{"slug":"mcafee-vs-avast)","title":"McAfee vs Avast","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mcafee-vs-avast)","faqCount":5,"faqs":[{"question":"Which antivirus has better malware detection?","answer":"Avast Premium Security outperforms McAfee with a 98.5% malware detection rate compared to McAfee's 97.2%, based on independent lab testing by AV-TEST Institute. This 1.3% difference means Avast catches approximately 13 additional threats per 1,000 tests, making it technically superior for pure detection accuracy."},{"question":"Is McAfee worth the extra cost?","answer":"McAfee's $50 annual premium over Avast ($99.99 vs $49.99) is justified if you need identity theft protection included in the base plan and prefer US-based customer support. However, if you add Avast's identity theft add-on ($99.99/year), the total cost becomes $149.98, making it more expensive than McAfee while sacrificing support quality."},{"question":"Which antivirus is lighter on system performance?","answer":"Avast has a dramatically lower system impact with 4.1% CPU usage and 28-minute scan times compared to McAfee's 8.2% CPU usage and 47-minute scan times. This means Avast is approximately twice as fast and uses half the processing power, making it ideal for older computers or users running resource-intensive applications."},{"question":"Does McAfee include identity theft protection?","answer":"Yes, McAfee includes identity theft protection with credit monitoring, dark web scanning, and identity restoration support in its base Total Protection plan at no extra cost. Avast requires a separate Premium Identity Theft add-on ($99.99/year) to access similar features, making McAfee substantially better value if identity protection is your priority."},{"question":"Which has better customer support?","answer":"McAfee offers 24/7 US-based customer support with live chat and phone support, with typical response times under 1 hour. Avast provides 24/7 global support but primarily through outsourced call centers with 2-4 hour average response times. McAfee is significantly better for support quality, though Avast's is adequate for most users."}],"faqPageSchema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mcafee-vs-avast)#faq","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mcafee-vs-avast)","inLanguage":"en-US","name":"McAfee vs Avast — FAQ","description":"Frequently asked questions about McAfee vs Avast","dateModified":"2026-07-07T05:30:07.270Z","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"isPartOf":{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mcafee-vs-avast)#article"},"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":["#faq",".faq-item"]},"mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Which antivirus has better malware detection?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Avast Premium Security outperforms McAfee with a 98.5% malware detection rate compared to McAfee's 97.2%, based on independent lab testing by AV-TEST Institute. This 1.3% difference means Avast catches approximately 13 additional threats per 1,000 tests, making it technically superior for pure detection accuracy.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mcafee-vs-avast)"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is McAfee worth the extra cost?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"McAfee's $50 annual premium over Avast ($99.99 vs $49.99) is justified if you need identity theft protection included in the base plan and prefer US-based customer support. However, if you add Avast's identity theft add-on ($99.99/year), the total cost becomes $149.98, making it more expensive than McAfee while sacrificing support quality.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mcafee-vs-avast)"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which antivirus is lighter on system performance?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Avast has a dramatically lower system impact with 4.1% CPU usage and 28-minute scan times compared to McAfee's 8.2% CPU usage and 47-minute scan times. This means Avast is approximately twice as fast and uses half the processing power, making it ideal for older computers or users running resource-intensive applications.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mcafee-vs-avast)"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Does McAfee include identity theft protection?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, McAfee includes identity theft protection with credit monitoring, dark web scanning, and identity restoration support in its base Total Protection plan at no extra cost. Avast requires a separate Premium Identity Theft add-on ($99.99/year) to access similar features, making McAfee substantially better value if identity protection is your priority.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mcafee-vs-avast)"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which has better customer support?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"McAfee offers 24/7 US-based customer support with live chat and phone support, with typical response times under 1 hour. Avast provides 24/7 global support but primarily through outsourced call centers with 2-4 hour average response times. McAfee is significantly better for support quality, though Avast's is adequate for most users.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mcafee-vs-avast)"}}]}}