McAfee Vs Trend Micro: Who wins this All-inclusive Antivirus Battle?

Do you crave for the out-of-this-world features and quality protection in an antivirus software? Should your ultimate choice be McAfee or Trend Micro based on the features and the ability to carry into action? Check out our Trend Micro Maximum Security review, to boot.

Well, that’s what this editorial is all about – a wide-ranging comparison on “McAfee Vs Trend Micro” antiviruses in 2020 so you could make an informed decision. To see how Mcafee compares against other options check out these articles:

As mentioned earlier, this is a thorough guide designed to help both beginners and experienced users. We’ve included the independent tests results of the evaluations conducted by AV-test and AV-comparatives – two IT-security giants that assess the quality of products and services related to the information technology (IT), such as antivirus software.

In this digital era, people are tired of getting infected by the viruses and this isn’t the end – it’s just the beginning. The total number of overall cyberattacks is skyrocketing and billions of people are becoming the victims of cyberattacks. While sometimes it’s our own mistakes that lead to the penetration, there are times that you have no control over the digital threats detection. And, since you’re unable to detect them, you cannot get rid of them.

That’s where the need for an antivirus software comes in. But you cannot just rely on freeware (freemium) software for it comes with limited functionality and, therefore, cannot protect your system as exceptionally as it needs it. To make 100 sure that you get never-seen-before protection from malware, you will need to pay for a premium (paid) antivirus. You may not have any knowledge of why malware is dangerous or what harm it can do to your information or the system you’re using.

Choosing the best-fit antivirus requires detailed knowledge, however, in light of this, our highly skilled professionals have already done the research for you. It’s no surprise that we’ve reviewed and rated more than fifty antivirus suites and helped thousands of users find their perfect-fit antivirus based on their needs, for the sake of this article, we will be comparing McAfee and Trend Micro in terms of their features, performance, usability, user-friendliness, customer satisfaction and a lot more.

McAfee Vs Trend Micro: A Brief Antivirus Comparison

Now, let’s get our head around the minutiae brought to the table by both of the software – McAfee and Trend Micro. This is just a short comparison designed especially for those who are pressed for time (i.e. those who are in a hurry but want to know who won the battle without further adieu).

1. Features

Having compared the features or functionality of both Trend Micro and McAfee, we come to the conclusion that McAfee brings more security-related and unmatched features to the table comparatively. For example, McAfee, which we covered in detail in our review, has a great email and download scanning feature that is less annoying but effective than many other solutions, Trend Micro included.

2. Malware Protection

It’s not worth paying for an antivirus if it doesn’t come with the suite full of protection against different digital threats or attacks like malware, spyware, ransomware, and others. McAfee has had decades of experience, and they use that experience to ensure you are protected against vulnerabilities. Is it perfect? No, no anti-virus is, but it’s better than Trend Micro which can let Trojan Horse Viruses slip through as we concluded in our Trend Micro review.

3. System Performance

The performance of your system, while the antivirus is running (in background or foreground), should be as fast as it could get. If it’s not so, then perhaps, you’re at the wrong place – i.e. you need to choose another software.

Again, in terms of excellent performance, McAfee outshone Trend Micro. It requires low usage so you can work on other processes while running McAfee. If you’re on a laptop and aren’t plugged in it will also require less battery power.

4.User-friendliness

If you believe in understanding everything presented in an antivirus (from the perspective of user’s handiness), you’d definitely choose a software that provides you with user-friendliness – i.e. it presents a simple yet effective layout, clearly-defined menu or navigation, and minimalistic design.

Both are great in this area and are relatively easy to use. It’s hard to determine a winner so we’ll give them a tie;

5. Cost

Which antivirus is less expensive? While features play a prominent role in an antivirus, you don’t want to purchase antivirus software that breaks the bank, do you? McAfee is quite affordable and is a few bucks cheaper than Trend Micro. It especially becomes worth it if you get higher end packages for multiple devices.

6. Popularity

If the software is more popular than the one in comparison, it simply means that it has gained the attention of more and more people around the world. In other words, you could say a popular software offers better customer satisfaction and more support.

It’s no surprise that McAfee won 5 out of the 6 of the rounds laid out above, and the one it didn’t win was a TIE. It is one step ahead of its competitors in this battle i.e. Trend Micro.

We’re not saying that Trend Micro is a bad or worst software ever built – in fact, Trend Micro is still a solid choice. However, we feel that McAfee is a better choice as far as this comparison is concerned.

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McAfee versus Trend Micro: A Thorough Antivirus Battle

Up to now, we have only considered the brief comparison, now is the perfect moment to give a detailed comparison a shot. For that, we will be going over the features and other major aspects.

What comes packed in McAfee Antivirus Packages?

Before you purchase the license of any software, being fully familiar with its features would be wise. Like the rest of the antivirus companies, McAfee also offers a free trial for those who don’t have the acquaintance of the software so that they can make an informed decision.

