usage based on type of sites or specific addresses and by time of day. It's password protected. We find this feature only adequate and recommend other products available in the marketplace over this feature.

Vulnerability Scanner installs critical updates for Windows and other browsers and applications, addressing any security holes you may have had.

Home Screen offers a new home screen for navigating common security tasks and includes touch-friendly devices.

PC Tune-up maximizes PC efficiency by deleting unused applications, cached browser files, and other junk.

McAfee has had its time in the sun, but has noticeably slipped.

Real-time virus protection is good and on par with their competition. However, virus scanning and removal was inefficient and, too often, ineffective.

Resource usage was simply too high, often rendering our PCs unusable.

We found their user interface cumbersome and confusing.

We simply cannot recommend this product this year in the face of so many other effective and cheaper products out there.