Software · head to head
McAfee Total Protection vs Sublime Text

McAfee Total Protection
Software
Award-winning antivirus trusted by millions
- From
- $29.99/year
- Rated
- -

Sublime Text
Software
A sophisticated text editor for code, markup and prose
- From
- $99/one-time
- Rated
- -
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); Sublime Text a personal licence is $99 as a one off purchase but includes only 3 years of updates, after which a paid upgrade is required to keep receiving them
- They diverge on capability: McAfee Total Protection covers Real-time antivirus, Sublime Text covers Lightning fast performance.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which McAfee Total Protection and Sublime Text actually diverge.
| Attribute | McAfee Total Protection | Sublime Text |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29.99/year | $99/one-time |
| Pricing model | Unknown | one-time |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows, Macos, Linux |
| Founded | 1987 | 2007 |
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 Sublime Text
- Lightning fast performance
- Multiple selections
- Command palette
- Instant project switch
- Plugin ecosystem
- Customizable UI
- Advanced search and replace
- Split editing
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
McAfee Total Protection
- Antivirusnot Sublime Text
- Internet Securitynot Sublime Text
- Identity Protectionnot Sublime Text
Sublime Text
- Editing code and text files in a fast native desktop editornot McAfee Total Protection
- Working across large files and projects with multi cursor editingnot 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
Sublime Text
- A personal licence is $99 as a one off purchase but includes only 3 years of updates, after which a paid upgrade is required to keep receiving them
- Business use is a separate annual subscription rather than a perpetual licence, starting at $65 per seat per year
- The distinction means the same editor is perpetual for an individual and subscription for a company
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
Sublime Text
$99/one-time- Personal License$99/one-time
- 3 years of updates
- All current features
- Cross-platform license
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.
Choose Sublime Text if
- You need lightning fast performance.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
- You also want multiple selections.
Questions people ask
- Is McAfee Total Protection or Sublime Text better?
- Neither clearly leads. McAfee Total Protection starts at $29.99/year and Sublime Text at $99/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, McAfee Total Protection or Sublime Text?
- McAfee Total Protection starts at $29.99/year and Sublime Text at $99/one-time.
- Does McAfee Total Protection or Sublime Text run on more platforms?
- McAfee Total Protection runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Sublime Text runs on Windows, Macos, Linux.
- 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 Sublime Text is typically brought in for.
- What can McAfee Total Protection do that Sublime Text cannot?
- McAfee Total Protection covers Real-time antivirus, Firewall, Safe browsing, Password manager. Sublime Text covers Lightning fast performance, Multiple selections, Command palette, Instant project switch.
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.
SourceMcAfee 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.
SourceMcAfee 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.
SourceMcAfee Total Protection: Does McAfee Total Protection include VPN?
VPN is included in higher-tier McAfee plans if you opt for auto-renewal.
SourceRelated pages
More on McAfee Total Protection
More on Sublime Text
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- Sublime Text vs Norton 360
- Sublime Text vs Kaspersky Total Security
- Sublime Text vs Mullvad VPN
- Sublime Text vs Private Internet Access
- Sublime Text vs Windscribe
- Sublime Text vs Avast One
- Sublime Text vs CrowdStrike Falcon
- Sublime Text vs CyberGhost VPN
- Sublime Text vs ESET NOD32 Antivirus
- Sublime Text vs ExpressVPN
- Sublime Text vs IVPN
- Sublime Text vs Malwarebytes
- Sublime Text vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Sublime Text vs Microsoft Intune
- Sublime Text vs NordVPN
- Sublime Text vs ProtonVPN
- Sublime Text vs Semgrep
- Sublime Text vs Asana
- Sublime Text vs ClickUp
- Sublime Text vs Linear
- Sublime Text vs Figma
- Sublime Text vs Notion
- Sublime Text vs Monday.com
- Sublime Text vs Greenhouse
- Sublime Text vs PostHog
- Sublime Text vs Amplitude
- Sublime Text vs Datadog
- Sublime Text vs Okta
- Sublime Text vs PyCharm
- Sublime Text vs Sketch
- Sublime Text vs Auth0
- Sublime Text vs Dashlane
- Sublime Text vs Docker
- Sublime Text vs LaunchDarkly
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