McAfee is generally considered safe and effective antivirus software. It consistently performs well in independent tests, showing high malware detection rates—up to 100% in some tests—and strong ransomware protection. McAfee also offers additional features like a VPN, password manager, and identity theft protection, making it a comprehensive security tool. However, McAfee's phishing protection, while good, is slightly less robust compared to its other protections, blocking about 80% of phishing attempts in some tests. It may also be more resource-intensive than some competitors and tends to be more expensive. Overall, McAfee provides solid security and is trusted by many users, but some aspects could be improved, such as phishing defense and system resource use.