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Security & Cybersecurity · head to head

McAfee Total Protection vs Tana

McAfee Total Protection logo

McAfee Total Protection

Security & Cybersecurity

Award-winning antivirus trusted by millions

From
$29.99/year
Rated
-
Tana logo

Tana

Productivity

The everything app for your personal workspace

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Tana 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); Tana the free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries
  • They diverge on capability: McAfee Total Protection covers Real-time antivirus, Tana covers Outliner interface.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where McAfee Total Protection and Tana differ
AttributeMcAfee Total ProtectionTana
Starting price$29.99/yearFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOS, AndroidWeb, Desktop
CategorySecurity & CybersecurityProductivity
Founded19872020

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 Tana

  • Outliner interface
  • Supertags
  • Live queries
  • AI integration
  • Graph views
  • Email capture
  • API
  • Zapier

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Desktop support
  • English language support

What people use each for

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

McAfee Total Protection

  • Antivirusnot Tana
  • Internet Securitynot Tana
  • Identity Protectionnot Tana

Tana

  • Structured note taking with a graph based supertag data modelnot McAfee Total Protection
  • Automatic meeting capture with AI transcripts and summariesnot McAfee Total Protection
  • Turning notes into queryable structured databasesnot 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

Tana

  • The free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries
  • The free plan connects only 1 calendar and allows 50 AI queries
  • Pro is $30 per user per month at standard price, with $20 shown as an early bird rate
  • Max is $120 per user per month at standard price, with $80 shown as an early bird rate
  • Integrations and full MCP require the Pro plan
  • Dedicated support and onboarding, and unlimited agents, skills and types, require the Max plan
  • The Business plan is custom priced, billed yearly and has no published rate
  • The free trial runs 30 days

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

Tana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core features
    • Supertags
    • Searches
  • Pro$10/month
    • Advanced AI
    • Priority support
    • Extended history

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 Tana if

  • You need outliner interface.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want supertags.

Questions people ask

Is McAfee Total Protection or Tana better?
Neither clearly leads. McAfee Total Protection starts at $29.99/year and Tana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, McAfee Total Protection or Tana?
Tana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.99/year for McAfee Total Protection and Free for Tana.
Does McAfee Total Protection or Tana run on more platforms?
McAfee Total Protection runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Tana runs on Web, Desktop.
Can I use Tana for free?
Yes. Tana 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 Tana is typically brought in for.
What can McAfee Total Protection do that Tana cannot?
McAfee Total Protection covers Real-time antivirus, Firewall, Safe browsing, Password manager. Tana covers Outliner interface, Supertags, Live queries, AI integration. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support, Desktop support, English language 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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