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ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs Microsoft BitLocker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

ESET Endpoint Protection Pl...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (12th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (6th), Anti-Malware Tools (3rd)
Microsoft BitLocker
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Encryption (1st), Mobile Data Protection (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Endpoint Security solutions, they serve different purposes. ESET Endpoint Protection Platform is designed for Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) and holds a mindshare of 3.1%, down 3.5% compared to last year.
Microsoft BitLocker, on the other hand, focuses on Endpoint Encryption, holds 40.5% mindshare, up 39.8% since last year.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
Endpoint Encryption
 

Featured Reviews

ManojNair2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to set up with good security and rapidly improving capabilities
In terms of stability, the performance parameters do come into play. It's good on the regular office front, however, on the development side, if somebody is using it in a development environment, they need to make some configuration changes in terms of what directories should be excluded from the real-time scanning. I had to do that kind of stuff. I don't do that with the Microsoft product, for example. It runs, and it scans the entire system with no issues. The solution is stable. Regular updates were available in the product versions. They were updated, and they gave regular signature updates also so that the product checked all the boxes.
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

"There are some great features in ESET Endpoint Antivirus when you are browsing on the internet. For example, they have a notification if within your LAN network something is suspected to be a threat. Additionally, the malware features are very good."
"The most valuable features of ESET Endpoint Antivirus are the search engine, easy firewall setup, and ransomware scans."
"The software and hardware inventory that you can create by using the console is valuable. It is also very light on hardware resources."
"The stability is good."
"I have found ESET Endpoint Antivirus is light on system resources compared with other antivirus solutions that tend to be very heavy on the computers system resources. Additionally, the solution is very secure."
"The solution has a very good endpoint feature."
"ESET Endpoint Security's best feature is that it's invisible until it detects a problem."
"It's light. I almost don't know that I am using it."
"The solution's most valuable feature is that it is simple to deploy and manage."
"The manageability of it is a valuable feature."
"The platform provides good performance."
"The ease of use is the most valuable feature. The ability to import data to build your frontend on top of the data is very simple and very useable."
"The solution is included in Windows 11."
"The initial setup is very simple."
"The best thing about it is the encryption type and the way it requires TPM when someone tries to access the drive."
"BitLocker is completely stable."
 

Cons

"The tool needs to explore security possibilities to secure iOS and Mac devices."
"It's not scalable in that you cannot use a license for multiple devices."
"The detection could be better in ESET Endpoint Security. Sometimes it takes time to detect threats and might be because it's not holding all the memory. There are some features that have to mature. More features might be available in the higher-end product."
"They need to improve licensing for VMs. When ESET is uninstalled from a VM, the seat stays on the license management server. We have to manually delete the seat from that server because it doesn't know how to handle it. I contacted exclusive ESET support here in Croatia and they told me there is no solution for this yet."
"The solution can improve the modules, and it is lacking centralized management and visibility of the endpoints."
"ESET Endpoint Antivirus can improve by having better EDR intelligence and automation. The EDR still needs lots of human interpretation. It can be better if add more intelligence to the EDR part of the endpoint protection."
"The user interface of ESET Endpoint Security could be more user-friendly and more features could be added."
"They could improve the solution by adding better ransomware features."
"It is not good for cross-compatibility, so our Mac users are not able to use it."
"The reporting in Microsoft is very minimal."
"The primary aspect for improvement lies in expanding our developer base, which would accelerate the development process and bring these enhancements to fruition"
"Lacks a portal that can be managed rather than just existing."
"Microsoft BitLocker needs to be an all-inclusive solution. For example, a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) cryptoprocessor is required to use Bitlocker with your computer which keeps Bitlocker from adoption beyond Windows."
"The initial setup is complex."
"They should offer better login capabilities that are more secure."
"The visualization could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I think it's available for a pretty fair price. If you know how to use it, then it's a very fair price for what you get."
"The price of ESET Endpoint Security is affordable."
"Its price is fair. If we compare it with any other retail product, it is a little harder to compete with."
"It is subjective. I don't think it is expensive. If you can have 10 user licenses for less than $100, I don't think it is expensive."
"There is a license needed to use this solution and there is an annual subscription. The price is inexpensive."
"It is not expensive; the pricing model is fine."
"For 200 or so users, it might cost around $10,000 or so. That is for a first-time purchase. A renewal may come in at $7,000 to $8,000, or around 20% to 30% less. This is a rough estimate of what to expect."
"This is not an expensive solution."
"It is a totally free solution."
"For reasons unknown, Microsoft products seem to be getting more expensive."
"It's not about pricing, because we are working with Enterprise companies that already have Windows Enterprise, so BitLocker comes already included as a Windows feature. It's free for Enterprise users. The price is only for deployment. The customer will pay for McAfee, however."
"The solution is priced low. I would rate the product's pricing one out of ten."
"We can activate the product at no cost."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
"It operates on a subscription model on an annual basis."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
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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
17%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Educational Organization
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 do you like most about ESET Endpoint Security?
ESET Endpoint Security’s most valuable feature is the management console.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ESET Endpoint Security?
I rate the product’s pricing a three out of ten. It is neither cheap nor expensive for our clients. We use the free version, and there are no additional costs involved.
What needs improvement with ESET Endpoint Security?
The product’s AI implementation feature could be better for learning user behavior. There could be a feature to detect unsecured devices in the network similar to its older version. We need additio...
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

Smart Security, ESET PROTECT Advanced, ESET LiveGuard Advanced, ESET PROTECT Platform
BitLocker, MS BitLocker
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ERSTE Group Bank, Miller Solutions, Wesleyan University, The Hospital Center of Luxembourg, Deer Valley USD, SPAR, Industrial Federal Credit Union, Honda, City Hall of Palmela, Hays CISD, Lester B Pearson School Board
ACV, Proaxis Therapy, Choice Hotels International, adnymics GmbH, Intermedia, NMBS/SNCB
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, SentinelOne, CrowdStrike and others in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP). Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.