Last Chance Memorial Day Deal: Act Fast to Get a Huge $1,400 Off a Massive 98-Inch TCL QLED 4K TV
Memorial Day deals are going to be completely over very soon, but there are still some excellent deals hanging around. There are some mind-boggling savings to be made if you know where to look, even if you're looking for something as substantial as the best TV for your home theater.
If you're someone who's after size and quality, then you'll definitely want to have a look at this deal on Best Buy. That's because you can currently get a whopping $1,400 off this 98-inch TCL Q6 QLED TV, which means it's down to $1,600 for now. We're not expecting this deal to last for long through, so make sure you move fast to avoid missing out.
Apart from an insanely large screen, this TCL Q6 TV has a 120Hz standard refresh rate that can go all the way up to 144Hz when needed, making it great for gaming. The screen is QLED with quantum dot technology, ensuring a high-quality picture. Plus, we can't forget about smart features like compatibility with Alexa and of course, easy access to all your favorite streaming services. This is a Google TV, so you can use Google Assistant too. Its built-in speaker supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio for a more immersive experience while you watch movies or play games.
Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.
For more deals like this, take a look at our full roundup of the best Memorial Day TV deals you can shop right now. Also, don't forget to check out the full Best Buy Memorial Day sale too.
Why this deal matters
Big-screen TVs are typically a huge investment, so it's a pretty sweet deal if you can find one for nearly half off. Though this isn't the lowest price we've seen on this model, we aren't likely to see it at this price again until this year's upcoming Black Friday sales in November. So if you're interested, you'll want to pick up a 98-inch TCL Q6 QLED TV now before the deal expires.
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Android Authority
36 minutes ago
- Android Authority
Right now you can get Google Fi for 50% off, or as low as $11.50 per line for four users
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority Google recently revamped its plans by upgrading its data allotments and a few other changes, including adding a new Essential plan to the mix. I already wrote about how the new changes make Google Fi more competitive than ever. While the new plan was already highly affordable at just $35 a month for one line (or less for multi-line accounts), what if you could get Fi for an additional 50% off? For a limited time, Google Fi is offering its service at half price for the next 18 months. As you'd expect, there are a few limitations and qualifications here: You must be a new customer or have been without service for more than 180 days. You must activate the line within 30 days of redeeming the promotion, and it will expire 18 months after redemption. You must sign up for and stay on either the Unlimited Essentials or the Unlimited Standard plan. You must bring your own device, and if you elect to upgrade, you'll have to pay full price for any new devices. While Google previously offered a very similar deal during the holiday 2024 season, this is the first time they've ran this promo in 2025. The offer expires on June 5, so we recommend acting sooner rather than later. Although it's possible Google could offer this promotion again around the holidays, there's certainly no guarantee here. As for how much you'll play exactly with the discount activated? Essentials starts at $17.50 a month for one line, or as low as $11.50 per month for four lines or more. Standard starts at $25 a month for one line, or as low as $12.50 per month for four lines or more. This is exceptionally cheap for a service that has similar priority to T-Mobile's mid-range or higher plans. In fact, Google Fi is my number one recommendation for those looking for service on T-Mobile's network. Yes, I rate it above T-Mobile's postpaid service. There are several reasons why I recommend it over postpaid service, including its high priority access, its excellent international features, its solid phone promotions, and the incredible value on offer. Be sure to hit up Fi Wireless' official website to sign up for 50% off now or to learn more about Google Fi. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
CNET
39 minutes ago
- CNET
McAfee Antivirus Review 2025
CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 8.8 / 10 SCORE McAfee Antivirus $25 at Amazon Score Breakdown Performance 8 /10 Usability 9 /10 Value 8 /10 Features 10 /10 Pros Broad compatibility Wide range of tools Easy to install and use No perceptible drain on processing power Efficient quick scans Top marks for malware protection Fast, helpful customer support Good value for family plans Allows for unlimited devices Cons Slow VPN Subpar web protection Shares information with third-party vendors Steep price increase after first year McAfee Antivirus 8.8/10 CNET Score $25 at Amazon McAfee antivirus software has protected hundreds of millions of devices since its founding in 1987, becoming a household name -- but how well does it work? And does it truly deserve its long-held place on our best antivirus list? I set out to answer these questions by installing the full McAfee Plus Ultimate suite on a Windows 