McAfee’s Total Protection:

This suite brings next-level protection to the table as it is the most popular suite offered by McAfee. It is reasonably priced and covers all of your needs for the ultimate protection of your data and the devices it lives in. This package is sub-divided into 3 plans – “Individual”, “Multi-device”, and “Household”.

The best value suite is “Household” as, with it, you can protect up to 10 devices simultaneously (billed yearly) and is great for families. 

McAfee’s LiveSafe:

This is another level up or a full-fledged suite that offers the protection for unlimited devices and can be run on any operating system – iOS, Windows, Android, and macOS.

Browse the Internet with no fear at all – no more getting into the traps spread by hackers or spammers – no more phishing, malware, or malicious issues. LiveSafe also makes identity theft protection possible for you.

Unlike many antivirus software, McAfee will put a minimal impact on your system which would increase the efficiency of the system and productivity will skyrocket like never before.

The “Password Manager” will store all of your passwords and usernames in a safe vault so that you don’t forget them (or enter them again and again while logging into the websites).

What comes packed in Trend Micro Antivirus Suites?

To have a fair and crystal-clear comparison battle, we will need to look into the suites of both software and, since we’ve already considered McAfee, it’s time to pay heed to what Trend Micro has to offer.

This isn’t the first time we are reviewing Trend Micro – we’ve already compared Trend Micro with BitDefender and guess who won in that antivirus battle? Well, that’s for you to find out – jump to the link laid out above.

Trend Micro’s Antivirus Plus:

This is an entry-level suite designed to meet the basic (essential) protection requirements like blocking online threats, avoiding scams and frauds, helping you get rid of malware, viruses, spyware, ransomware, and other cyberattacks.

But if you purchase this, you will have to be satisfied with limited usage – i.e. you can only use this suite on Windows-specific devices. The good news is that it also includes advanced AI learning that will work based on the behavior of the user so it can proactively protect you.

The total number of devices on which you can make use of this suite is 1. To make it 3 or 5, you will need to invest in the upper-level bundles. Let’s see what they are.

Trend Micro’s Internet Security:

If you’re on the lookout for advanced web protection, you will have it in the “Internet Security” package.

While everything from the previous suite (i.e. Antivirus+) has been added to this package, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Just like protection from digital threats is important for you, how can you let hackers spy on your child’s activity or online presence?

That’s why “Parental control” has been introduced into this suite that helps you keep an eye on your children’s online activity, which applications he/she has installed and which websites he/she visits on a regular basis.

And, not just on websites but also on Social Medial which, nowadays, is becoming a dangerous thing for us. Unfortunately, this package is not for Mac, iOS, or Android – you can only protect your PC (Windows one) with this.

You can defend up to 3 devices with this suite. To find out more, please visit the links below.

Trend Micro’s Maximum Security:

What if your requirement is to protect up to 5 devices altogether? Is there a solution to it? As a matter of fact, there is, and we believe “Maximum Security” is a perfect match for your needs.

You will be floating on cloud seven after buying the license of this suite for it can be used on almost all devices (platforms) – macOS, iOS, Windows, and most importantly Android.

FYI, Trend Micro has been the 16-time winner on PCMAG, gets a 4 rating on PCWorld, and AV-test certified antivirus. What we mean to say is that it is trusted by millions of people and Trend Micro offers award-winning protection.

It allows you to make the most out of it on up to 10 devices at the same time, the device type doesn’t matter. Now, say no to risky online transactions by getting Trend Micro™ Pay Guard that will make sure that you get all of your financial dealings done with all safety.

The “Password manager” has also been introduced in this package that will help you create strong (complex) passwords for you so that no hacker can guess and break into your system or your online account. Sign in to your much-loved websites securely.

If have a Mac system, then you’d have to opt for the Mac-specific solution. From that perspective, you could either choose “Maximum Security” which we just discussed above or if your intention is to go for a basic package, then you can get just get an “Antivirus for Mac”.

Features of the 3 plans here:

Which Antivirus Provides Better Malware Protection?

The protection feature (a.k.a. detection engine) is what you will find at the heart of the security product. And, if an antivirus doesn’t have good reviews and rating for malware protection, it’s not worth paying for – no matter how awesome any of the other features may be.

So, whether it’s McAfee or Trend Micro, either is worth a shot if you get next-level protection from all digital attacks/threats. In the antivirus industry, you cannot judge the software by just being familiar with its name. You will need to run deepest evaluations for that purpose.

With that in mind, we’ve considered the results of the tests conducted by AV-test and AV-comparatives. To rate the antivirus whether or not it can handle the malware and other threats, AV-test rates the software on a scale of 1 to 6 (with 1 being the worst and 6 being the highly-rated product).

In this evaluation, different samples were used for real-world testing and other references. That’s how the final protection score came out.

Let’s see what score is scored by each software in this category:

McAfee:

Let’s first see the AV-test result for McAfee:

Now, pay attention to the AV-comparative conclusion drawn with regard to:

Trend Micro:

Can Trend Micro outshine McAfee in terms of malware protection based on the AV-test score?

