Both McAfee and Trend Micro are robust antivirus suites that can keep you protected in 2024.
However, they have unique differences you need to know about. For example, Trend Micro includes a privacy scanner, but McAfee doesn’t. That said, Trend Micro’s parental controls are quite basic, but McAfee has some of the best parental controls of any antivirus program I’ve tested.
Today, I’m going to highlight the differences between the two antiviruses so you can choose the right one for your needs.
Short on Time? McAfee vs. Trend Micro — Final Verdict:
- 1st place:
- 2nd place:
McAfee has better malware protection, web protection, and parental controls. If you want a comprehensive antivirus program with excellent web protection, go with McAfee.
Trend Micro is cheaper and easier to use. If you’re on a budget, go with Trend Micro.
Malware Protection
McAfee
McAfee’s malware scanner uses a massive malware database and heuristic analysis to protect you from malware threats, including trojans, rootkits, cryptojackers, worms, and more.
I downloaded over 1,000 malware samples and hid them on my Windows 11 PC. I also ensured I had malware samples running in my computer’s memory. I then ran McAfee’s full malware scan — and I was quite impressed with the results. It took an hour to complete and found every malware sample.
Next, I tested McAfee’s real-time protection. I tried downloading the same malware samples with the real-time protection enabled, and McAfee blocked every download before it could save on my computer. This included samples that the default protections on Chrome and Firefox let me download.
Trend Micro
Trend Micro’s malware scanner works a little bit differently from McAfee’s. It uses signature-based scanning and machine learning to protect you from known malware and zero-day threats.
Trend Micro’s malware detection isn’t quite as good as McAfee’s. I downloaded the same 1,000 malware samples and hid them on my PC to test Trend Micro. I then ran the full system scan. Trend Micro took 40 minutes to complete, which is a little bit faster than McAfee. However, it only found 97% of the 1,000 samples, while McAfee found all of them.
That said, I’m impressed by Trend Micro’s real-time protection. It managed to block every malicious download and even stopped the exploit attacks I simulated against my computer.
Web Security
McAfee
McAfee’s web security (WebAdvisor) blocks dangerous phishing websites and browser-based cryptojackers and protects you from exploit attacks. It works on all major web browsers, including Chromium-based browsers and Firefox.
I tested WebAdvisor by visiting hundreds of known phishing websites, and McAfee managed to block every single site — including websites that Chrome and Firefox’s built-in protections let me visit.
I also really like WebAdvisor’s exploit protection. I ran a few simulated exploit attacks against my Windows PC, and McAfee was able to block every simulated attack. It also gave ratings for links on both Google and social media channels, which is pretty cool. I highlighted a link I wasn’t sure about on Facebook, and McAfee told me it was safe to click on.
Trend Micro
Trend Micro’s web protection also blocks access to dangerous websites. However, it doesn’t stop exploit attacks or browser-based cryptojackers.
I visited the same phishing websites I tried to visit using McAfee. While Trend Micro blocked more dangerous websites than Chrome and Firefox’s built-in protections, it let me visit websites that McAfee’s web protection blocked.
That said, Trend Micro makes it super easy to whitelist sites. If you’re an advanced user and get a false positive, you can permanently add an exception with one click. McAfee has a button that lets you temporarily bypass the web protection with one click, but to add a permanent exception, you need to navigate into McAfee’s settings.
Features
McAfee
McAfee’s top-tier plan covers an unlimited number of devices and comes with a lot of features, including:
- Malware scanner.
- Real-time protection.
- Secure firewall.
- Wi-Fi network scanner.
- Web protection.
- Password manager.
- VPN (virtual private network).
- Parental controls.
- Computer optimizer.
- Identity theft protection.
- And more…
I really like McAfee’s Identity Monitoring tools. The service is available for customers in 30+ countries and is included in all of McAfee’s plans. In addition to scanning through known data breaches, it trawls the dark web to see if any of your information is being sold online. I think it’s great how extensive it is. Rather than just scanning for leaked emails or passwords, it will alert you if your credit card numbers, passport numbers, and more have been leaked.
