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 Oct 8, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

ESET Endpoint Encryption
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
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
7.9
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Data Protection (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of ESET Endpoint Encryption is 18.2%, up from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft BitLocker is 41.0%, up from 39.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Encryption
 

Featured Reviews

Nobuaki Kitamura - PeerSpot reviewer
An antivirus system that is scalable and stable but needs improvement in pricing and security
ESET Endpoint Encryption works as an antivirus system.  The product is reasonable.  ESET Endpoint Encryption needs to improve pricing and security.  ESET Endpoint Encryption is stable.  The product is scalable. My company has 3000 users.  I haven't used technical support much.  ESET Endpoint…
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

"ESET Endpoint Encryption works as an antivirus system."
"The most valuable feature is that everything is done on the server."
"The setup is getting easier."
"The most valuable feature of ESET Endpoint Encryption is its rate of capturing viruses and malware."
"The initial setup is easy."
"It is very secure and we have finally decided to use this after a thorough check. The interface is easy to navigate."
"The usability is the most valuable feature."
"The most valuable feature of ESET Endpoint Encryption is the high level of encryption protection."
"Microsoft BitLocker's most valuable features are stability and simplicity in terms of usage."
"I like BitLocker because it gives us strong encryption to protect our data."
"It's a straightforward solution for encryption."
"It is free and native to the OS. We don't have to worry about upgrades or maintaining the product. You encrypt the disk, and you save the recovery key. That's it. The person puts their password in, and after that, it is up to them. If they forget their password, they have to bring it in to get it unlocked."
"Microsoft BitLocker is a Microsoft native product that provides good encryption."
"Microsoft BitLocker can be used to ensure that stolen PCs or laptops do not lose their data."
"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."
"The initial setup is very simple."
 

Cons

"I would like more robust reporting as part of the Remote Administrator."
"I would like to see better compatibility with mobile devices."
"There could be an option for users to restart the system without a password."
"The overall compatibility of the device is an area where the solution lacks."
"If you have issues with your network, you can't get updates, which is a problem."
"From an admin perspective, the solution's UI could be more user-friendly."
"Sometimes the server console is very slow, so the performance could be improved."
"There should be more frequent updates."
"The primary aspect for improvement lies in expanding our developer base, which would accelerate the development process and bring these enhancements to fruition"
"In future releases, I would like to see a feature where I can have a view of each device that has BitLocker to see if these machines are encrypted or not. So, I just want a view or a dashboard that can tell us so that I can remediate and add BitLocker to those systems or devices."
"It needs a management console."
"User profiles can be improved so that people can create their own passwords. It has one password per machine, which is a problem. We would prefer each user to have his or her own boot password. Each user can have a username and password or biometrics, such as fingerprints and iris scanner, integrated into the boot process, but I really can't see that coming anytime soon, if ever."
"There are options which could be implemented to make it a little more like PGP Whole Disk Encryption."
"The visualization could be better."
"If the encryption was faster then it would make the experience more pleasant."
"The integration between Active Directory and BitLocker could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Instead of installing ESET on each machine at each location, we just do it remotely. This has been a time saver for us."
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is the lowest and ten is the highest, I rate its pricing a two."
"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."
"Licensing costs are on a yearly basis."
"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."
"The pricing is mid-ranged and could be more cost-effective."
"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."
"BitLocker is included in our license and doesn't cost us anything extra."
"The solution is expensive."
"This solution is included with Microsoft Server and my clients did not have to pay for anything extra."
"Microsoft BitLocker's pricing is fair; I rate it a four out of ten."
"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."
"We didn't pay for additional licenses since the solution is built into Windows."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"The solution is cost efficient."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Endpoint Encryption solutions are best for your needs.
824,053 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
15%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Government
8%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
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
 

Learn More

 

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: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.