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Microsoft BitLocker vs Symantec Endpoint Encryption comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 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
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Data Protection (1st)
Symantec Endpoint Encryption
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
37
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 Symantec Endpoint Encryption is 9.5%, down from 10.4% 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.
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

"It comes bundled with other Microsoft solutions."
"It holds significant value as it reduces the need for extensive IT management to handle security across networks and environments"
"The solution works the way it's supposed to - stability and scalability are fine."
"BitLocker is completely stable."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the protection and ease of use."
"It's very straightforward to recover data. It's safe for us; in case of lost information, it provides multiple options to recover the data."
"While it helps mitigate unauthorized data access by enhancing file and system protection through encryption, the tool is really enhanced with the combination of other Microsoft Security and Compliance features like data labeling."
"It's my understanding that the initial setup is straightforward."
"One notable aspect is the ability to customize alerts and other settings."
"The management console gives us the ability to quickly control who sees what, ensures we are on the latest version, and up-to-date."
"It has reduced the number of incidents related to the loss of information."
"We find the dashboard, endpoint mobile encryption, and email encryption valuable."
"The most effective features of Symantec are those related to data protection."
"The solution is great for large-scale deployments."
"Its management is good, and it is also scalable and mostly stable."
"The installation process is pretty straightforward."
 

Cons

"The solution lacks the ability to allow its user to provide limited access to someone."
"The people at the first level of support refer you to articles that do not pertain to the problem at hand."
"At the end of it all, we are looking for something that can be easier to manage."
"I often have to make multiple attempts to log in."
"Technical support has not been very good."
"The reporting in Microsoft is very minimal."
"The only thing that could be slightly improved is the occasional stability issue."
"There is room for improvement in stability."
"We would like some advanced security protection features."
"The product can be expensive. Price was a factor in moving away from the product."
"If for example, a user forgets the endpoint key, they cannot access their data. We need a support team that is a single point of contact for the IT entity to be trained and to have documentation for troubleshooting and managing the solution."
"Its remote deployment should be improved. Currently, there is no remote deployment for Symantec Endpoint Encryption. You have to install it manually. There are some issues with AD integration and the time taken to reflect a password on the Endpoint Encryption Manager when a new user has changed the password, but they are already working on these issues, and these will be resolved in the next release."
"Upgrades from one version to another may only sometimes be straightforward, especially if one needs a clearer understanding of the process."
"Symantec Endpoint Encryption can improve by being more secure."
"I do not find the environment to be very user-friendly."
"I can only patch monthly. I don't know what the solution is there, besides being vulnerable for three weeks out of four. But there's got to be an option somehow."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft BitLocker is a free feature when you are using Microsoft solutions."
"The solution is cost efficient."
"We didn't pay for additional licenses since the solution is built into Windows."
"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."
"We already use Microsoft products, and Microsoft BitLocker is an add-on product that is free of cost for us."
"It's not about pricing, because we are working with Enterprise companies that already have Windows Enterprise, so BitLocker comes already included as a Windows feature. It's free for Enterprise users. The price is only for deployment. The customer will pay for McAfee, however."
"BitLocker is already in Windows 10 and its price has already been "paid"."
"Microsoft BitLocker's pricing is fair; I rate it a four out of ten."
"The licensing costs yearly are $5000."
"They have two solutions for encryption including Symantec Endpoint Encryption and PGP Endpoint Encryption. With one PGP license, you can deploy the two solutions. The PGP license gives you two options."
"Although the performance and stability of this solution are good, our challenge is the price tag. You buy the solution once, but you also have to keep on buying the licenses yearly."
"Symantec Endpoint Encryption is not expensive."
"Depending on how many modules you will use (up to five) the licensing will be more expensive."
"The cost of this solution is a little on the higher side."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"The license is not very expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

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 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.
What needs improvement with Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
I would like to see some features or functionality enhanced in Symantec Endpoint Encryption.
 

Also Known As

BitLocker, MS BitLocker
Symantec Drive Encryption
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ACV, Proaxis Therapy, Choice Hotels International, adnymics GmbH, Intermedia, NMBS/SNCB
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 Microsoft BitLocker vs. Symantec Endpoint Encryption and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.