Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

ESET Endpoint Encryption vs Microsoft BitLocker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

ESET Endpoint Encryption
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft BitLocker
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Data Protection (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of ESET Endpoint Encryption is 19.9%, up from 12.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft BitLocker is 40.9%, up from 39.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Encryption
 

Featured Reviews

Lucky  Lushaba - PeerSpot reviewer
Has an user-friendly UI which even a non-technical person can use
The product should be more responsive regarding feedback if it detects something in our infrastructure. I believe there's a backend that their engineers use to detect viruses in our system. We would appreciate it if they could promptly provide feedback and give us recommendations on how to better protect our infrastructure beyond their system. Additionally, we hope for improved integration with the other systems we currently use. It would be beneficial if they could collaborate to create something that facilitates integration between these systems.
Douglas Curry - PeerSpot reviewer
Users can easily deploy and manage it
The solution's most valuable feature is that it is simple to deploy and manage. I can't say what features of the tool I like since it is very much a deploy-and-forget product. We don't use any advanced features of the tool in my company. The tool's recovery options are good, especially since it integrates with Active Directory, making everything a simple process. The product's integration capabilities are good.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The setup is getting easier."
"The initial setup is easy."
"The usability is the most valuable feature."
"The most valuable feature is that everything is done on the server."
"ESET Endpoint Encryption works as an antivirus system."
"The tool does not slow down the computer."
"This solution can be centrally managed."
"The most valuable feature of ESET Endpoint Encryption is its rate of capturing viruses and malware."
"We use Microsoft BitLocker for our endpoints, including laptops."
"The solution's most valuable feature is that it is simple to deploy and manage."
"I liked the way it works with our Microsoft tools. As we roll out Intune, we can validate if the device has been encrypted, and if not, we can push it down. It is pretty simple to deploy."
"There's a lot of manageability within the solution. This is very helpful."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the protection and ease of use."
"The hard drive encryption is very good."
"While it helps mitigate unauthorized data access by enhancing file and system protection through encryption, the tool is really enhanced with the combination of other Microsoft Security and Compliance features like data labeling."
"One significant aspect is that without the BitLocker key, you can't log in to the user's laptop. I appreciate the capability to encrypt the user's hard drive, ensuring access only with the recovery key. In an enterprise setup, we store all BitLocker keys on our server. So, whenever a user attempts to log in, the architecture authenticates with the key. This ensures that our data is secure. Even if the user's laptop is lost, we have confidence that the data remains inaccessible. So far, our user data is well-protected."
 

Cons

"From an admin perspective, the solution's UI could be more user-friendly."
"The initial setup could be made easier."
"ESET Endpoint Encryption needs to improve pricing and security."
"There could be an option for users to restart the system without a password."
"There should be more frequent updates."
"Integration with central management needs improvement."
"I would like to see better compatibility with mobile devices."
"Sometimes the server console is very slow, so the performance could be improved."
"The biggest one for us is revoking access. So, even though someone downloads something to a device, we want the ability to cloak that device or data and bring it back or make that data unusable for that person. Currently, BitLocker doesn't give us that ability. It basically encrypts it. We're seeing if identity management or IAM allows us to do that. We're kind of looking at third-party software that does that for us."
"The pricing should be improved."
"The visualization could be better."
"I often have to make multiple attempts to log in."
"The solution should offer encryption for other items such as shared folders, removable media, etc."
"It's possible that the time it takes to pull items in to BitLocker could be reduced a bit."
"If integration with Active Directory are not mandatory for him, I think that there are many other solutions in the market that equal or are much stronger than Microsoft."
"I would like to be able to encrypt our cloud tenancy."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The National University System dedicates 500 of their 5000 licenses to us, which is $14/yr per device. Most companies are paying $99 or $120 per device a year."
"Instead of installing ESET on each machine at each location, we just do it remotely. This has been a time saver for us."
"We paid for an annual subscription, and it was reasonable."
"There are some inexpensive products compared to ESET Endpoint Encryption, but they lack the essential features."
"ESET Endpoint Encryption is moderately priced."
"It is neither very expensive, nor cheap. Overall it is affordable and there is a long term arrangement between our company and the solution providers for license."
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is the lowest and ten is the highest, I rate its pricing a two."
"Licensing costs are on a yearly basis."
"I don't know the costs. In terms of Microsoft licensing, we are at E3 on the business, and we're in the process of pricing out and moving to E5. So, a lot of this is included within our licensing agreements."
"It is a totally free solution."
"It operates on a subscription model on an annual basis."
"We didn't pay for additional licenses since the solution is built into Windows."
"The solution is priced low. I would rate the product's pricing one out of ten."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"We can activate the product at no cost."
"The cost of this solution is bundled in with part of the subscription for the Microsoft Cloud. We have users subscribed to Enterprise E5 and it comes with E5"
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Endpoint Encryption solutions are best for your needs.
841,004 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Answers from the Community

TK
Jan 11, 2022
Jan 11, 2022
Are you in a regulated industry? If so using the native BitLocker is not enough to prove compliance. You will need to use something like BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM) which is part of MDOP (Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack) or another tool that will manage Bitlocker and give you proof the device is encrypted in the event of a lost or stolen device. You also need to enforc...
See 2 answers
MB
Jan 11, 2022
I guess the solution depends upon a couple of things for us and how we currently approach this for our clients.   We have both in place around a variety of small clients. As 99% of our systems have Windows Pro, they have BitLocker, therefore this would now be the first choice.   However, if the client requires centralised management and control we would then advise ESET.  And that is the core to this for us, if they need central management, control, recovery - ESET every time.   If it is just encryption and there is no need to control/recover and a simple reformat would work (and loss of history/data is not an issue), then BitLocker is ok.
James OConnor - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 11, 2022
Are you in a regulated industry?  If so using the native BitLocker is not enough to prove compliance.  You will need to use something like BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM) which is part of MDOP (Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack) or another tool that will manage Bitlocker and give you proof the device is encrypted in the event of a lost or stolen device.  You also need to enforce secure password management, user training on passwords and regular password changes. If you have Microsoft 365 Business premium you have additional controls over Bitlocker; or, M365 E3/E5, Windows Enterprise E3/E5 all have MDOP... Other Bitlocker management can be found with SOPHOS and I believe TrendMicro as well. Another tool to consider, especially for laptops, is ABSOLUTE software.  It is built into the BIOS of the major laptop brands and just needs the key to activate it... Also, ESET is a quality product for encryption.  It gives you additional options for less than some of the Microsoft alternatives.   BitLocker is just not FREE if you are in a regulated industry since it needs management to truly be secure the device and prove compliance. I hope some of this helps.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Government
7%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with ESET Endpoint Encryption?
The product should be more responsive regarding feedback if it detects something in our infrastructure. I believe there's a backend that their engineers use to detect viruses in our system. We woul...
What should one take into account when replacing PGP with Microsoft BitLocker?
Beware to make backup of useful data, then use reverse decryption policy from Symantec panel/McAfee ePO to decrypt the DE partitions while it is sometimes more straightforward and faster to reinsta...
Would you choose Microsoft BitLocker or McAfee Complete Data Protection?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protection....
How does Microsoft BitLocker compare with Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and it successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protecti...
 

Also Known As

No data available
BitLocker, MS BitLocker
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CCS Media Limited, Mercury Engineering, Unigarant, Pinewood Healthcare
ACV, Proaxis Therapy, Choice Hotels International, adnymics GmbH, Intermedia, NMBS/SNCB
Find out what your peers are saying about ESET Endpoint Encryption vs. Microsoft BitLocker and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
841,004 professionals have used our research since 2012.