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ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs Microsoft BitLocker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 Protection Pl...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
100
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (10th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (6th), Anti-Malware Tools (4th)
Microsoft BitLocker
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
65
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 2.9%, down 3.5% compared to last year.
Microsoft BitLocker, on the other hand, focuses on Endpoint Encryption, holds 41.3% 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

"The most valuable feature of ESET Endpoint Security performance."
"It rarely gets in the way, and we don't even notice it scanning."
"It is pretty easy to deploy. Its update definition file is small, so it can dispatch very quickly within the enterprise. The product itself is very lightweight, so it won't delay your endpoint. You also don't have to do any difficult configuration because it comes with a very good default setting. So, you just install it and forget it."
"It is a scalable solution."
"ESET Endpoint Security is stable, I did not have any issues with it."
"It's light. I almost don't know that I am using it."
"This is a product at the top of its game. That is the reason we choose to support and sell it."
"The pricing is good."
"It is easy to use. It is usually easy to recover someone's privacy. The manageability is much easier than McAfee. I think that Microsoft is a leader in this area. We are in the Microsoft school so our judgment of McAfee will be a little bit unfair as we recommend Microsoft all the time because of the easy manageability and support. I think that McAfee is designed for a different customer and every time we open a ticket with their support, it takes a very, very long time. The main difference is just the manageability and support. In terms of the solution itself or the functionality, I know that McAfee is very strong, but manageability and support, for us, is much more important. It's strengthens the solution for us."
"The most valuable feature is the TPM (Trusted Platform Module), which makes the PC security stronger because somebody who is not from the team cannot access the PC without the decryption PIN."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the protection and ease of use."
"It is an encryption tool and provides security."
"It maintains security on my computer. Since I travel a lot, it gives me confidence that if, for some reason, my computer is lost, my data won't be compromised."
"The initial setup is very simple."
"You can do a silent remote deployment very fast."
"The most valuable feature is the authentication process which is very fast."
 

Cons

"ESET Endpoint Security lacks some advanced functionalities and features which would be useful to be interconnected with the solutions we use, such as Microsoft 365."
"ESET Endpoint Security could improve EDR integration."
"They recently released an EDR integration. I hope they have more AI or intelligence filtering on the EDR events. Even though it has already got AI, but it is quite a different thing. So, they still have room to improve on the EDR part. This is one small piece that they need to improve. Otherwise, it is just fine."
"The solution includes only Intrusion Detection and not IPS, which is an important feature that is missing in my version."
"The interface is good. However, it could always be better. It could be more user-friendly."
"The initial setup of ESET Endpoint Security can be complicated when you get involved with encryption."
"The solution’s console management and scalability should be improved."
"Data Leak Protection is is what we are searching for at the moment. It is not included with ESET."
"The reporting in Microsoft is very minimal."
"The implementation of BitLocker is not simple. There are many prerequisites and hours of study and testing."
"The solution should offer encryption for other items such as shared folders, removable media, etc."
"There are options which could be implemented to make it a little more like PGP Whole Disk Encryption."
"The console GUI could be better."
"The solution’s user interface could be improved."
"It needs a management console."
"The solution should have a better user interface and dashboard."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This solution is a good value for the money."
"There is a license needed to use this solution and there is an annual subscription. The price is inexpensive."
"The price is okay and I don't have any issues with it."
"The cost of the solution is hard to justify even if the EDR operates well."
"The price could be lower, but it's comparable, as other solutions have a similar price for the same effect."
"The price of the solution is reasonable compared to competitors."
"Pricing of ESET Endpoint Security is within the market pricing."
"The price of ESET Endpoint Antivirus could be lower. From a customer's perspective, it is expensive."
"I think it's reasonably priced because I've never heard any complaints from my company about its costs."
"Microsoft BitLocker is a free feature when you are using Microsoft solutions."
"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."
"BitLocker is included in our license and doesn't cost us anything extra."
"It is free. It is enabled as part of the operating system. Once you have an operating system license, you're licensed for Bitlocker."
"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."
"The solution is priced low. I would rate the product's pricing one out of ten."
"The price of this solution should be more competitive."
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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
16%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
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
 

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: February 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.