McAfee and Kaspersky are two popular antivirus solutions that bring an equal mix of positives and negatives.

On one hand, Kaspersky’s top-tier detection and antivirus performance are shadowed by its recent ban from the United States following allegations of Russian government ties. On the other hand, McAfee’s reputation as an ad-heavy service holds it back despite offering decent scanning capabilities.

In this article, we take a look at which antivirus solution is best for you and your business.

• McAfee: Best for U.S.-based individuals and small businesses that prioritize a suite of security services in one subscription.
• Kaspersky: Best for non-U.S. users looking for a lightweight and quality antivirus solution offering top-quality threat protection and detection.

McAfee vs Kaspersky: Feature comparison

As a disclaimer, this review will compare McAfee’s and Kaspersky’s overall antivirus offerings. Given the variety in both providers’ antivirus plans, my aim is to provide a more general view of how the two vendors’ antivirus offerings stack up against each other.

SEE: 9 Best Antivirus Software for Businesses in 2024 (TechRepublic)

This involves looking at things like the detection results, additional security features and device impact of these antivirus solutions.

McAfee and Kaspersky antivirus pricing

McAfee pricing

McAfee offers five subscription options for its antivirus service, with subscriptions for both single and multiple device protection. Below is a quick rundown of pricing and feature differences for each plan:

McAfee offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for annual subscription customers. One thing I have to mention is that the above-listed pricing is McAfee’s first-year price for its antivirus plans.

SEE: CrowdStrike vs Trellix (2024): What Are the Main Differences? (TechRepublic)

There is a chance that renewal pricing will change after your first year, so take note of this whenever you budget for a McAfee subscription.

Kaspersky pricing

An important note: Given Kaspersky’s ban in the U.S. in 2024, the prices reflected below are from Kaspersky’s official website in the United Kingdom.

For its consumer antivirus solution, Kaspersky has three plans: Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Standard and Plus. I’ve listed the pricing for each antivirus tier for a single device. Each plan can be customized depending on how many devices you want.

For small and medium businesses, Kaspersky offers its Small Office Security service. Like its consumer offerings, the final price is dependent on the number of devices you need protected and whether you get a one-year or two-year plan.

• Kaspersky Small Office Security 1 year: £185 per year; 5 devices.
• Kaspersky Small Office Security 1 year: £330 per year; 10 devices.
• Kaspersky Small Office Security 2 years: £290 per year; 5 devices.
• Kaspersky Small Office Security 2 years: £530 per year; 10 devices.

Small Office Security includes business-focused features like a password manager, phishing and ransomware protection, as well as a built-in VPN.

Head-to-head comparison: McAfee vs Kaspersky

On the Kaspersky U.S. ban

Before going further, I have to talk about Kaspersky’s 2024 ban in the United States. On June 20, 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security announced the sale of Kaspersky cybersecurity products and antivirus software is prohibited starting September 29, 2024 at 12:00 AM EDT. According to the BIS, Kaspersky’s products posed national security risks to the U.S. due to Russian ties.

The U.S. government said Kaspersky exposed the U.S. and its people to possible espionage, data theft or system malfunction. This is because Kaspersky Lab, with its operations based in Russia, is subject to the Russian government’s control and jurisdiction.

With this, I just can’t recommend Kaspersky to any business or user currently residing in the United States. Not only does the ban prohibit the sale of Kaspersky products, but it also prevents any future antivirus signature or codebase updates to the product.

You can read the full BIS statement on Kaspersky.

While I’m in no position to provide geopolitical analysis of Kaspersky’s situation, I think non-U.S. users should still be aware of this development before buying any of Kaspersky’s cybersecurity offerings.

Threat detection and independent test results

While antiviruses have become feature-packed solutions, their main purpose is to scan and detect threats in your system. One way to get a baseline understanding of how these two services fare in this department is to check lab results from independent antivirus testing organizations.

SEE: Bitdefender vs McAfee: Compare EDR Software (TechRepublic)

In particular, I’ve gathered McAfee and Kaspersky ratings from AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives — two of the most respected AV testing firms in the market.

