# McAfee vs Authenticator App

McAfee and Authenticator App both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Authenticator App's written reviews are positive against 52% of McAfee's. Authenticator App also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). McAfee's advantage is monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. McAfee sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Authenticator App sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. 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 4.6 for Authenticator App. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: McAfee has 240K ratings behind it against 84, 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 100% of Authenticator App's.

McAfee ships an update every 3 weeks, Authenticator App every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | McAfee | Authenticator App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (240K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcafee-stay-secure-and-private/id724596345/reviews)** | [4.6 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/authenticator-app-safeid/id6447739540/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **240K** | 84 |
| Positive reviews | 51.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | — |
| Size | 436 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [McAfee, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/369885745) | [Kain Suite Pte. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1761133001) |

## What reviewers say

### McAfee

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

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Grossing · Utilities, #141 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 (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Basic Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| 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


### Authenticator App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/authenticator-app-safeid/id6447739540)

Enhance your online security with multi-factor authentication and identity protection. This app secures your accounts against hackers, scans networks for vulnerabilities, and monitors for data breaches. It also offers safe browsing with VPN capabilities to protect your privacy.

**Highlights:** Two-factor authentication (OTP generation), QR code and manual account setup, Wi-Fi and system security scanner, Email breach monitoring, Secure browsing with VPN, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Purchase | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is McAfee free?

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

### Is Authenticator App free?

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

### Which has better reviews, McAfee or Authenticator App?

McAfee is rated higher. McAfee averages 4.7 out of 5 from 240K ratings, while Authenticator App averages 4.6 from 84 ratings.

### Do McAfee or Authenticator App have ads?

Authenticator App shows ads; McAfee does not.

### Which is updated more often, McAfee or Authenticator App?

McAfee ships an update every 3 weeks, and Authenticator App every 5 weeks. Most recently, McAfee was updated on October 31, 2026 and Authenticator App on October 21, 2026.

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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.*