# McAfee vs Bitdefender Mobile Security

The clearest difference is update cadence: Bitdefender Mobile Security at weekly against McAfee's every 3 weeks. Bitdefender Mobile Security also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). McAfee's advantage is chart position (#16 vs #195) and ratings volume (240K vs 39K). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. McAfee sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Bitdefender Mobile Security sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for McAfee against 4.7 for Bitdefender Mobile Security. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: McAfee has 240K ratings behind it against 39K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of McAfee's written reviews are positive against 46% of Bitdefender Mobile Security's.

McAfee ships an update every 3 weeks, Bitdefender Mobile Security weekly. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | McAfee | Bitdefender Mobile Security |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (240K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcafee-stay-secure-and-private/id724596345/reviews)** | [4.7 (39K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bitdefender-mobile-security/id1255893012/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **240K** | 39K |
| Positive reviews | **51.7% of reviews** | 46.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | #195 |
| Size | 436 MB | 185 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [McAfee, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/369885745) | [Bitdefender SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/384899757) |

## What reviewers say

### McAfee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcafee-stay-secure-and-private/id724596345)

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Grossing · Utilities, #146 Top Free · Utilities (US App Store)

This app offers comprehensive protection against online threats, including scam detection for texts and emails, VPN for secure browsing, and identity monitoring. It helps safeguard your personal information and devices from various cyber risks.

**Highlights:** Scam Detector for texts and emails, Secure VPN for public Wi-Fi, Identity monitoring and alerts, Transaction and credit monitoring, Safe browsing with malicious site blocking, Personal data cleanup from brokers

**Features:** Safari Extension, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Standard Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plus Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Advanced Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Total Protection Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| McAfee+ Advanced Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Yearly Standard Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plus Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Total Protection Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| McAfee+ Advanced Yearly | $199.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great protection
- 🔒 Secure VPN
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Useful features like media vault

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Drains battery
- 🔒 Issues with VPN connectivity
- 💰 Expensive subscription

**Reported bugs**

- App keeps logging users out
- VPN not working as expected
- Compatibility issues with iOS updates

**Requested features**

- More customization options
- Improved scanning and detection capabilities
- Better integration with other devices


### Bitdefender Mobile Security

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bitdefender-mobile-security/id1255893012)

**Currently charting:** #195 Top Grossing · Utilities (US App Store)

This app provides advanced protection against digital threats, including phishing attempts, malicious websites, and data breaches. It offers features like scam protection, web protection, security scans, and account privacy checks to keep your device and personal information safe.

**Highlights:** Scam Protection, Web Protection, Security Scan, Account Privacy, Essential VPN Protection, Real-time threat monitoring

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mobile Security Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Premium VPN | $6.99 | per month |
| Total Security Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Mobile Security Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Mobile Security Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Premium VPN | $69.99 | per year |
| Total Security Yearly | $109.99 | per year |
| Ultimate Security Individual Yearly | $159.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great security
- 🔒 Protects against scams and malware
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Reliable VPN connection
- 🔒 Keeps devices safe

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent disconnections of VPN and web protection
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🐛 Interferes with other apps and services
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 💰 Expensive for limited features

**Reported bugs**

- Web protection randomly turning off
- VPN connection issues and errors
- Compatibility problems with iOS devices
- Subscription and billing problems

**Requested features**

- Automatic web protection and VPN connection
- Better integration with other apps
- More transparent pricing and subscription model
- Improved customer support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is McAfee free?

McAfee is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Bitdefender Mobile Security free?

Bitdefender Mobile Security is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, McAfee or Bitdefender Mobile Security?

McAfee is rated higher. McAfee averages 4.7 out of 5 from 240K ratings, while Bitdefender Mobile Security averages 4.7 from 39K ratings.

### Do McAfee or Bitdefender Mobile Security have ads?

Neither McAfee nor Bitdefender Mobile Security shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, McAfee or Bitdefender Mobile Security?

McAfee ships an update every 3 weeks, and Bitdefender Mobile Security weekly. Most recently, McAfee was updated on November 8, 2026 and Bitdefender Mobile Security on November 8, 2026.

### Which is more popular, McAfee or Bitdefender Mobile Security?

McAfee currently peaks at #16 in the App Store charts, and Bitdefender Mobile Security at #195. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*