App installation is a lot faster than the Windows installation process, but once you’re at the end of both, you’ll need to create an account with a username and password to start the free McAfee trial, which isn’t the case with other antivirus services. The Windows experience is as simple as clicking through the installation wizard, which downloads additional data for the installer. We tested McAfee across Windows software and Android app. Note that the parental controls, McAfee Safe Family, is a separate download with its own 30-day trial. Head to the McAfee trial site to download a 30-day trial, or download the app from Google Play or the App Store, which includes everything in the premium versions. Initially, you don’t have to worry too much about the different McAfee options because you can (and should) start with a no-obligation trial. McAfee lets you pay via VISA, Mastercard, American Express, bank transfer or PayPal and prices are in Australian dollars. These sorts of price leaps are standard across antivirus software, but McAfee only beats out the competition for ongoing pricing with one category, and only by one cent (three devices on the McAfee Standard plan).

Those price hikes range from $35 for Basic and up to $100 for Premium, which is a big difference between pricing for the first year and subsequent years. Note these are first-year prices, which automatically renew at $99.95 (Basic), $119.95 (Standard), $149.95 (Plus), and $194.95 (Premium) annual fees thereafter.

The antivirus options are Standard ($74.95 for the first year) for three devices, Plus for five devices ($84.95) and Premium for 10 devices ($94.95), but there’s also a Basic single-device plan for $64.95 a year. The pricing options for McAfee are confusing at first glance, not helped by the reality that the official site bundles the options under the Total Protection banner (which, at first glance, looks like another plan).

Is mcafee antivirus free