Let’s find out:

What about the AV-comparative score? Well, that’s given below:

Which Antivirus Puts Minimal Impact on System?

Which antivirus do you think puts less impact on the system? Can you see your system slow down while the antivirus you’ve purchased is actively running in the background? I know that it sounds weird to struggle with computer speed but this could be the situation if you don’t consider the performance that gets affected by your antivirus program.

A resource-hungry antivirus is highly likely to slow down your system while, an exceptional antivirus (one that’s not resource-heavy) would offer out-of-this-world performance, delivering the faster execution of tasks as scheduled by the CPU for different processes (preemption or non-preemption, it doesn’t matter).

Since AV-test holds the expertise at what they do, we cannot continue without including their lab test scores in this category – system performance. Now, you see, the performance of a computer system or any device is judged by how it handles different situations (or tasks taken into account by the user for execution) like visiting a website, downloading files from the Internet, installing applications, or copying or exchanging huge files.

This is performed so that we could easily identify where the system performs better and where it lacks effectiveness. The following representation has been drawn based on the AV-test evaluations:

McAfee’s System Performance:

Trend Micro’s System Performance:

Which Antivirus Software is more User-friendly?

While features matter most, we cannot take the user interface (UI) of antivirus too lightly (or carelessly).

McAfee’s UI:

In most recent times, McAfee has completed changed the UI of its antivirus – now it’s simple, effective, bright and airy – available in gray, white, and light blue shades.

At the upper side of the software, you will come across five options, to be precise, “Security”, “Account”, “Privacy”, “Identity”, and “Settings”. You could also find the links for troubleshooting if there’s anything wrong with the setting.

Rest of the UI can be seen self-evidently via the image underneath:

Trend Micro’s UI:

The UI offered by TM is also quite impressive, elegant, and intuitive. The theme has been shaded in gray and white color. Just like McAfee welcomes the user to the welcoming screen and shows a reassuring message that your devices is being protected and monitored, Trend Micro does the same thing.

It shed light on four modules – “Family”, “Device”, “Data”, and “Privacy”. You can also run different types of scans and, depending on the type of scan, the system takes less or more time. You can even scan external devices or removable disks or hard disks for any security flaws.

The theme also changes color. Green means you’re good to go, red, quite the opposite, means your PC could be at risk or you need to resolve some serious/severe issues that could put your data at risk.

Let’s now behold the UI brought to life by Trend Micro:

Which Antivirus Software is Less Expensive?

Who doesn’t like saving money? Of course, price is a factor to consider for anything you buy.

Sure,  you also need to pay attention to the suites to find out which suite you actually need but it’s hard to ignore price. If you need an antivirus just for the basic protection, you’d go for a starter’s (beginner’s) package i.e. not a high-end suite.

Take a look at the pricing models of both software to decide yourself which one is the perfect choice for you in terms of “value for money” and productivity.

McAfee Pricing Model:

Trend Micro’s Pricing Model:

Which Antivirus Software is Most Popular among People?

Popularity and customer satisfaction are interrelated, so we can estimate both just from the result of either one.

To see which antivirus is famous, we will be counting on the statistics provided by OPSWAT, a self-regulating company that evaluates the popularity of the software based on how many users are currently using the services on a regular basis.

Let’s reveal the latest statistics made available by OPSWAT (conducted in September) below:

McAfee Vs Trend Micro: Final Conclusion!

With over 1500 security patents worldwide, it’s no wonder their line-up of products come with unique and powerful features that protects any device installed with it. McAfee’s extensive knowledge in cybersecurity is championed with a database of 49 billion threat queries which are tailored to beat out multitudes of hackers everyday. 

With McAfee it has protection on all sorts of devices ranging from phones to even cars! It’s extensive product line-up has protected over 18.9 billion devices to this day.

FAQs

1. Which is better Trend Micro or McAfee?

McAfee detects more malware and is a better overall choice for security, performance, and additional features. If you want one of the best antiviruses programs and are willing to pay a little more for premium protection, choose McAfee. Trend Micro is more user-friendly and less expensive than McAfee.

2. Is Trend Micro and McAfee the same?

They are both antivirus companies. While McAfee's plans include more features and functions and McAfee's initial pricing is comparable to or less than Trend Micro's, Trend Micro's antivirus renewal prices are slightly lower on an annual basis than McAfee's.

3. Do I need to uninstall McAfee before installing Trend Micro?

Yes. Delete McAfee and any attachments to their program immediately; they are unnecessary. However, retain everything else that came with your computer, such as Windows Security. I would uninstall McAfee completely before installing Trend. Having both on may result in conflicts that could affect Trend.

4. Is Norton 360 better than McAfee?

Due to the fact that Norton 360 has more features, it wins this category. Malware protection: McAfee narrowly wins the Malware Protection category. PC performance: When it comes to PC performance, Norton Antivirus and McAfee are tied. 

5. Is Trend Micro a good antivirus?

Trend Micro's protection score of 94 percent is excellent, but others have performed even better. McAfee, Sophos, and Vipre Antivirus Plus all provided a hundred percent level of protection.