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McAfee Total Protection vs PlanetScale

McAfee Total Protection logo

McAfee Total Protection

Software

Award-winning antivirus trusted by millions

From
$29.99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Software

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: McAfee Total Protection significant renewal price increase after first year (from $29.99 to $84.99/year); PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • They diverge on capability: McAfee Total Protection covers Real-time antivirus, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which McAfee Total Protection and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where McAfee Total Protection and PlanetScale differ
AttributeMcAfee Total ProtectionPlanetScale
Starting price$29.99/year$15/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOS, AndroidCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Founded19872018

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in McAfee Total Protection

  • Real-time antivirus
  • Firewall
  • Safe browsing
  • Password manager
  • Secure VPN
  • Identity monitoring
  • Protection Score
  • Parental controls

Only in PlanetScale

  • Database Branching
  • Non-blocking Schema Changes
  • Insights
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Connection Pooling
  • Query Caching
  • Automatic Backups
  • Global Replication

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

McAfee Total Protection

  • Antivirusnot PlanetScale
  • Internet Securitynot PlanetScale
  • Identity Protectionnot PlanetScale

PlanetScale

  • MySQL database hosting with automatic failover and replicationnot McAfee Total Protection
  • Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot McAfee Total Protection
  • Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot McAfee Total Protection
  • Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot McAfee Total Protection

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

McAfee Total Protection

  • Significant renewal price increase after first year (from $29.99 to $84.99/year)
  • Customer support responsiveness issues reported as reason for switching
  • Renewal billing can be aggressive with auto-renewal defaults

PlanetScale

  • EBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • EBS Non-HA single-node option lacks redundancy and automatic failover
  • Pricing varies by cloud provider and region, requiring queries for specific rates
  • ARM64 architecture only available on EBS tier, not Metal deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

McAfee Total Protection

$29.99/year
  • Basic$29.99/year
    • Antivirus
    • Firewall
    • 1 device
  • Plus$39.99/year
    • Antivirus
    • Firewall
    • 5 devices
  • Premium$49.99/year
    • Antivirus
    • Firewall
    • VPN
  • Advanced$74.99/year
    • Antivirus
    • Firewall
    • VPN

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Which should you pick?

Choose McAfee Total Protection if

  • You need real-time antivirus.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want firewall.
McAfee Total Protection review

Choose PlanetScale if

  • You need database branching.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want non-blocking schema changes.
PlanetScale review

Questions people ask

Is McAfee Total Protection or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. McAfee Total Protection starts at $29.99/year and PlanetScale at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, McAfee Total Protection or PlanetScale?
McAfee Total Protection starts at $29.99/year and PlanetScale at $15/month.
Does McAfee Total Protection or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
McAfee Total Protection runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
What is McAfee Total Protection best used for?
McAfee Total Protection is most often used for antivirus, internet security, identity protection. Of those, antivirus and internet security are not what PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
What can McAfee Total Protection do that PlanetScale cannot?
McAfee Total Protection covers Real-time antivirus, Firewall, Safe browsing, Password manager. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

McAfee Total Protection: How much does McAfee Total Protection cost?

McAfee Total Protection introductory pricing ranges from $29.99/year (Basic) to $74.99/year (Advanced), but renewal costs jump to $84.99/year after the first year.

Source
McAfee Total Protection: What is the trial period for McAfee Total Protection?

McAfee offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try the service risk-free for two months.

Source
McAfee Total Protection: How many devices can I protect with one McAfee Total Protection subscription?

Device coverage varies by plan: Basic covers 1 device, while other plans protect 5 to unlimited devices depending on the tier selected.

Source
McAfee Total Protection: Does McAfee Total Protection include VPN?

VPN is included in higher-tier McAfee plans if you opt for auto-renewal.

Source
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