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Cybersecurity · head to head

McAfee Total Protection vs Sweep

McAfee Total Protection logo

McAfee Total Protection

Cybersecurity

Award-winning antivirus trusted by millions

From
$29.99/year
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Sweep logo

Sweep

Developer Tools

AI coding assistant for JetBrains IDEs

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Sweep has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: McAfee Total Protection significant renewal price increase after first year (from $29.99 to $84.99/year); Sweep limited to JetBrains IDEs only, not available for VS Code or other editors
  • They diverge on capability: McAfee Total Protection covers Real-time antivirus, Sweep covers Autocomplete.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where McAfee Total Protection and Sweep differ
AttributeMcAfee Total ProtectionSweep
Starting price$29.99/yearFree
Pricing modelUnknownFreemium with paid tiers
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOS, AndroidJetBrains IDEs
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools
Founded19872023

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Sweep

  • Autocomplete
  • AI Agent
  • Full codebase indexing
  • Code review functionality
  • Multi-IDE support
  • GitHub integration

What people use each for

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

McAfee Total Protection

  • Antivirusnot Sweep
  • Internet Securitynot Sweep
  • Identity Protectionnot Sweep

Sweep

  • Accelerating code completion for JetBrains developersnot McAfee Total Protection
  • Automating refactoring tasks across codebasesnot McAfee Total Protection
  • Handling bug fixes with full repository contextnot McAfee Total Protection
  • Code review and quality assurancenot 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

Sweep

  • Limited to JetBrains IDEs only, not available for VS Code or other editors
  • Free tier limited to 1,000 autocompletes per month
  • API credit consumption varies by feature usage
  • Performance dependent on codebase size and indexing quality

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

Sweep

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1,000 autocompletes
    • 5 USD API credits included
    • All JetBrains IDEs supported
  • Pro$20/month
    • Unlimited autocomplete
    • Higher API credit allocation
    • Priority support
  • Ultra$60/month
    • Unlimited autocomplete
    • Maximum API credit allocation
    • Extended context window

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 Sweep if

  • You need autocomplete.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on JetBrains IDEs.
  • You also want ai agent.
Sweep review

Questions people ask

Is McAfee Total Protection or Sweep better?
Neither clearly leads. McAfee Total Protection starts at $29.99/year and Sweep at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, McAfee Total Protection or Sweep?
Sweep has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.99/year for McAfee Total Protection and Free for Sweep.
Does McAfee Total Protection or Sweep run on more platforms?
McAfee Total Protection runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Sweep runs on JetBrains IDEs.
Can I use Sweep for free?
Yes. Sweep has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. McAfee Total Protection starts at $29.99/year.
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 Sweep is typically brought in for.
What can McAfee Total Protection do that Sweep cannot?
McAfee Total Protection covers Real-time antivirus, Firewall, Safe browsing, Password manager. Sweep covers Autocomplete, AI Agent, Full codebase indexing, Code review functionality.

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
Sweep: What programming languages does Sweep support?

Sweep works with all programming languages supported by JetBrains IDEs, including Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, Kotlin, C++, and many others.

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
Sweep: Does Sweep retain my code data?

No. Sweep is SOC 2 Type II certified with zero data retention. Code is processed for suggestions but not stored.

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
Sweep: Can I cancel my Sweep subscription anytime?

Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings with no long-term commitments or cancellation fees.

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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