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ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

ESET Endpoint Protection Pl...
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (12th), Anti-Malware Tools (3rd)
Microsoft Defender for Offi...
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
45
Ranking in other categories
Email Security (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) category, the mindshare of ESET Endpoint Protection Platform is 5.5%, down from 9.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 12.9%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
 

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.
Luis-Brown - PeerSpot reviewer
Allows for easy reporting of problems, valuable anti-phishing, and anti-malware support
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 lacks proactivity in assisting us with preparing for potential threats before they occur. While they employ a substantial amount of threat intelligence to preemptively prevent incidents, their effectiveness diminishes when it comes to delivering proactive threat intelligence alerts from Microsoft. Their focus primarily revolves around managing the internal environment. On the other hand, my other vendor, Check Point, along with my membership in MS-ISAC, supplements me with this type of information. The phishing and spam filters could use some improvement. It is adequate, but it doesn't match the quality of Proofpoint or Mimecast. However, it comes close in effectiveness. Plus, if we're obtaining it for free, investing in the other products seems impractical.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"ESET is the fastest solution on the market. It's also highly reliable. On top of the base configuration, you can set it to respond to events such as ransomware detection with network isolation and other automatic tasks. Our customers prefer ESET because it's reliable, fast, and light on system resources."
"It's light. I almost don't know that I am using it."
"ESET Endpoint Security's best feature is that it's invisible until it detects a problem."
"ESET Endpoint Security is stable, I did not have any issues with it."
"The overall security capability of the product is pretty reliable."
"The solution has a very good endpoint feature."
"I like everything about ESET Endpoint Security, and as an installer, it's very easy to install the solution, but the most important feature is that it helps defend against any virus. When the virus comes, ESET Endpoint Security stops it."
"I like the integration; it lets you see the product installed on a particular computer."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 has improved my organization's security. It makes it easier to manage the infrastructure without the help of third-party applications."
"Since we have started using the solution, there have been fewer compromises."
"The product is not resource-intensive."
"The deployment capability is a great feature."
"At the moment we are satisfied with this product. It's a stable, scalable, and resilient solution for us."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 helps people to work remotely. It is a secure solution. We don't need to use our company's computers or get VPN connections to the networks. I can control how they share screens and what they send to the devices. It keeps our organizations confidential and sensitive information safe."
"The initial setup is straightforward. You just add the license, click it, and then you can set up the rules. It is quite simple."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a stable solution."
 

Cons

"The solution should offer more security surrounding blacklisted websites."
"The migration between on-prem and cloud has room for improvement."
"ESET's updates are mostly manual. That's my biggest concern. I'd like it to be more automatic. I've had to download the new version and run it manually to install it. I've got several workstations like that right now."
"A few times, we have had problems with downloading an agent. We had to try multiple times and multiple uploads."
"ESET Endpoint Antivirus could improve the mobile device experience by having more coverage."
"In terms of areas for improvement, I didn't see any from ESET Endpoint Security because what's important is that it works as an antivirus solution. I do find its pricing expensive here in Hungary, so if the price could be lower, that would be good. ESET Endpoint Security is an antivirus, so it only needs to stop the virus. If it had other features, I wouldn't need it. Every program or solution has specific functions and in this case, ESET Endpoint Security is worth it as an antivirus, though in the next release of the solution, it would be better if there's some improvement in its antivirus database."
"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 could improve by having higher-level security and reporting."
"One area for improvement is support, in terms of being able to reach them and, especially, technical support for configuration."
"About eight months ago, we started to measure the quantity of phishing and spam that we have been receiving, and it has been increasing a lot. That means that protection for our email is not as good as we were expecting."
"We need a separate license and we don't know how to get the license that is required."
"Microsoft security solutions work as expected. They are constantly updating the solutions to make them better. At the same time, the changes can impact a customer's environment, and we need to adjust settings. Sometimes we aren't aware of the changes, and nothing is pushed from the backend automatically."
"The company should focus on adding threats that the solution is currently unable to detect."
"There's room for improvement regarding the time frame for retrieving emails."
"There is room for improvement in terms of reporting."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365's Mac functionality requires improvement to deliver the same level of protection found on Windows devices."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"It is just under $20 a user per year, and there are no additional costs. I would rate it a five out of five in terms of pricing."
"It is not expensive, but it is also not inexpensive."
"I do a two or three-year license for less than $100."
"It probably is less expensive than Sophos."
"The cost is a very reasonable. When compared with other products, the price is low (though not very low)."
"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."
"I know that the product is incredibly expensive."
"The product is very expensive."
"It's a user-base subscription."
"It is much more expensive than using another solution because we have had to include some options and upgrade our license."
"The solution saves money so we have seen a return on investment."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is an add-on to the Office license. Many customers are purchasing this solution."
"Microsoft Defender is expensive. I typically recommend it only if clients have the budget. Otherwise, I would suggest an alternative."
"Compared to other brands, Microsoft Defender for Office 365's pricing is competitive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
6%
 

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 do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
Threat Explorer is an invaluable tool for me, and it plays a crucial role in helping me discern the origins of various email campaigns, pinpointing where they emanate from, and identifying the indi...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
The pricing is reasonable since it comes integrated with our Office 365 license.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
Sometimes, phishing emails manage to pass through the filter, so the system needs to enhance its phishing email detection capabilities. We also need alerting features for abnormal actions like unus...
 

Also Known As

Smart Security, ESET PROTECT Advanced, ESET LiveGuard Advanced, ESET PROTECT Platform
MS Defender for Office 365
 

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
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.
Find out what your peers are saying about ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.