McAfee vs Bitdefender
Bitdefender comes out ahead of McAfee on 5 of the 6 things that decide this, going by what each company publishes and what independent review sites report. The one that matters for you may be one the leader loses.
The verdict
Bitdefender takes it, 5–1 on rounds.
On the published figures and the independent review sites, Bitdefender takes 5 of 6 rounds. Treat that as a starting point and check the current figures on both pages, because prices and plans move.
Choose McAfee if…
- • You want McAfee's edge on how much it slows your pc
Choose Bitdefender if…
- • You want Bitdefender's edge on how much it blocks and what reviewers say
Round by round
- Round 1How much it blocksBitdefender winsMcAfee5/10
Not stated
AV-Comparatives shows this figure only as a chart bar, no capturable text
- 98.5%, against 99.5%
Source: av-comparatives.org ↗
Bitdefender8/1099.5%
AV-Comparatives Real-World Protection Test, February to May 2026
Source: av-comparatives.org ↗
Bitdefender wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 2How much it slows your PCMcAfee winsBitdefender5/10
9.6
AV-Comparatives Performance Test, April 2026
- 9.6, against 3.3
Source: av-comparatives.org ↗
McAfee wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 3What reviewers sayBitdefender winsMcAfee5/10
4.3 out of 5
average rating from 78 reviews on Capterra
- 4.3 out of 5, against 4.6 out of 5
Source: capterra.com ↗
Bitdefender wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 4What customers say on TrustpilotBitdefender winsMcAfee5/10
1.3 out of 5
TrustScore from 3,467 reviews on Trustpilot
- 1.3 out of 5, against 4.3 out of 5
Source: trustpilot.com ↗
Bitdefender wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 5How easy it is to useBitdefender winsMcAfee5/10
4.3 out of 5
ease-of-use rating from Capterra reviewers
- 4.3 out of 5, against 4.6 out of 5
Source: capterra.com ↗
Bitdefender wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 6How reviewers rate its supportBitdefender winsMcAfee5/10
4.1 out of 5
customer-service rating from Capterra reviewers
- 4.1 out of 5, against 4.5 out of 5
Source: capterra.com ↗
Bitdefender wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
Side by side
- paid only
- 98.5%, against 99.3%
- 4.3 out of 5, against 4.4 out of 5
- 1.3 out of 5, against 4.7 out of 5
- 4.1 out of 5, against 4.2 out of 5
- 9.6, against 5.3
- 4.3 out of 5, against 4.7 out of 5
- 9.6, against 3.3
- No free version, against Free version