Which one should you choose, McAfee Basic or Norton 360 Standard? Let's do a side-by-side comparison to find out the differences and help you choose the right one. Let's start with a quick comparison.
Quick Overview of McAfee Basic vs Norton 360 Standard
McAfee basic comes with a single device license. It offers VPN, dark web monitoring and password manager. As compared to Norton's basic plan it is providing VPN and dark web monitoring services extra. A unique feature that it is offering is the text scam detector where using AI it detects the scam messages.
This plan includes VPN and dark web monitoring in addition to Norton antivirus plus. So if you require a simple and powerful cyber security software bundled with VPN then this is the prefect choice. It supports up to 3 devices.
What I like in McAfee Basic
- VPN included
- Dark web monitoring included
- Password Manager is included
What I like in Norton 360 Standard
- Unlimited VPN
- Dark web monitoring
- 2GB cloud space
What I dislike in McAfee Basic
Nothing listed
What I dislike in Norton 360 Standard
- Missing parental control
- No privacy monitoring
Features Comparison
Find out the detailed difference between McAfee Basic and Norton 360 Standard
Common Features
Features that are common in both software. Check out how each feature is different in both software
Antimalware
McAfee's Antimalware has multiple layer of protection to protect against all kind of common threats like ransomware, viruses, trojans, spyware etc. McAfee uses AI based malware detection.
Norton antivirus provides many scan options to detect and remove any malware like smart scan, custom scan, full scan etc. You can also schedule the scans. In terms of its effectiveness it has scored good in independent testing labs. In our in house test it blocked all the threats effectively. As per my personal long term experience it never missed any threat.
Firewall
McAfee uses Windows firewall to control inbound connections and an advanced firewall for the outbound connections. So basically it uses two firewall. I don't know it is good or bad. But it is offering a two way firewall protection.
Norton has a two way firewall for inbound and as well outbound connection monitoring. It offers intrusion detection and highly customized options to define your own rules. Settings are also easy to manage. A WiFi security is also included in it.
Web-protection
McAfee's web protection alert you about dangerous websites and avoid you to visit phishing websites. McAfee do this with a browser extension named McAfee WebAdvisor.
Norton's web protection provide security from array of threats even without using any browser extension. But for more security Norton recommend to install its Safe Web browser extension. I found two extensions one named with Safe Web and another with Safe Search. Safe search replaces the search engines and provides its own search customize search engine powered by ask.
Password-manager
McAfee's password manager help you to store, organize and autofill passwords easily. Its password manager is named as McAfee True Key. It is a browser based extension. It has the option to import passwords from other popular password managers.
You require to install the password manager as a browser extension to automatically store the passwords. It is a simple to use and powerful password manager to get rid of the password hassles.
Vpn
McAfee VPN let you encrypt your connection and make you anonymous on the internet. McAfee VPN is named as Safe Connect.
Norton's VPN comes with many security features like AES 256 bit encryption, No log policy and Kill switch. It has servers in various countries. This plan includes unlimited VPN traffic.
Extra Features in McAfee Basic
Features that are only available in McAfee Basic but not available in Norton 360 Standard
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Privacy-tools
In privacy monitoring it monitors dark web for any of your leaked private information and alert you.
Extra Features in Norton 360 Standard
Features that are only available in Norton 360 Standard but not available in McAfee Basic
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Antiransomware
Its antimalware has the capability to block the ransomware. I found this this second layer of protection a good thing that if some how any ransomware enters in to the system it can alter anything in the protected folders. We can also protect filetypes. For these protected folders and file types we can also allow only certain apps to access them.
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Cloud-backup
Cloud backup is something that not all antiviruses are providing. This 360 standard plan offers a 2GB cloud backup space. You can sync your important files and folders to keep them safe. It is a useful feature to secure you important files in case of any data loss.
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AI Scam Protection
Genie Scam Protection is an AI powered scam assistant, help you to avoid suspicious websites and texts.
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