11 laptop and testing it -- both the antivirus and other tools like the VPN -- for usability and performance. McAfee impressed me at almost every turn, proving itself an effective tool for protecting your device from malware. The personal data cleanup tools were also fast and thorough, digging up online accounts and data breaches going back several years. My only complaint was how long the first scan took -- which, as you'll see, is a long process for a good reason. McAfee antivirus features McAfee offers a simple antivirus plan to protect up to five devices for $40 in the first year and $120 a year after that. You'll get the fully featured antivirus on this plan, with background scanning while you surf the web, quick scans for potentially vulnerable areas of your device and deep scans to search every file and folder for malware. You can also schedule scans, a feature you won't get from the built-in antivirus on Windows or MacOS. If you want more robust security while browsing the internet, you'll want a McAfee Plus security suite (prices are listed in the next section). Every McAfee Plus suite includes the core antivirus software, a web protection extension that blocks malicious links from opening and a McAfee Protection Score, which provides real-time insight into your security. You'll also get a VPN for improved online privacy. McAfee also recently released an AI-powered Scam Detector for all McAfee Plus users in the US, with the release rolling out to other countries in the coming months. The Scam Detector scans emails for signs of cybercrime, like suspicious email addresses and links, and either alerts you to the scam or blocks it entirely, depending on your settings. The Scam Detector also connects to some Android devices to scan content you view on your phone. It can even tell you if a video you're watching is a deepfake. There's also an on-demand tool for scanning messages sent on iOS devices or via encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp. McAfee Plus provides several layers of identity protection, starting with a Social Privacy Manager that simplifies managing privacy settings on social platforms. Other identity protection features include Personal Data Cleanup (which monitors data brokers for your information), Online Account Cleanup (which identifies out-of-use accounts storing your personal information), identity monitoring and a password manager. These features can help you control where your personal data appears online. More advanced plans include identity theft protection, financial transaction monitoring and security freeze options to lock your assets if suspicious activity is found on your account. These features are great if you have significant assets or other reasons to be especially concerned about identity theft. Overall features score McAfee offers antivirus options for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. The safe browsing tools are also compatible with Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari and Microsoft Edge. This robust compatibility and the sheer number of tools available give the McAfee Plus security suite a 10/10 features ranking. McAfee pricing and plans McAfee Plus offers both individual plans -- perfect for protecting a single person -- and family plans that cover multiple people. McAfee Plus individual plans Here's a quick breakdown of the pricing and features for McAfee Plus individual plans: Plan Identity protection features Who it's best for Price McAfee Plus Premium Social Media Privacy Manager; Personal Data Cleanup (scan only; identity monitoring and alerts Casual users who want a better understanding of how their data is being used and the option to manually remove their information from untrustworthy places $50 for the first year; $150 a year after McAfee Plus Advanced Full-service Personal Data Cleanup; $1 million in identity theft coverage and restoration; bank and credit card monitoring; security freeze Busy professionals who want more assistance with personal data protection or have significant assets to protect $90 for the first year; $200 a year after McAfee Plus Ultimate Full-service Online Account Cleanup; $2 million in identity theft coverage; 3-bureau credit monitoring; $25K ransomware coverage; investment monitoring; credit lock; McAfee Assist protection setup session Busy professionals who want full-service data protection and coverage for more than $1 million of assets $200 for the first year; $280 a year after McAfee Plus family plans The McAfee Plus family plans offer similar features to the individual plans. The main differences are that the Social Privacy Manager covers up to six people, and other identity protection features cover two adults. Here's the price breakdown for family plans: McAfee Plus Premium for families: $70 for the first year; $170 a year after. $70 for the first year; $170 a year after. McAfee Plus Advanced for families: $120 for the first year; $300 a year after. $120 for the first year; $300 a year after. McAfee Plus Ultimate for families: $250 for the first year; $425 a year after. McAfee antivirus usability I tested three areas of McAfee to determine its ease of use: Account navigation: How easy it is to find the download and setup options for all tools. How easy it is to find the download and setup options for all tools. Antivirus installation and navigation: How easy it is to put the software on my device and run or schedule scans. How easy it is to put the software on my device and run or schedule scans. Additional tools: How easy it is to set up and use Personal Data Cleanup, VPN and other tools. I found these processes remarkably simple for even the least technically inclined, with only one mild hiccup at the activation phase. Account navigation I activated my account by entering some basic information and immediately received a list of software download options. Unfortunately, these weren't the download links I expected to see, just a reminder of the operating systems McAfee is compatible with. I did find options for sending a download link to a secondary device, which was mildly confusing since there wasn't an easy download option for the device I was using. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Thankfully, McAfee sent me an activation email with a link to my account dashboard when I activated my account. I created a password, opened my dashboard and found quick links for setting up all of the McAfee tools included in my subscription. I also appreciated the QR code for quickly connecting your phone to your McAfee account. The one link I had to hunt for was billing settings, which aren't directly visible in the sidebar or the Account drop-down menu. I had to open the Account drop-down, click Manage Your Accountand go to the Subscriptions area to view my plan details. This makes it a little more difficult to change or cancel plans than I'd like, but it's not a major issue for day-to-day use. Installation and setup The McAfee installation wizard for Windows is a near-instant download, and the rest of the setup process is simple, too. You don't have to fiddle with any settings for the core antivirus. The installation unpacks the software and starts real-time scanning immediately, with an automated schedule for active scans already in place. You see options to install and set up additional tools, like the VPN, but these are easy to skip if you want to stick with just the antivirus. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Once installed, McAfee's dashboard is intuitive to navigate, with quick links to recent scan details and setup pages for McAfee's other internet security tools. The sidebar includes links to all of McAfee's tools, allowing you to navigate between them from any area of the software. Scheduling scans is equally easy, and you have full control over the time and frequency of the scans. The automated schedule runs scans every Monday around 5:30 a.m. in your time zone, when you're likely to be away from your device and not worried about slowdowns. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET The only thing I disliked about McAfee for Windows scheduling options is that the main page for antivirus scans only includes a button for quick scans. To run a full scan, you need to go to Scan Types and click Full Scan. This isn't a huge deal, but I would prefer to see the full scan option in the first antivirus area. Setting McAfee up on my Android phone was equally fast. I used the QR code from my account area to unlock the software, waited a couple of minutes for it to download and gave it permissions to scan my text messages for potential scams. From there, the Smart Scan button in the top right corner made it easy to scan my devices for viruses at any time. My only disappointment was that I couldn't figure out how to schedule scans. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Additional tools You can activate McAfee's Personal Data Cleanup, online account management and identity monitoring tools in a few minutes by navigating to each tool and entering your name, email address and other basic personal info. These tools scan your data and create personalized dashboards where you can view everything they've found. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET The Personal Data Cleanup tool goes a step further by automatically sending removal requests to any data brokers storing your information. The online account management and identity monitoring tools don't have automated removal options, but they do provide tips and tools for removing accounts and protecting your data. This helps you reduce both current security issues and future vulnerabilities. The password manager and Social Media Privacy Manager are browser extensions, so you'll need to connect them to your browser. This only takes a few seconds, and both downloads take you to a dashboard where you can connect them to your most important accounts. It only takes a few minutes to set up both. Similarly, you can install the Web Protection extension on your browser in seconds, and it doesn't require additional setup -- though you can control what it blocks in the extension settings. The VPN is computer-based rather than browser-based, so you'll have to turn it on from the home area of the McAfee software. You can do this with a simple toggle slider, and activation takes around 30 seconds. The location is automatically set to the fastest location (typically the server closest to you), and you can change it easily in the VPN settings. You can also enable split tunneling -- a feature that lets you use a network connection without a VPN on sites that limit VPN connections -- in the VPN settings area. Finally, the Protection Score is automatically calculated based on results from McAfee's monitoring tools. This score is prominently listed in the sidebar of your account dashboard. The protection score page shows you a visual representation of your security rating (out of 1,000) and gives you a list of actions you can take to improve it. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Overall usability score My experience with McAfee started with a minor hiccup -- not seeing download links right away -- but everything was simple after I finished creating my account. The software itself is easy to navigate, the identity protection tools are intuitive and the browser extensions can be set up in a couple of minutes even if you're not tech-savvy. This earns McAfee a 9/10 usability ranking. McAfee antivirus performance With the basics set up, I moved on to testing McAfee's performance, focusing on three things: Background performance: How McAfee's real-time scanning (a feature automatically turned on when you install the app) affects internet usage and other daily computer tasks. How McAfee's real-time scanning (a feature automatically turned on when you install the app) affects internet usage and other daily computer tasks. Active scan performance: How fast scans are and how they affect daily tasks like browsing the internet. How fast scans are and how they affect daily tasks like browsing the internet. Additional tools performance: How quickly and effectively tools like the online account manager perform their tasks; how the web protection tools and VPN affect site speed. Most of McAfee's tools proved efficient, using minimal resources and performing their jobs effectively. However, the VPN slowed my internet speeds by a significant amount, and the Web Protection extension failed to block most of the suspicious links I encountered during my tests. Note: I ran these tests on a brand new Lenovo ThinkPad with an Intel i5 processor and around 100GB of files, mostly photos and images. Performance may vary depending on your setup and the amount of storage you're using. Background performance I spent one week using my laptop with McAfee running in the background. Most of my usage was browser-based, with five to 10 browser tabs open at a time and a video or podcast playing in the background at all times. I also used the snipping tool to collect screenshots. McAfee had no perceptible impact on these activities. Browsing the internet isn't the most resource-intensive activity you can perform on a computer, though, so I checked McAfee's resource usage with Task Manager as well. McAfee's CPU usage fluctuated between 0.1% and 0.5% during the hour I spent monitoring it, with disk usage sitting at a solid 0MB/s. That means McAfee isn't a big drain on processing power and can run effectively in the background even when you're performing resource-intensive tasks like video editing. Active scan performance I performed three deep scans using the Fast scanning setting in my week of testing, with varied results. Fast scanning allows McAfee to use more of your computer's processing power. My first deep scan took around 4 hours, far longer than I expected, but it didn't significantly interfere with my continued device usage. In conversation with a McAfee representative, I learned that this first scan is slower because it takes a more comprehensive look at every file on your computer, while later scans skim files the software previously evaluated. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET The second and third deep scans were much faster, with the second test taking just over an hour and the third taking around half an hour. Again, they didn't noticeably interfere with my continued browsing. Opening Task Manager showed that the deep scan used between 35% and 50% of my CPU's processing power, plus 7% to 10% of my hard drive's resources. These numbers fluctuated rapidly throughout the scan, with resource usage peaking toward the end. A fourth scan, this time with the Fast scanning setting disabled, took around half an hour. However, this scan used more resources than those performed with Fast scanning enabled: 50% to 60% of the CPU's processing power and 20% to 24% of my hard drive resources. These numbers dropped toward the end of the scan (down to around 45% of CPU power and 10% of disk usage), but this suggests you'll have better computer performance if you keep the Fast scanning feature on. The Quick Scan lived up to its name, wrapping up in roughly three minutes on the first scan -- even faster than the 5-to- 10-minute estimate the software provided. Like the deep scan, I didn't notice any change to my computer's performance while the scan was running. I performed two more Quick Scans, both of which wrapped up in a similar timeframe to the first. These scans used between 60% and 70% of my CPU processing power and around 10% of my hard drive resources. Overall, active scans with McAfee are fast and use a reasonable amount of processing power, allowing you to continue doing most everyday activities while the scans run. However, you should expect the first scan to take significantly longer than the rest -- possibly several hours if you've got a lot of data. You may also want to avoid running scans when performing resource-intensive tasks like gaming or video editing. Additional tools performance Next, I had Personal Data Cleanup, Online Account Cleanup and identity monitoring tools scan the web for my data. I also installed and tested the web safety extension and the VPN, using Google Chrome for both. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET The Personal Data Cleanup was done in a couple of minutes, and McAfee automatically sent a removal request to the single data broker it found my information on. I was surprised that it only found my information on one data broker site -- I've been online for a long time and haven't always been cautious with my personal info -- but I'm not certain if McAfee failed to find all of my data or if my info hasn't been leaked as often as I expected. The Online Account Cleanup took closer to 5 minutes for the initial scan and turned up 108 accounts. I looked through these accounts, returned to the dashboard and was met with a 'Scanning' message. After another half hour, the dashboard loaded, this time with a full 434 accounts found. These accounts were automatically sorted into categories based on their risk level, recent usage and connection to my financial information. I've used the email I plugged into this tool for almost 20 years, so these results felt accurate. The initial identity monitoring scan lasted around half an hour and found 47 breaches dating back to 2016. I was impressed by how thorough this was, especially considering it didn't take very long. Next, I tested the VPN. I started by running three Ookla tests without the VPN enabled. These tests showed an average download speed of 720.21 Mbps (megabits per second), upload speed of 868.65 Mbps and ping of 3 Ms (milliseconds). Running three tests with the VPN set to my country, Canada, showed that the VPN slows things down considerably, with an average download speed of 276.05 Mbps, upload speed of 248.83 Mbps and ping of 4 Ms. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET I ran additional tests in the US, UK, France, Germany, Singapore and Australia, with the following average results: US UK France Germany Singapore Australia Download (Mbps) 449.03 252.75 159.75 315.07 97 230.4 Upload (Mbps) 161.59 33 45.32 41.59 16.17 29.17 Ping (Ms) 41 178.66 196.33 191.33 492.66 403.9 While these tests aren't as extensive as the VPN testing process CNET uses for full VPN reviews, they do show that McAfee's VPN has a significant impact on speed. I definitely noticed the slowdown when browsing with the VPN on, especially when using the Australian and Singaporean locations. If you're looking for a VPN with minimal effect on internet speed, you'll want to buy one of the tools recommended on our best VPNs list. Finally, I installed the Web Protection extension on Chrome and spent some time surfing the web. There was no noticeable change in my browser speed, suggesting that this extension uses minimal resources. Satisfied with this result, I moved on to clicking through some of the suspicious links in my spam folder. Unfortunately, the extension only stopped me from opening one of the four suspicious links I clicked on, suggesting that it doesn't work very well. Personally, I've found uBlock to be more successful in blocking potentially harmful sites. The one tool I wasn't able to test for performance was the Scam Detector. I had to use a separate email account to access this software, as the account I used for the rest of my testing was connected to a Canadian account and the scam detector hasn't rolled out to Canadians yet. Using this backup email address meant there were no scams for the tool to detect in my inbox. However, a McAfee representative walked me through how the Scam Detector works, including some of the parameters it uses to identify scams. These include most parameters cybersecurity experts tell you to look for, like email addresses with long strings of numbers or confusing letters, allowing it to identify most probable scams. The deepfake identification aspect of the tool also looked promising, as it quickly identified small tells of AI usage that the untrained user might not notice on their own. Overall performance score While the initial scan took significantly longer than I expected, I respect McAfee's choice to perform a more detailed analysis on the first run. I also appreciated the speed -- and efficiency -- of later scans, especially the Quick Scans. Most of McAfee's tools had similarly effective results, with the exception of the slow VPN and less-than-spectacular Web Protection extension. Overall, McAfee earned an 8/10 for performance. McAfee antivirus security McAfee's security suites look great so far, with excellent features, an intuitive setup and minimal resource usage. But how well does it protect you? To answer this question, I researched McAfee's performance in third-party lab testing, previous data breaches, encryption protocols and privacy policies, including data anonymization protocols. The results here were mixed. McAfee has great security rankings from top third-party labs and uses internationally recognized encryption protocols, but its privacy policy has some holes. Antivirus McAfee has consistently earned a six out of six security ranking from AV-Test in every test since mid-2020. McAfee has also received numerous AV-Comparatives awards for security -- generally considered an industry gold standard -- over the past several years. Notably, McAfee's antivirus engine had a 99.6% online protection rate during AV-Comparatives testing in March 2025. This shows that McAfee's antivirus protection