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ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

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...
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
100
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (11th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (7th)
WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
26th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Anti-Malware Tools category, the mindshare of ESET Endpoint Protection Platform is 3.1%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus is 0.3%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Anti-Malware Tools
 

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.
PA
Reasonably priced and simple to use
During the product's installation phase, you just put the tool in the right place, and it works. The solution is deployed on an on-premises model. The solution can be deployed in a couple of minutes. The installation process is so basic that I don't even remember what you need to do. You just put the tick marks in the tool and ask the tool to use them. In the rules, where you see the files go through is where you can think over what to do with the files. With the tool, you just need to put it on, and then the default rules make sure that there is some indication that something is wrong.

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 features of this solution are, of course, the IPS/IDS, Intrusion Prevention, Intrusion Detection, and Antivirus."
"The most valuable features of ESET Endpoint Antivirus are the search engine, easy firewall setup, and ransomware scans."
"This is a product at the top of its game. That is the reason we choose to support and sell it."
"In terms of stability, I can rate it at nine out of ten."
"The most valuable features for me in ESET Endpoint Security are the antivirus feature and detection."
"The overall security capability of the product is pretty reliable."
"The most valuable feature of ESET Endpoint Security performance."
"It is absolutely invisible once running."
"It is the most effective on non-encrypted traffic and it is able to determine some threats through deep packet inspection."
"I haven't a problem with anti-virus stability using WatchGuard for over two years."
"The pricing of the solution is okay. It's not the most expensive option."
"WatchGuard is easy to implement and inexpensive. When we get a bulk-off license, we get a very discounted price that is competitive with alternative or competitor solutions."
"It does its job very well, and it is quite easy to put to use."
 

Cons

"I'm not aware of any areas that need improvement."
"I used Avira previously and ESET lacks certain aspects in comparison to Avira."
"I am a MAC user and my asset cybersecurity is continuously displaying warnings that I am not using their firewall."
"ESET Endpoint Antivirus could improve the mobile device experience by having more coverage."
"The solution is not ideal for use in large enterprises"
"There are some complexities if you want to manipulate the software."
"The use of SQL Server can be improved. At times, there is a bit of challenge while linking it with the Javascript. ESET Endpoint Security requires modern technology or modern equipment on site. You will find it difficult to use ESET Endpoint Security with dual-core machines. If they can add the cloud management feature to their product, it will be much easier. If you look at this COVID situation that we are in right now, people are working from home, so you need to control the computers wherever you are. For example, if you are using any email setup and you are hosting it on your own, all the email traffic will be going through the same network. You need to protect all of your computers from the attack. It is best if you can do it remotely rather than having an IT person to come onsite to manage all computers and metrics etc, which isn't a smart way to do it."
"The solution includes only Intrusion Detection and not IPS, which is an important feature that is missing in my version."
"WatchGuard technical support requires a license."
"It doesn't offer the best protection and it's incompatible with a lot of China's websites. It makes a lot of mistakes when it is detecting items as it's not recognizing items correctly."
"There were a little bit of problems with the tool's updates, making it an area where improvements are needed."
"The solution isn't what I would consider feature-rich."
"Since WatchGuard acquired Panda, there may be synergies in consolidating both solutions under a single name to reduce customer confusion."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price could be a little lower."
"This is not an expensive solution."
"At first, we thought it was a bit expensive, but we negotiated a better price."
"This is not an expensive product."
"The solution costs around $20 or $30 per user per year."
"It is not expensive; the pricing model is fine."
"This solution is a good value for the money."
"The price of ESET Endpoint Antivirus is fair compared to the performance of other solutions."
"For what we use, the tool's price has been reasonable, but it is not the cheapest. The tool has been quite reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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 needs improvement with WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus?
It is a basic tool tool, and it does very well for what it is supposed to do. It does simple checks against signatures. I think it is very much what it needs to be, and it is a basic tool that you ...
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus?
The solution is used when you want to handle policies with the file. There are different ways you can use it, like in the firewall rules and in proxy rules, and to secure emails. The tool was used ...
What advice do you have for others considering WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus?
It is the basic starting tool. We used different tools in the company. In our gateway, we used WatchGuard because we used WatchGuard's firewalls. It was very easy to set it up. It was used so that ...
 

Also Known As

Smart Security, ESET PROTECT Advanced, ESET LiveGuard Advanced, ESET PROTECT Platform
No data available
 

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
Star Cargo
Find out what your peers are saying about ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs. WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
847,862 professionals have used our research since 2012.