McAfee’s VPN is also really good. It’s easy to use, fast, and has over 1,900 servers across 41 countries. When I was connected to the VPN servers, I didn’t experience any slowdowns.
Trend Micro
Trend Micro’s most premium plan covers 10 devices and comes with the following features:
- Malware scanner.
- Real-time protection.
- Anti-phishing protection.
- Secure web browser.
- Anti-theft protection.
- VPN.
- Password manager.
- Dark web protection.
- PC optimization tool.
- Identity theft protection.
- Parental controls.
One of my favorite features is the anti-theft protection. It works well and contains various features to protect your device. If you install the anti-theft feature on your mobile, you can remotely lock your device, locate your device with pinpoint accuracy, sound an alarm, or even wipe data from your computer.
Ease of Use
McAfee
McAfee only takes a few minutes to download and install. Its user interface is intuitive and lets you quickly access any feature with a few clicks. For example, on the home screen, you simply click Antivirus, then Run a scan to start a full system scan. It’s also really easy to schedule scans.
However, some of McAfee’s features are only accessible from the web app — for instance, the parental controls. This is annoying because McAfee doesn’t make this abundantly clear, so beginner users might struggle to find them or even realize they’re included with their subscription. Also, if your internet connection drops for whatever reason, you’ll be unable to access these features.
That said, McAfee’s mobile apps work well. They’re intuitive and didn’t slow down my phone when I tested them. Many of McAfee’s features are accessible from large on-screen buttons, and the rest are in an easy-to-access sidebar. It was nice not having to go between the desktop and web apps as you have to on the PC version of McAfee.
Trend Micro
Trend Micro is super easy to navigate. Each feature is categorized into 4 different sections you can access in one click, and unlike with McAfee, everything is localized in one app.
Each of Trend Micro’s features is clearly explained, and I never struggled to know what I was doing. For example, when I opened Trend Micro’s secure browser, all I had to do was enter websites I wanted to automatically open in the secure browser into a text field and then click OK.
Trend Micro’s mobile app is quite intuitive, too. Each feature is accessible through a large button, and at the top of the screen, there’s a big Scan button that you can simply tap to initiate a full malware scan of your device.
Customer Support
McAfee
McAfee offers various customer support options, including an online knowledge base, live chat, 24/7 phone support, and an online community forum. I’m quite impressed with this wide range of options, most of which work really well.
McAfee’s knowledge base is somewhat lacking, with a lot of content that seems outdated and instructions that don’t relate to the latest version of the product. This meant I had to consult the community forum instead for current answers to my queries.
I truly appreciated the round-the-clock live chat and phone assistance. I never encountered any problems contacting an agent at any hour of the day and every representative I interacted with was friendly and well-informed. I consistently received comprehensive responses to my inquiries, even when they were somewhat more technical.
McAfee only took 6 hours to respond to my emails, which is pretty good. I tested some antiviruses that take longer than 24 hours to respond. Each time I emailed McAfee’s support team, they were helpful, friendly, and able to answer all my questions.
Although McAfee’s forum is a great resource with an active community, it’s currently down as part of a relaunch process.
Trend Micro
Trend Micro offers phone, live chat, email, and forum support. Ultimately, each option worked well — but I thought McAfee was better.
Trend Micro’s phone support isn’t as extensive as McAfee’s (which is available worldwide and 24/7), but it was usually quick to connect with a representative. As with McAfee, the reps were always courteous, clear, and thorough in their responses.
However, I’m not too impressed with Trend Micro’s live chat. While the support agents were eventually helpful, they needed a lot of information from me before answering basic questions — and this information wasn’t always relevant to my inquiry. McAfee was helpful on live chat without asking me any unnecessary questions.