consistently keeps up with rapidly evolving malware to protect your devices from the latest viruses and other harmful software. However, its offline detection rate dropped significantly, to 79.3%, suggesting that McAfee may not be as effective at scanning files on USB keys or external hard drives as it is at scanning files from the internet. Security for additional tools McAfee's password manager, True Key, protects all saved passwords using the AES-256 protocol, an internationally recognized encryption method. You can further protect your passwords by setting up multifactor authentication, which requires you to provide biometric signals (like your face or fingerprint) or other information (like a code sent to your phone) along with your master password before you can open the password manager. The VPN claims to use the same encryption systems banks do, ensuring safe data transfer. However, McAfee has the encryption key for revealing your data, and the company is headquartered in the US, so McAfee has a legal obligation to reveal your data to government agencies on request. This is why we typically recommend VPNs headquartered elsewhere, like ExpressVPN, which is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands. The good news about McAfee's VPN is that it doesn't log customers' VPN usage, so what it can share with law enforcement is limited. McAfee also goes through annual third-party audits from Cure53 to evaluate its ongoing privacy protocols. These results are listed under TunnelbearVPN, the name of the infrastructure used for McAfee Secure VPN. Similarly, transparency reports are available for TunnelbearVPN, though there are no specific reports for McAfee Secure VPN. Privacy policies and data breaches McAfee has an extensive privacy policy, but there are some sections that may give you pause. Notably, McAfee says it may share information about how you interact with its services to third-party advertisers and vendors, including social media companies. While this is common for tech companies -- and websites generally -- it's concerning when you consider how much data McAfee collects and the lack of specificity about what it may share. Another potential issue, as mentioned above, is that McAfee states it will share your data with law enforcement on request. While it's unlikely that law enforcement will ask for your information unless you're suspected of committing a serious crime, it's important to know this possibility going in. McAfee says you have a right to request anonymization, which suggests that this isn't done by default. A McAfee representative explained that all data is encrypted using the internationally recognized TLS 1.3 and AES256/SHA384 protocols during transfer and stays encrypted with the AES-256 protocol at rest. While these measures can keep your data safe from hackers, this means McAfee can still access your data using its encryption key -- and share it with the broad list of vendors referenced in the privacy policy. As for data breaches, I wasn't able to find any records of McAfee's data being breached within the past five years. This suggests that McAfee keeps its data highly secure, ensuring your ongoing digital safety. However, it's worth remembering that sharing your information with third-party vendors doesn't count as a data breach. With no full list of these third-party vendors, it's impossible to say how many places McAfee may be sending information -- or exactly what information the company is sharing -- about how you use its apps. Overall security score McAfee's top-notch antivirus engine consistently earns recognition for its ability to detect malware. McAfee also uses tools like encryption to keep your data safe, but its privacy policies have exceptions for a variety of third-party vendors and law enforcement. Still, its protections -- and its lack of data breaches in the past five years -- earn McAfee a 9/10 security ranking. McAfee antivirus customer support McAfee offers three layers of customer service: a self-serve knowledge base, 24/7 live chat and 24/7 phone support. I tested all of these support avenues for ease of navigation, helpfulness and, in the case of direct communication methods, response times. Knowledge base McAfee's knowledge base is clearly laid out, with buttons leading to the most common types of inquiries and a search bar for quickly finding specific answers. You'll also see your subscription information, any recent support cases connected to your account and a button for contacting support. This clean, smooth interface is great for people at all levels of technical expertise, from the programmer to the grandparent who can just barely use the internet. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Individual articles use a combination of jargon-free text (explaining the jargon when it absolutely must be used) and images to walk you through various processes. There are videos in some areas, which is great, but I'd love to see more of them for people who prefer learning through video. Still, the knowledge base is great for dealing with most basic issues you might encounter when using McAfee tools. Direct communication Like many tech companies, McAfee has built an AI bot into its live chat. The bot doesn't automatically redirect you to a person when you have a question too complicated for it -- I had to outright ask to speak to a person instead. However, the bot processed this request right away and connected me to a person in about 2 minutes. The agent who responded was quick and helpful, bringing the entire process to a close in around 5 minutes. McAfee also offers 24/7 support in many countries, with unique phone lines depending on your location. The phone lines are well organized, with separate departments you can contact for identity protection services, antivirus technical support and sales. I selected tech support and was speaking to a person within minutes. The agent had the answers I needed and sent me further resources, wrapping up the conversation in just 6 minutes. I wasn't able to find a support email address or email-based support ticket system. While this is fine for many people, it may be an issue if you prefer email communication. Overall customer support score McAfee provides some of the best customer experience I've encountered when working with tech companies of any kind. The knowledge base is comprehensive and uses jargon-free tutorials to help you use McAfee's various tools. The live chat and phone lines are both 24/7, and the support staff is fast and helpful. Compared to working with other tech companies, where I've often spent over 30 minutes (and sometimes up to several hours) waiting, dealing with McAfee's support is a dream. This earns McAfee a customer support ranking of 9/10. McAfee antivirus value Finally, I considered how McAfee's value compares to other popular security suites. I started by breaking down the basics of two top competitors: Basic plan cost Mid-range suite cost and devices Most expensive suite cost and devices Standout security features McAfee $30 for the first year; $90 per year after; coverage for one device $90 for the first year; $200 per year after; coverage for unlimited devices $200 for the first year; $280 per year after; coverage for unlimited devices Scam Detector; Social Privacy Manager; Online Account Cleanup; up to $2 million of identity theft insurance Bitdefender $25 for the first year; $50 per year after; coverage for one device $90 for the first year; $160 per year after; coverage for five devices $150 for the first year; $250 per year after; coverage for five devices Scam protection, ad-blocker/anti-tracker; digital footprint visualization; identity theft insurance of up to $2 million Norton $30 for the first year; $60 per year after; coverage for one device $50 for the first year; $120 per year after; coverage for five devices $100 for the first year; $200 per year after; coverage for five devices Genie Scam Protection; cloud backup; LifeLock identity theft protection; $25,000 ransomware insurance This data tells us four things about McAfee's value relative to other popular antivirus tools: McAfee's base plan , priced at $30 for the first year, starts out at roughly the same cost as similar plans from competitors. But it becomes significantly more expensive than comparable options in year two, rising to $90 per year. The mid-range plan has the same issue, starting at $90 for the first year but rising to $200 per year on renewal. , priced at $30 for the first year, starts out at roughly the same cost as similar plans from competitors. But it becomes significantly more expensive than comparable options in year two, rising to $90 per year. The mid-range plan has the same issue, starting at $90 for the first year but rising to $200 per year on renewal. The most expensive plan costs more than other high-level security suites, starting at $200 for the first year and rising to $280 per year on renewal. This is much more expensive than Norton's highest-tier plan and somewhat more expensive than the comparative Bitdefender plan. costs more than other high-level security suites, starting at $200 for the first year and rising to $280 per year on renewal. This is much more expensive than Norton's highest-tier plan and somewhat more expensive than the comparative Bitdefender plan. The features are pretty standard. The only thing you won't get elsewhere is the Social Media Privacy Manager. are pretty standard. The only thing you won't get elsewhere is the Social Media Privacy Manager. Other antivirus software limits devices, with Bitdefender capping coverage at five devices and Norton at 10 devices. Overall value score McAfee may not provide great value if you only have one computer and phone, but the unlimited device coverage makes it well worth the cost for users with numerous devices, such as families. This earns McAfee a value ranking of 8/10. McAfee: Is it right for you? Before we make any decisions about purchasing McAfee, let's review how it performed in each of our categories: Features: 10/10 10/10 Usability: 9/10 9/10 Performance: 8/10 8/10 Security: 9/10 9/10 Customer support: 9/10 9/10 Value: 8/10 Averaged together, these numbers give McAfee an overall ranking of 8.8/10. I found McAfee to be a great choice for protecting your computers and phones -- especially if you and your family have more than the five to 10 devices allowed on other security suites' highest-tier plans. However, the suite isn't perfect. The VPN majorly slows down your internet, the web safety extension doesn't always identify malicious links and the privacy policy has some concerning language. I recommend seeking out a separate VPN and safe browsing extension tools if you want comprehensive protection for your online activities.
