McAfee logo
PrivacyDiscountHow we gradeCovered by The Promise

McAfee

30 days free · $149.99/mo after

Exit grade B: Online cancel works, but you click past a retention offer first.

Start the trial

On mcafee.com

We may earn a commission (via cj) - it doesn't change our verdict. How we get paid →

Then come back.

We'll track McAfee for you - reminders days before renewal, so deciding is always on your schedule.

Track this trial

Quick answer

The McAfee free trial runs 30 days, then bills $149.99/month for the McAfee+ Premium (Individual, unlimited devices) plan. No credit card is required to start. Cancelling is moderate - about 5 minutes. Our take: McAfee is one of the most decorated security suites you can buy, and the labs back it up: independent testers hand it near-perfect protection scores period after period, and PCMag's hands-on testing clocked 100 percent malware blocking.

Last verified: July 22, 2026

Our take

McAfee is one of the most decorated security suites you can buy, and the labs back it up: independent testers hand it near-perfect protection scores period after period, and PCMag's hands-on testing clocked 100 percent malware blocking. A single Premium subscription covers unlimited devices across Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, and bundles a VPN, scam detection, identity monitoring, a password manager, and a data-broker cleanup tool - a genuinely broad package for the money. The one thing to plan for is the calendar. Like most antivirus brands, McAfee sells a discounted first year that renews at full list price twelve months later, and that renewal is the single most common surprise in customer reviews. The good news is McAfee gives you a 60-day window to get a full refund on an auto-renewal charge, which is more forgiving than most. Track the plan here and we send a heads-up before the renewal date, so the second-year price is a decision you make on purpose rather than one that arrives on your statement.

McAfee+ Individual plans - first year vs renewal

PremiumAdvancedUltimate
First-year priceAbout $49.99About $89.99About $199.99
Renews at (per year)$149.99$199.99About $279.99
DevicesUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Antivirus, VPN, Scam Detector, data cleanupYesYesYes
Identity theft coverage and restorationNoYesYes, higher limit
Credit monitoringNoYesYes, 3-bureau
Free trial30 days30 days30 days

Prices researched 2026-07-20 for the Individual plans (Family versions cost more and cover more people). First-year figures are promotional and renew at the higher list price shown; McAfee adjusts pricing over time, so confirm the renewal figure at checkout. Feature tiers are summarized and vary by region - verify at signup.

What you get

The McAfee McAfee+ Premium (Individual, unlimited devices) plan

Included · 6

  • Award-winning antivirus with near-perfect independent lab scores, protecting unlimited devices on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS from one subscription

  • Secure VPN, Scam Detector for risky texts and links, and safe-browsing web protection built in

  • Identity monitoring that watches the dark web and known breaches for your email, accounts, and personal details

  • Personal Data Cleanup, which finds your info on data-broker sites and helps get removal requests sent

  • A password manager and a Social Privacy Manager that adjusts privacy settings across your accounts

  • A 30-day free trial of the full suite, plus a 60-day window to refund an auto-renewal charge if the renewal catches you off guard

Worth knowing

  • The intro price at renewal - the first-year discount does not carry over, and the plan renews at full list price (Premium Individual renews at $149.99 a year)

  • Identity theft coverage and restoration, plus multi-bureau credit monitoring - those live on the pricier Advanced and Ultimate tiers, not Premium

  • Some perks tied to keeping auto-renewal switched on, including the unlimited Secure VPN, so turning auto-renew off can quietly change what you get

  • A self-service refund button - refunds within either window are handled by McAfee support over chat or phone, not a one-click form

  • A price lock - McAfee adjusts list and renewal pricing over time, so confirm the current renewal figure at checkout

The honest data

By the numbers

Trial length
30 days
Price after
$149.99 / mo
Card required
No
Cancellation
Medium
Time to cancel
~5 min

Around the web

What others say about McAfee

Curated outside takes. We don't edit them, we just point at them.

At a glance

3 reviews from 3 sources

Topline: Mostly positive

2 positive1 critical

Our read across dimensions

  • Product quality
  • Value
  • Cancellation
  • Honest billing
  • Customer support
  • Reviewer

    PCMag

    PCMag McAfee+ review - strong protection across an unlimited-device suite

    Hands-on testing recorded 100 percent malware blocking and top marks for phishing protection, with reviewers praising the breadth of the identity and privacy tools bundled in.

