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ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs Symantec Protection Engine comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (10th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (20th)
Symantec Protection Engine
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
18th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Anti-Malware Tools category, the mindshare of ESET Endpoint Protection Platform is 1.9%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Protection Engine is 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Anti-Malware Tools Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
ESET Endpoint Protection Platform1.9%
Symantec Protection Engine0.7%
Other97.4%
Anti-Malware Tools
 

Featured Reviews

MS
Owner at Online IT
Cloud-based protection has simplified daily client support and keeps threats under control
The problems that we are facing with policy adoption include slow adoption, as it takes more than five minutes to adopt policy on client computers. ESET Network Attack Protection sometimes helps in reducing network-level intrusions, but sometimes it prevents local devices on the network, which are well-known and good devices, from being recognized, treating them as a threat. So it requires more administration than usual. ESET could implement a good solution for remote support in ESET Endpoint Protection Platform for improvement in the future. Since you have the cloud console, ESET could have something similar to AnyDesk or TeamViewer, but from ESET.
Abhimanyu Das - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at Kyndryl
Real-time file security has reduced incident tickets and improves threat detection accuracy
The best features of Symantec Protection Engine include machine learning, file reputation, and real-time scanning. It efficiently handles heavy loads through ICAP and cloud-based processing, reducing the burden on endpoints compared to Trend Micro and other endpoint security solutions. Its centralized control is also noteworthy. Through machine learning, it detects both known and unknown malware and malicious URLs, in addition to performing signature-based scans that assist SOC teams in analysis. The solution is highly effective in leveraging both machine learning and file reputation. Regarding centralized control, it offers a unified management console for policy deployment and provides real-time visibility through dashboards, helping save significant administrative time. Symantec Protection Engine has had a positive impact on our organization by enhancing our overall security posture. It effectively blocks a high volume of file-based threats across more than 200 servers, saves SOC analysts time in endpoint remediation, and streamlines compliance processes. It further strengthens security through real-time scanning and machine learning-based quarantine, blocking phishing payloads in SharePoint uploads before they reach endpoints, thereby reducing incidents by 30–40% compared to signature-only tools.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product is very user-friendly, easy to navigate, simple to access its features, fairly priced, highly customizable, easy to integrate with other products, very stable with no issues, and backed by very good technical support."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the management."
"The software and hardware inventory that you can create by using the console is valuable. It is also very light on hardware resources."
"I'm really satisfied with ESET's technical support, they solve all of our problems immediately."
"It's scalable."
"It's light. I almost don't know that I am using it."
"The most valuable feature of ESET Endpoint Security is that it is light on resources. It has a very low impact on the system. It uses low memory and the setup size is very low."
"Overall, I like this product and I am satisfied with what it does."
"Symantec Protection Engine has improved my security posture by helping me identify potentially malicious files before they reach users or critical systems, and the automated scanning process has also reduced manual efforts for my team, allowing us to focus on other security tasks and respond to threats more efficiently."
"Symantec Protection Engine provides me with the option of both cloud and on-premise solutions, which stands out for both me and my clients."
"Symantec Protection Engine is a cheaper and rock-solid product where basic anti-spam features and threat intelligence are needed."
"The operational efficiency with the high-performance scanning of Symantec Protection Engine is very good."
"The best features that I like the most include the threat intelligence network, which is effective in protecting against evolving threats."
"The biggest advantage of Symantec Protection Engine is that one tool protects all, and it is centrally managed."
"Symantec Protection Engine's been a game-changer for us at Kantar—blocks like 80-85% of file-based threats right at the gateway before they hit our 200 servers, cutting down endpoint incidents big time."
"What I appreciate in Symantec Protection Engine is the Virtual Policy Manager (VPM) and the Application Name feature, which are really effective."
 

Cons

"They should focus more on the offline market as well. Everybody is connected nowadays, and they want to do everything via cloud or fast internet connections, however, that's still not possible in many situations."
"With ESET deployment there is an appliance; it's a virtual appliance, a network appliance, and we had some difficulties when I tried to get that virtual appliance to utilize our internal certificate authority, and we couldn't find any documentation or useful help from the company."
"ESET Endpoint Security does not have application control."
"We do get false positives."
"It is somewhat scalable. However, if you need just a few licenses, you sometimes have to buy more than you need."
"The speed of response of technical support could be faster."
"ESET Endpoint Security should offer more integration with multi-attack frameworks."
"I think that ESET is a little too heavy on the CPU."
"For the improvement of Symantec Protection Engine, the engine did not work with their basic engine when I was working, which was almost three or four years before."
"I would like to see improvements in reporting and troubleshooting capabilities for Symantec Protection Engine, as more detailed insights and simplified diagnostics would make day-to-day administration easier."
"As for pricing, I would say it is a little expensive compared to competitors, and I think the vendor could achieve more market growth if the pricing were more reasonable."
"We have scenarios in which Symantec Protection Engine misses some threats, spam, and targeted attacks that Proofpoint can catch with AI security features."
"Price is a significant area for improvement. The pricing is quite expensive, and it is particularly high for regular customers."
"While I have mentioned many advantages of Symantec Protection Engine, there are areas for improvement, particularly the dashboard features."
"I have concerns about scalability."
"To improve Symantec Protection Engine, I suggest simplifying its integration with other tools, as it is more complex compared to Trend Micro and CrowdStrike."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of ESET Endpoint Security is in the middle range of price compared to other solutions. For example, BitDefender can be more expensive."
"The price of ESET Endpoint Antivirus is fair compared to the performance of other solutions."
"The pricing can be a bit more flexible."
"It is just under $20 a user per year, and there are no additional costs. I would rate it a five out of five in terms of pricing."
"Pricing of ESET Endpoint Security is within the market pricing."
"This is not an expensive product."
"As is the general rule with anything, the solution could be cheaper."
"You need to pay for the ESET Endpoint Antivirus license monthly or yearly, whichever you choose."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
16%
Healthcare Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
11%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business69
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise21
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ESET LiveGuard Advanced?
The pricing, setup cost, and licensing of ESET Endpoint Protection Platform are good with no issues. The price is very reasonable compared to the features provided.
What needs improvement with ESET LiveGuard Advanced?
ESET Endpoint Protection Platform could be improved by offering integrations and user-friendly dashboards that could enhance the overall experience and reliability. ESST Endpoint Protection Platfor...
What is your primary use case for ESET LiveGuard Advanced?
My main use case for ESET Endpoint Protection Platform is preventing malware and preventing outside attackers. When attackers target my system, ESET catches and scans the threat with its signature ...
What needs improvement with Symantec Protection Engine?
For emerging threats, content scanning is not enough anymore. We recently started talking about alternative products such as Proofpoint or other mail gateways which have AI features. Symantec is la...
What is your primary use case for Symantec Protection Engine?
Customers prefer Symantec Protection Engine for the licensing fees over the alternatives. The product has basic protection which is a bit lower than expectations recently, but it is an adequate pro...
 

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
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs. Symantec Protection Engine and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
916,771 professionals have used our research since 2012.