Chicago Tribune
41 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Google, Justice Department face off in climactic showdown in search monopoly case
Google will return to federal court Friday to fend off the U.S. Justice Department's attempt to topple its internet empire at the same time it's navigating a pivotal shift to artificial intelligence that could undercut its power. The legal and technological threats facing Google are among the key issues that will be dissected during the closing arguments of a legal proceeding that will determine the changes imposed upon the company in the wake of its dominant search engine being declared as an illegal monopoly by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta last year. Brandishing evidence presented during a recent three-week stretch of hearings, Justice Department lawyers will attempt to persuade Mehta to order a radical shake-up that includes a ban on Google paying to lock its search engine in as the default on smart devices and an order requiring the company to sell its Chrome browser. Google lawyers are expected to assert only minor concessions are needed, especially as the upheaval triggered by advances in artificial intelligence already are reshaping the search landscape, as alternative, conversational search options are rolling out from AI startups that are hoping to use the Department of Justice's four-and-half-year-old case to gain the upper hand in the next technological frontier. 'Over weeks of testimony, we heard from a series of well-funded companies eager to gain access to Google's technology so they don't have to innovate themselves,' Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's vice president of regulatory affairs, wrote in a blog post earlier this month. 'What we didn't hear was how DOJ's extreme proposals would benefit consumers.' After the day-long closing arguments, Mehta will spend much of the summer mulling a decision that he plans to issue before Labor Day. Google has already vowed to appeal the ruling that branded its search engine as a monopoly, a step it can't take until the judge orders a remedy. While both sides of this showdown agree that AI is an inflection point for the industry's future, they have disparate views on how the shift will affect Google. The Justice Department contends that AI technology by itself won't rein in Google's power, arguing additional legal restraints must be slapped on a search engine that's the main reason its parent company, Alphabet Inc., is valued at $2 trillion. Google has already been deploying AI to transform its search engine into an answer engine, an effort that has so far helped maintain its perch as the internet's main gateway despite inroads being made by alternatives from the likes of OpenAI and Perplexity. The Justice Department contends a divestiture of the Chrome browser that Google CEO Sundar Pichai helped build nearly 20 years ago would be among the most effective countermeasures against Google continuing to amass massive volumes of browser traffic and personal data that could be leveraged to retain its dominance in the AI era. Executives from both OpenAi and Perplexity testified last month that they would be eager bidders for the Chrome browser if Mehta orders its sale. The debate over Google's fate also has pulled in opinions from Apple, mobile app developers, legal scholars and startups. Apple, which collects more than $20 billion annually to make Google the default search engine on the iPhone and its other devices, filed briefs arguing against the Justice Department's proposed 10-year ban on such lucrative lock-in agreements. Apple told the judge that prohibiting the contracts would deprive the company of money that it funnels into its own research, and that the ban might even make Google even more powerful because the company would be able to hold onto its money while consumers would end up choosing its search engine anyway. The Cupertino, California, company also told the judge a ban wouldn't compel it to build its own search engine to compete against Google. In other filings, a group of legal scholars said the Justice Department's proposed divestiture of Chrome would be an improper penalty that would inject unwarranted government interference in a company's business. Meanwhile, former Federal Trade Commission officials James Cooper and Andrew Stivers warned that another proposal that would require Google to share its data with rival search engines 'does not account for the expectations users have developed over time regarding the privacy, security, and stewardship' of their personal information. The App Association, a group that represents mostly small software developers, also advised Mehta not to adopt the Justice Department's proposed changes because of the ripple effects they would have across the tech industry. Hobbling Google in the way the Justice Department envisions would make it more difficult for startups to realize their goal of being acquired, the App Association wrote. 'Developers will be overcome by uncertainty' if Google is torn apart, the group argues. Buy Y Combinator, an incubator that has helped create hundreds of startups collectively worth about $800 billion filed documents pushing for the dramatic overhaul of Google, whose immense power has discouraged venture capitalists from investing in areas that are considered to be part of the company's 'kill zone.' Startups 'also need to be able to get their products into the hands of users, free from restrictive dealing and self-preferencing that locks up important distribution channels. As things stand, Google has locked up the most critical distribution channels, freezing the general search and search text advertising markets into static competition for more than a decade,' Y Combinator told Mehta.
