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No. McAfee and AVG are separate security brands with different corporate owners. AVG is part of Gen Digital, the company formed after Avast and NortonLifeLock merged; McAfee was acquired separately by an investor group led by Advent International and Permira. That ownership history does not establish whether the products have the same features or performance.
Who owns AVG and McAfee?
AVG belongs to Gen Digital through a chain of corporate transactions. McAfee is separate from that chain.
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| Brand | Corporate relationship | What the record establishes |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Part of Gen Digital, through Avast | Avast acquired AVG in 2016. Avast later merged with NortonLifeLock, and the resulting company became Gen Digital. Avast’s 2016 announcement; Gen Digital’s SEC filing; Avast’s company history. |
| McAfee | Separate from Gen Digital | An investor group led by Advent International and Permira completed its acquisition of McAfee in 2022, in a transaction separate from the one that formed Gen Digital. McAfee’s acquisition announcement. |
How did AVG become part of Gen Digital?
Avast acquired AVG in 2016
Avast said the two companies would operate as one company from October 3, 2016, while continuing to offer and support products under both the AVG and Avast names. That announcement establishes a corporate combination and continued separate branding; it does not say every product was identical. Avast’s 2016 announcement.
Avast later became part of Gen Digital
Gen’s SEC filing says the merger with Avast closed on September 12, 2022, and the company took the name Gen Digital Inc. Avast’s current company history lists AVG among the brands within Gen. Gen’s SEC filing; Avast’s company history.
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Does shared ownership mean AVG and Avast are the same antivirus?
No conclusion about product equivalence follows from ownership alone. The companies’ public materials establish that the AVG and Avast brands continued after their corporate combination, but do not establish that their applications use identical code or have the same features, prices, or independent test results. AVG’s product privacy notice lists AVG Antivirus Free and AVG Internet Security as official product names; it was updated August 26, 2026. AVG product privacy notice.
AVG and Avast privacy pages place their products under Gen group privacy documentation. Both identify Avast Software s.r.o. as the controller for their products in the European Economic Area (EEA), unless otherwise stipulated by contract. This supports shared legal infrastructure in that context, but should not be generalized to every region or agreement. AVG privacy page; Avast privacy policy.
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- THREAT DETECTION – Stay one step ahead. Suspicious links, risky sites, viruses, and scams, caught automatically before they reach you.
- PERSONAL INFO PROTECTION – Keep your personal info safer. Identity monitoring watches for your exposed info and tells you what to do about it.
- SECURE CONNECTIONS – Just a few easy clicks, and we'll automatically protect your info on public Wi‑Fi, every time you connect.
- GUIDED ACTION – Know what matters and what to do next. Clear alerts and simple guidance make it easy to take action.
- MORE THAN ANTIVIRUS – Scam protection, identity monitoring, VPN, web protection, and antivirus work together to protect you, all in one place.
How should you compare AVG and McAfee?
Ownership answers who sits behind a brand; it does not determine which antivirus is the better fit. Compare the specific products and terms available to you, not just the company names.
- Check which features are included in the exact plan you are considering.
- Confirm supported operating systems and the number of devices covered.
- Compare the price and renewal terms for your country.
- Look for recent independent test results that cover the products and versions you intend to use.
- Read the relevant privacy notice for your region and product.
McAfee announced a new connected security experience on September 29, 2026, and described it as available in the United States across platforms and devices. That is a vendor-reported, U.S.-specific product statement, not a comparison with AVG. McAfee’s announcement.
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- THREAT DETECTION – Stay one step ahead. Suspicious links, risky sites, viruses, and scams, caught automatically before they reach you.
- PERSONAL INFO PROTECTION – Keep your personal info safer. Identity monitoring watches for your exposed info and tells you what to do about it.
- SECURE CONNECTIONS – Just a few easy clicks, and we'll automatically protect your info on public Wi‑Fi, every time you connect.
- GUIDED ACTION – Know what matters and what to do next. Clear alerts and simple guidance make it easy to take action.
- MORE THAN ANTIVIRUS – Scam protection, identity monitoring, VPN, web protection, and antivirus work together to protect you, all in one place.
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- THREAT DETECTION – Stay one step ahead. Suspicious links, risky sites, viruses, and scams, caught automatically before they reach you.
- PERSONAL INFO PROTECTION – Keep your personal info safer. Identity monitoring watches for your exposed info and tells you what to do about it.
- SECURE CONNECTIONS – Just a few easy clicks, and we'll automatically protect your info on public Wi‑Fi, every time you connect.
- GUIDED ACTION – Know what matters and what to do next. Clear alerts and simple guidance make it easy to take action.
- MORE THAN ANTIVIRUS – Scam protection, identity monitoring, VPN, web protection, and antivirus work together to protect you, all in one place.
Rank #3
- THREAT DETECTION – Stay one step ahead. Suspicious links, risky sites, viruses, and scams, caught automatically before they reach you.
- PERSONAL INFO PROTECTION – Keep your personal info safer. Identity monitoring watches for your exposed info and tells you what to do about it.
- SECURE CONNECTIONS – Just a few easy clicks, and we'll automatically protect your info on public Wi‑Fi, every time you connect.
- GUIDED ACTION – Know what matters and what to do next. Clear alerts and simple guidance make it easy to take action.
- MORE THAN ANTIVIRUS – Scam protection, identity monitoring, VPN, web protection, and antivirus work together to protect you, all in one place.
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