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Microsoft BitLocker vs Sophos SafeGuard comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 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

Microsoft BitLocker
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
1st
Ranking in Mobile Data Protection
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sophos SafeGuard
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
2nd
Ranking in Mobile Data Protection
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of Microsoft BitLocker is 40.9%, up from 39.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos SafeGuard is 2.0%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Encryption
 

Featured Reviews

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.
ManelAlvarez - PeerSpot reviewer
Protects user data and offers data control and has an easy deployment
The most valuable feature is encryption control. If you have a laptop, it guarantees that the data is not missing or lost. It’s easy to deploy and has a central console where you can see whether the laptops are encrypted, updated, and protected. It protects devices, including USB and other external devices, and guarantees data loss protection. Additionally, with device control, you can ensure that no ransomware is introduced into the network. For me, this is of very high value.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I like the fact that you can get a BitLocker encryption key out of OneDrive."
"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."
"I liked the way it works with our Microsoft tools. As we roll out Intune, we can validate if the device has been encrypted, and if not, we can push it down. It is pretty simple to deploy."
"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 manageability of it is a valuable feature."
"The solution's most valuable feature is that it is simple to deploy and manage."
"The solution is included in Windows 11."
"There's a lot of manageability within the solution. This is very helpful."
"The malware protection and the scanning features are most valuable in this solution."
"Integration with other solutions is one of its strongest points. It's very easy to integrate and automate."
"The monitoring features are easy to use."
"The most valuable feature is encryption control. If you have a laptop, it guarantees that the data is not missing or lost."
"It is seamless and easy to install. We haven't encountered any recent issues."
"It's a straightforward solution."
"The intrusion detection system."
"It has a feature that allows only three files to be encrypted by ransomware before it automatically revokes the process."
 

Cons

"I would recommend BitLocker only because of the economic side, not the technical side. If the features were included in the already existing licenses I would use it. If not, I would recommend other products."
"The management of the product could be made a little easier."
"The pricing should be improved."
"The solution should offer encryption for other items such as shared folders, removable media, etc."
"The primary aspect for improvement lies in expanding our developer base, which would accelerate the development process and bring these enhancements to fruition"
"The implementation of BitLocker is not simple. There are many prerequisites and hours of study and testing."
"It needs a management console."
"The people at the first level of support refer you to articles that do not pertain to the problem at hand."
"SafeGuard's user interface is ugly and doesn't provide reports, so we have to go into the database and get information from there by creating queries."
"You have to pay extra for some additional features, like data extraction. It would be nice if everything was available in one bundle."
"The dashboards lack sufficient information."
"The solution's ability to integrate with other solutions, such as a DLP, should be addressed."
"It's a good product, but some are not happy with the boot BCN, and the point-to-point VPN requires the best protection."
"An area for improvement in Sophos SafeGuard is the pricing. Pricing should be better when adding a new account or scaling the product."
"The security does not have 100% authentication."
"The integration could be a little better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft BitLocker's pricing is fair; I rate it a four out of ten."
"Microsoft BitLocker is a free feature when you are using Microsoft solutions."
"The tool is cheap compared to the products offered by competitors. If one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the tool's price as one."
"For reasons unknown, Microsoft products seem to be getting more expensive."
"We didn't pay for additional licenses since the solution is built into Windows."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"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 cost of this solution is bundled in with part of the subscription for the Microsoft Cloud. We have users subscribed to Enterprise E5 and it comes with E5"
"The pricing is good and now they offer three year and five year plans. After that if one lokes the service they can choose the lifetime service."
"Regarding pricing, it's a middle-priced solution. We typically use Sophos SafeGuard with the Sophos firewall, which includes VPN connections. The cost depends on the number of users, with some customers requiring hundreds of connections and others needing around a thousand."
"The platform is reasonably priced considering its functionality and adaptability. It is subscription-based."
"We pay around $10 a year for each endpoint, including support."
"The licenses are dependant on the number of users and computers you have to protect."
"The licensing costs depend on the series. For example, XG 85 can be around $200. If you go to ACC or to a four or five-year enterprise solution, you will find these devices can cost $10,000. It depends on the series."
"Pricing for Sophos SafeGuard could be improved because it could reach a thousand dollars depending on the product, edition, and software key purchased."
"Licensing is on a yearly basis and the pricing could be better."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Healthcare Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos SafeGuard?
I cannot compare prices precisely, so I would give it a five out of ten rating. I am uncertain. Sophos is slightly more expensive than some other vendors. A bundle might be an option for cost-consc...
What needs improvement with Sophos SafeGuard?
I cannot think of any improvements right now.
 

Also Known As

BitLocker, MS BitLocker
SafeGuard, SafeGuard Encryption
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ACV, Proaxis Therapy, Choice Hotels International, adnymics GmbH, Intermedia, NMBS/SNCB
Rushmoor Borough Council
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft BitLocker vs. Sophos SafeGuard and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
839,319 professionals have used our research since 2012.