Is McAfee profitable in 2026?

McAfee's preliminary Q4 FY2025 revenue was about $626 million, little changed year over year, with adjusted EBITDA of $292 million, down about 1% YoY, per figures released early to lenders on 2026-02-18 amid AI disruption jitters dubbed 'SaaSpocalypse'.

McAfee is privately held. An investor group led by Advent International and Permira, alongside Crosspoint Capital, CPP Investments, GIC, and ADIA, took it private on 2022-03-01 at $26 per share, a deal valued around $14 billion enterprise value.

Could AI replace McAfee's core product?

McAfee's legacy antivirus is increasingly commoditized as Microsoft Defender, Apple, and Google ship equivalent AI-driven scam and deepfake detection free at the OS level; McAfee itself launched its AI Scam Detector at CES on 2025-01-06 to compete on the same feature set.

How much debt does McAfee carry from its buyout?

The 2022 take-private was financed with roughly $9.97 billion in debt, including a $6.95 billion first-lien term loan, a $1 billion revolver, and $2.02 billion in senior notes, arranged via Davis Polk and closed 2022-03-01.

Who is McAfee's biggest competitor?

Gen Digital, which owns Norton, Avast, Avira, and AVG, is McAfee's closest consumer subscription-security rival, while Bitdefender is another named direct comparator; Microsoft Defender and Apple/Google native security are eroding standalone antivirus demand industry-wide.

Has McAfee made any acquisitions recently?

In November 2025, McAfee acquired the consumer privacy app SayMine from Israeli firm MineOS for an undisclosed sum reported to be in the tens of millions, marking McAfee's first Israeli tech deal in over a decade, with the product folded into its consumer platform.

Cybersecurity companies · United States

McAfee

mcafee.com ↗

Consumer antivirus and identity protection software, owned by private equity since 2022.

Losing its protection

Assessed 21 July 2026 · Evidence as of 21 July 2026

The structural protection is eroding.

On the recordSince 21 July 2026 · Checkable from 2026-2027 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: PE ownership hits 4+ years with ~$10B debt load approaching refinancing decisions

The call

McAfee still collects steady subscription cash through OEM bundles and renewal inertia, while free platform security and heavy debt quietly narrow its room to maneuver.

McAfee sells antivirus and online security software, but most people now get similar protection free from their phone or computer maker. Microsoft Defender, Apple, and Google have spent years making their built-in security better and better, which makes it harder for McAfee to convince people to pay for separate software. The company is also carrying heavy debt from a buyout years ago, so if more customers cancel their subscriptions or computer makers stop pre-installing McAfee, the company could face real trouble refinancing that debt in the next couple of years.

Why

AI pressure: Microsoft Defender, Apple, Google built-in scam and deepfake detection. Platform makers copy McAfee's AI scam/deepfake detectors and give them away free at the OS level. Could AI do the core job? Yes, likely.

Bigger players: Microsoft, Apple, Google. Free, good-enough security bundled into Windows, iOS, and Android keeps eating standalone antivirus demand. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.

What protects it. OEM pre-install deals (HP, others) and auto-renewal subscriber inertia still generate steady cash today.

What would change this call

HP or Dell reduces McAfee pre-install bundling on new PCs in 2026. shows the OEM distribution moat is weakening.
McAfee subscriber counts or renewal rates reported flat or declining in 2026-2027 filings. confirms attrition tied to free platform-native security.
McAfee refinances or restructures its roughly $10B debt within the next year. reveals whether the PE-era leverage is becoming distressed.

Key numbers

Q4 FY2025 revenue ~$626M, flat YoY (2026 preliminary)
~$10B debt from 2022 take-private (2022-03-01)
Headcount down 10.8% to 3,769 (2025-12)

Named risks

~$10B in 2022 acquisition debt amid credit-market jitters over AI-driven software disruption (Feb 2026). Severity: high
Core antivirus commoditized by free OS-native security from Microsoft, Apple, Google. Severity: high
Sector-wide FTC scrutiny of subscription auto-renewal practices could hit renewal-dependent model. Severity: medium
PE sponsors over 4 years into hold, raising odds of refinancing or dividend recap unfavorable to non-sponsor stakeholders. Severity: medium
Conflicting third-party revenue and headcount data create uncertainty about true company scale. Severity: low

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
Microsoft (Windows Defender)	gaining on	Free OS-native security bundled with Windows, eroding standalone AV demand, ongoing through 2026
Apple and Google	gaining on	Built-in device security and scam detection ship free at OS level, reducing need for third-party AV
Gen Digital (Norton, Avast, Avira, AVG)	contesting	Closest consumer subscription-security rival competing for the same DTC subscriber base
Bitdefender	contesting	Named direct market comparator in consumer security subscription space

Questions people ask

Is McAfee profitable in 2026?: McAfee's preliminary Q4 FY2025 revenue was about $626 million, little changed year over year, with adjusted EBITDA of $292 million, down about 1% YoY, per figures released early to lenders on 2026-02-18 amid AI disruption jitters dubbed 'SaaSpocalypse'.
Who owns McAfee now?: McAfee is privately held. An investor group led by Advent International and Permira, alongside Crosspoint Capital, CPP Investments, GIC, and ADIA, took it private on 2022-03-01 at $26 per share, a deal valued around $14 billion enterprise value.
Could AI replace McAfee's core product?: McAfee's legacy antivirus is increasingly commoditized as Microsoft Defender, Apple, and Google ship equivalent AI-driven scam and deepfake detection free at the OS level; McAfee itself launched its AI Scam Detector at CES on 2025-01-06 to compete on the same feature set.
How much debt does McAfee carry from its buyout?: The 2022 take-private was financed with roughly $9.97 billion in debt, including a $6.95 billion first-lien term loan, a $1 billion revolver, and $2.02 billion in senior notes, arranged via Davis Polk and closed 2022-03-01.
Who is McAfee's biggest competitor?: Gen Digital, which owns Norton, Avast, Avira, and AVG, is McAfee's closest consumer subscription-security rival, while Bitdefender is another named direct comparator; Microsoft Defender and Apple/Google native security are eroding standalone antivirus demand industry-wide.
Has McAfee made any acquisitions recently?: In November 2025, McAfee acquired the consumer privacy app SayMine from Israeli firm MineOS for an undisclosed sum reported to be in the tens of millions, marking McAfee's first Israeli tech deal in over a decade, with the product folded into its consumer platform.

Timeline

2026-03-12Former CEO Peter Leav joins Motorola Solutions board as TPG senior advisor
2026-02-18McAfee releases preliminary Q4 FY2025 earnings early to calm lenders amid AI disruption fears
2025-11-24Acquires consumer privacy app SayMine from Israeli firm MineOS for tens of millions
2025-10-15Scam Detector wins Best Use of AI in Cybersecurity award, claims 96% deepfake accuracy
2025-01-06Launches AI-powered Scam Detector at CES, bundled into McAfee+
2025-01-02Deepfake Detector preinstalled on select HP OmniBook Copilot+ AI PCs
2024-07Craig Boundy named President and CEO, succeeding Greg Johnson
2022-10Announces partnership with Visa to bundle cybersecurity for cardholders
2022-03-01Advent International and Permira-led group completes take-private at $26 a share, ~$14B
2021-11-08Advent-Permira consortium announces deal to take McAfee private for ~$14 billion

Revision history

21 July 2026

First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

In the same band

Seqrite Meiya Pico NSFOCUS