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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 April 2025, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of Microsoft BitLocker is 40.2%, up from 39.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos SafeGuard is 1.9%, down from 3.8% 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 simplicity and ease of use of this solution."
"The ease of administering and integrating the solution is great."
"It is an encryption tool and provides security."
"Microsoft BitLocker can be used to ensure that stolen PCs or laptops do not lose their data."
"It seemed easy, straightforward, and secure."
"One significant aspect is that without the BitLocker key, you can't log in to the user's laptop. I appreciate the capability to encrypt the user's hard drive, ensuring access only with the recovery key. In an enterprise setup, we store all BitLocker keys on our server. So, whenever a user attempts to log in, the architecture authenticates with the key. This ensures that our data is secure. Even if the user's laptop is lost, we have confidence that the data remains inaccessible. So far, our user data is well-protected."
"The best thing about it is the encryption type and the way it requires TPM when someone tries to access the drive."
"The product is stable."
"It has a feature that allows only three files to be encrypted by ransomware before it automatically revokes the process."
"SafeGuard's best feature is its stability."
"It's the best solution on the market."
"The user interface is simple, It makes it very easy to use."
"The tool is very safe, reliable, and fast."
"The platform has significantly enhanced our data security posture by ensuring that sensitive information remains encrypted and protected from unauthorized access."
"It's a straightforward solution."
"The product is easy to use."
 

Cons

"I would like to see improvement in the solution's central management of passwords. Currently, we install it separately."
"BitLocker should be available on standard Windows. We need to spend money on a Pro license to get BitLocker because it's essential to protect our customers' data. We don't want that to fall into the wrong hands."
"The deployment process regarding prerequisites and automation could be easy to understand."
"We recently found some stability issues with Microsoft BitLocker."
"The integration between Active Directory and BitLocker could be better."
"It needs a management console."
"The solution should have a better user interface and dashboard."
"It's possible that the time it takes to pull items in to BitLocker could be reduced a bit."
"It would be ideal if the solution had different features within one agent."
"The lack of need for the patch for an extra password is a shortcoming. It will be a great improvement if the patch requires an extra password so that they can find out how to synchronize your Windows password with the same password for Sophos SafeGuard."
"What would make Sophos SafeGuard better than competitors is if its management console also includes firewall management. In the future, I want Sophos SafeGuard to be more scalable."
"When you have the PPM chipset, you can have the power-on authentication, when you boot up your machine, you can set the six-digit passcode. As of right now, SafeGuard can't manage the six-digit passcode in terms of the expiration, and I need that added as a feature."
"Once you lock a server, you won't be able to install or put something on that particular server, but on the PC or machines, the lockdown feature is not there, and it is a query our company raised when we had to provide details for Sophos' review."
"There's no centralized management. This is a drawback."
"If it's possible, they should make all the features available because it's got a lot of features on offer, but you have to buy the license in order to add those features to the normal Endpoint. If they could make all those features available and/or offer a bundling option it would be better."
"The solution's ability to integrate with other solutions, such as a DLP, should be addressed."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft BitLocker's pricing is fair; I rate it a four out of ten."
"It is a totally free solution."
"We didn't pay for additional licenses since the solution is built into Windows."
"Microsoft BitLocker is a free feature when you are using Microsoft solutions."
"BitLocker is already in Windows 10 and its price has already been "paid"."
"For reasons unknown, Microsoft products seem to be getting more expensive."
"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."
"I don't know the costs. In terms of Microsoft licensing, we are at E3 on the business, and we're in the process of pricing out and moving to E5. So, a lot of this is included within our licensing agreements."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"It's a software license with a one-time purchase. There are no issues with purchasing, and the vendor is flexible with licensing."
"The licenses are dependant on the number of users and computers you have to protect."
"I rate the pricing two or three on a scale of one to ten, where one is expensive, and ten is cheap."
"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."
"We have a yearly license with Sophos which is around $1000-$1200 or so per annum. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee."
"There is a need to make annual payments towards the licensing charges attached to the product."
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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
14%
Computer Software Company
10%
Healthcare Company
9%
Real Estate/Law Firm
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: March 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.