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McAfee Complete Data Protection vs Symantec Endpoint Encryption comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

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

McAfee Complete Data Protec...
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Symantec Endpoint Encryption
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of McAfee Complete Data Protection is 7.5%, down from 10.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Encryption is 10.0%, down from 10.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Encryption
 

Featured Reviews

ObaseunAwoyinfa - PeerSpot reviewer
Encrypts the hard drive, offers data protection policies and effective part of DLP strategy
The only thing that I think could be improved is the data classifier. It's not a very robust classifier, which is where its limitation lies. For example, you see a lot of higher-end solutions where people can classify data more effectively, adding labels like transcription labels and such. McAfee’s classifier doesn't handle all those tasks. It doesn’t offer the same level of functionality as other data classification tools. You can't do things like fingerprinting and other advanced classification methods. However, if you were to make it more robust, the product could become too heavy to run effectively on endpoints and servers. So, to be honest, I can't think of anything else off the top of my head that could be added. I think it's a great solution as it stands. If anyone wants extended data classification, they can leverage other tools like Titus, Fortra's Classifier Suite (previously known as Boldon James Classifier), or even Microsoft AIP if they have the budget. You can also leverage Trellix to enhance your data protection. From my point of view, McAfee Complete Data Protection is one of the best solutions out there, if not the best, to be honest.
Bharath Kumar Gajula - PeerSpot reviewer
Robust data protection with user-friendly deployment, competitive pricing, and comprehensive features like customizable alerts and effective detection capabilities but needs GUI improvements
The stability is relatively good. Occasionally, certain clients may experience disconnection from the management servers, requiring a manual process to rectify. Even in instances where the link is severed, restoring client connectivity can be challenging, sometimes necessitating the uninstallation and reinstallation of the software. Additionally, when clients go out of sync, we do not receive alerts, indicating an area for potential improvement. I would rate it seven out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I don't need to have any interaction with this product, which means that it is very, very good, and it is doing its job."
"The new feature for online protection does a good job of identifying traits."
"The interface is user-friendly and it provides a large number of options."
"Complete Data Protection lets us define roles in our data products. It helps us identify something suspicious on the client's device."
"I am satisfied with the customer service/technical support."
"By configuring policies, you can ensure that sensitive data is not shared with unauthorized individuals."
"Technical support is very helpful."
"I have found the USB part most valuable."
"It helps us put antivirus solutions in place and prevent malware from getting to our machines."
"The encryption feature is very good."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
"It has reduced the number of incidents related to the loss of information."
"Their cloud features such as Cloud Endpoint security, ransomware modules, malware, and other modules are very effective."
"The most valuable feature is that it works in the background so that the end-users are not aware of what is happening on the laptop."
"We can extend it to all of the critical endpoints and the servers, and we can ensure the confidentiality of the data."
"The installation process is pretty straightforward."
 

Cons

"In terms of where the solution could improve, it could integrate with network solutions for ADTs, email web gateways and discovery."
"The disk encryption can be improved."
"I want simplicity. A new user opening the dashboard will be confused. It needs to be more user-friendly."
"We encountered several problems with the solution's stability."
"Initial setup was complex."
"The drive side encryption can be confusing to use and needs better documentation."
"The product consumes too much RAM and CPU for its processing and this can lead to resource issues on PCs."
"The solution should be more user-friendly."
"The agent can be improved on the solution. Right now, we have an Endpoint Protection agent as well as an encryption agent and another for the DLVs and other services. We would prefer a single agent for the entire product."
"I think that they should improve the on-premises version to include the manageability and simplicity that is available on the cloud."
"The solution does slow down the device a little bit, once it's installed."
"It's difficult to integrate the solution with the DLP"
"What I didn't find helpful in the version we used is the fact that all devices had to be on the same network for us to push through the encryption."
"The solution does not have endpoint control."
"It was hard to install and took us about three months."
"We would like some advanced security protection features."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We currently have a contract option with McAfee Complete Data Protection."
"The pricing is better than that of some competing products."
"The licensing is yearly."
"The pricing of the cloud offering seems confusing."
"The pricing is quite reasonable compared to other vendors."
"The solution is more expensive than one of its competitors."
"When it comes to pricing, I've observed an increase recently."
"McAfee Complete Data Protection is a little bit expensive."
"The solution is good, but it is more expensive than other solutions in the market. Other solutions, such as BitLocker are less expensive."
"The cost of this solution is a little on the higher side."
"The pricing is fair but there is variability in our area that needs to be addressed."
"The licensing costs yearly are $5000."
"It can be expensive. However, if you plan to scale or are at a large enterprise company, this product could be what you need."
"Considering the fluctuation in exchange rates in our part of the world, we find it generally affordable."
"The license is not very expensive."
"Depending on how many modules you will use (up to five) the licensing will be more expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Government
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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....
What do you like most about McAfee Complete Data Protection?
It worked for me: it's easy to use and has been very effective.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for McAfee Complete Data Protection?
The huge problem I see is pricing. We understand that DLP is not cheap anywhere in the world, but we constantly lose our protection because of pricing. Sometimes, this is because end users prefer t...
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...
What do you like most about Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
Antivirus, URL filtering, and firewall protection are the most effective features for data protection.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
I am not sure about the pricing and licensing cost of Symantec Endpoint Encryption.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Symantec Drive Encryption
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Xcel Energy
Citrix Systems Inc., City of Lansing, Commercial & Industrial Property, France T_l_visions, Fujian Mobile Co. Ltd., Group Lotus plc, Hall Booth Smith & Slover, P.C. (HBSS), Portugal Telecom, PostFinance, Public Pension Agency
Find out what your peers are saying about McAfee Complete Data Protection vs. Symantec Endpoint Encryption and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.