First, let’s check how both vendors scored on AV-TEST. The results below showcase scores from the AV-TEST rundown of the best home antivirus solutions tested in April 2024. As a Windows user, I looked at the results for the Windows version of both providers.

As seen above, both McAfee and Kaspersky recorded perfect scores across the board. With a 6/6 final protection rating from AV-TEST, the two antivirus services offer top-tier security performance both in detecting malware and enacting measures to protect against them.

Going to AV-Comparatives, we get similar results. In AV-Comparatives Real-World Protection Test conducted from February to May 2024, the two solutions recorded the same protection rate percentage.

With the test results shown above, it’s clear that both McAfee and Kaspersky offer high-quality malware detection and protection capabilities, no matter which provider you choose.

Impact on performance

Taking a look at how each antivirus software impacts system performance, we once again consult with AV-TEST’s findings.

Both McAfee and Kaspersky scored a perfect 6/6 for Performance this past April 2024. This means that both services had minimal influence on computer speed while the antivirus was in use or running.

SEE: Bitdefender vs Kaspersky (2024): Which Solution Is Better? (TechRepublic)

Qualitatively speaking, however, there are mixed reviews when it comes to McAfee in particular.

In a post within the antivirus Reddit community, many commenters shared how McAfee tends to “spam you with popups” and can be a “resource hog” for machines. Two people specifically called McAfee “adware” that makes it hard for users to uninstall.

On the flip side, I found one Reddit thread on Kaspersky where someone shared that the antivirus was “light weight” and less impactful on system resources.

That being said, your experience with either solution may vary depending on your particular system and other contributing factors.

Included security features

We get a handful of additional security features from both McAfee and Kaspersky. On McAfee, we get AI-powered real-time protection, identity theft monitoring and alerts, scam protection, personal data clean up, as well as an included VPN service on top.

A McAfee subscription will also net you its dedicated True Key password manager software. If you want to learn more about True Key itself, check out our full McAfee True Key review.

Meanwhile, Kaspersky has its own suite of features, including anti-phishing, safe web browsing, a two-way firewall and performance optimisation capabilities. It also has a VPN and a password management service with its paid plans.

I personally like how Kaspersky offers a fully free version of its desktop antivirus solution. This gives users a taste of the solution without the need for an initial paid subscription.

McAfee pros and cons

Pros

• High detection rate.
• Offers a variety of subscription options.
• Can purchase plans with password manager and VPN.

Cons

• Known to be resource-intensive.
• Reputation for having intrusive ads.

Kaspersky pros and cons

Pros

• Quality threat detection and performance.
• Lightweight and low impact on the system.
• Has a free version.

Cons

• Prohibited in the United States.
• Alleged Russian ties.

Should your organization use McAfee or Kaspersky?

Because of the recent United States ban on Kaspersky antivirus and other cybersecurity products, I have to give the win to McAfee. It’s not often a match-up of ours is influenced by such an impactful development — particularly with an antivirus provider as popular and effective as Kaspersky.

SEE: How to Start a Career in Cybersecurity (TechRepublic Premium)

While non-U.S. users or businesses can still purchase and use Kaspersky, there is that underlying worry that other regions may ban it soon as well. Whether or not the Russian allegations are true, businesses may not want the headache that comes with Kaspersky’s current situation. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth taking a risk security-wise and financially for a software solution that may end up being prohibited in my area.

To McAfee’s credit, it offers a solid antivirus package with strong threat detection, an extensive suite of additional security features and a wide variety of paid subscription options. It also offers a convenient money-back guarantee policy for users who are looking to try out an antivirus service with less commitment.

Methodology

My head-to-head comparison between McAfee and Kaspersky’s antivirus solutions involved a comprehensive analysis of each product’s real-world performance, value and antivirus capabilities.

In particular, I evaluated both providers’ respective antivirus features, such as threat scanning and detection, real-time malware protection, impact on overall system performance and other extra security features.

This was done through research of both products’ official documentation and by consulting lab results from respected antivirus testing organizations like AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives.

Finally, I also took into account real user feedback from community forums and reputable review sites to get a well-rounded view of each solution’s advantages and disadvantages.