    A professional review focused on protection and features; scores reflect PCMag's own test methodology and shift with each retest.

    Read on pcmag.com
  • Reviewer

    AV-TEST

    AV-TEST home-Windows results - repeated perfect protection scores

    McAfee earned the maximum 6 out of 6 for protection, performance, and usability across most recent test periods through early 2026, detecting essentially all zero-day and reference malware.

    An independent lab result for the Windows product; certification is per test cycle, so check the latest period for the current score.

    Read on av-test.org

Cancellation guide

How to cancel McAfee

Documented · ~5 min

  1. 01

    To stop the next charge, sign in at account.mcafee.com (or service.mcafee.com), open My Account, and select Auto-Renewal

  2. 02

    Next to the subscription you want to stop, choose Update Settings, then Turn Off Auto-Renewal or End My Membership, and confirm

  3. 03

    Your protection keeps running until the end of the paid period - turning off auto-renewal stops future billing, it does not refund the current term

  4. 04

    If a renewal already charged you, request a refund within 60 days of the charge (or 30 days for a brand-new purchase) by contacting McAfee support via chat or phone

  5. 05

    Keep the confirmation email or screen - it is your proof the auto-renewal is off, which heads off the most common billing dispute

McAfee free trial - frequently asked

Is the McAfee free trial really free?
Yes - the McAfee free trial is free for 30 days. No credit card is required to start.
How much does McAfee cost after the trial?
After the free trial, McAfee costs $149.99 per month for the McAfee+ Premium (Individual, unlimited devices) plan.
How do I cancel McAfee?
To cancel McAfee: 1. To stop the next charge, sign in at account.mcafee.com (or service.mcafee.com), open My Account, and select Auto-Renewal; 2. Next to the subscription you want to stop, choose Update Settings, then Turn Off Auto-Renewal or End My Membership, and confirm; 3. Your protection keeps running until the end of the paid period - turning off auto-renewal stops future billing, it does not refund the current term; 4. If a renewal already charged you, request a refund within 60 days of the charge (or 30 days for a brand-new purchase) by contacting McAfee support via chat or phone; 5. Keep the confirmation email or screen - it is your proof the auto-renewal is off, which heads off the most common billing dispute. It takes about 5 minutes and is rated medium to cancel.
Do I need a credit card for the McAfee trial?
No - McAfee does not require a credit card to start the free trial.

More Privacy trials

PrivacyMembership
DeleteMe logo

DeleteMe

Free

-

After

-

Kept

-

The free scan is the honest way in - run it first to see how exposed you actually are before you pay. DeleteMe does real, human-checked removals across hundreds of data-broker sites and reports back quarterly, which is work you genuinely can't do at scale yourself. Just know the money-back window is short: decide inside the first week, because after your first report a refund is only pro-rated.

PrivacyFreemium
LastPass logo

LastPass

Free

30d

After

$3.00

Kept

-

LastPass is one of the most recognizable password managers, and the trial is easy to sample: 30 days of Premium or Families with no credit card, so you can fill logins, generate strong passwords, and sync across your devices before deciding anything. Two things are worth knowing going in. First, the free tier limits you to a single device type, computers or mobile but not both, so if you want your passwords on a laptop and a phone you will land on Premium at about $3 a month on the annual plan. Second, that annual plan is prepaid and renews automatically a year later, and LastPass does not refund unused time, so the renewal date is the one to watch. There is also a security history here worth reading before you commit, and we lay it out plainly in the details below rather than bury it. If LastPass fits your setup, track it here and we send a heads-up before the annual renewal, so nothing surprises you.

PrivacyDiscount
Bitdefender logo

Bitdefender

Free

30d

After

-

Kept

-

One of the most decorated antivirus engines there is: perfect recent AV-TEST scores, AV-Comparatives top marks, and a long run as PCMag's Editors' Choice, so on protection you are not compromising. The honest watch-outs are about billing, not malware. The first-year price is a discount that renews sharply higher (Premium Security roughly doubles to about $129.99), it auto-renews by default, and the most common complaint you will find is surprise renewal charges and slow refunds, not weak protection. The good news: you can shut off auto-renew yourself in Bitdefender Central without a phone call. Start on the 30-day no-card trial if you want to try before paying, and track your renewal here so the higher second-year price never sneaks up on you.