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McAfee Complete Data Protection vs Symantec Endpoint Encryption comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 27, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.9
McAfee Complete Data Protection automates incident analysis, increasing ROI and enhancing data security, confidentiality, and management efficiency.
Sentiment score
8.0
Symantec Endpoint Encryption boosts security, improves productivity, integrates easily, meets user needs, and delivers significant ROI despite no direct revenue.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
McAfee Complete Data Protection support receives mixed reviews, praised for accessibility but critiqued for inconsistent responsiveness and expertise.
Sentiment score
5.3
Symantec Endpoint Encryption's customer service experiences mixed reviews, with responsive support contrasted by delays and regional service inconsistencies.
I would rate the technical support from Symantec as nine out of ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Users endorse McAfee Complete Data Protection for scalability, effective growth management, and reliable expansion across medium-to-large organizations.
Sentiment score
7.3
Symantec Endpoint Encryption is praised for scalability and efficient management, despite some hardware compatibility issues, by various users.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
McAfee Complete Data Protection is stable, reliable, and efficient, despite occasional disk encryption errors and conflicts with Windows Defender.
Sentiment score
7.7
Symantec Endpoint Encryption is stable and reliable, with minor performance issues and mixed user ratings from seven to ten.
I have been using Symantec Endpoint Encryption for many years, and I find it to be a reliable solution.
 

Room For Improvement

McAfee Complete Data Protection needs UI improvements, competitive pricing, better encryption, cloud adaptation, and broader OS compatibility.
Symantec Endpoint Encryption needs better integration, support, interface, and pricing to improve competitiveness and user satisfaction.
They must improve or address USB-bound viruses and external media-bound viruses properly in McAfee Complete Data Protection.
Support can sometimes be a problem, although not always.
 

Setup Cost

McAfee Complete Data Protection offers reasonable pricing with a three-year contract, yet cloud and device features may cost extra.
Symantec Endpoint Encryption's pricing is higher than alternatives, influenced by various factors, and is considered competitive for large deployments.
 

Valuable Features

McAfee Complete Data Protection provides user-friendly security with encryption, device control, and ePO integration, preventing data leaks effectively.
Symantec Endpoint Encryption is praised for strong encryption, management, scalability, seamless integration, ease of use, and effective data protection.
It provides an easy-to-install dashboard that gives a clear understanding of the organization's status regarding encryption and other features.
 

Categories and Ranking

McAfee Complete Data Protec...
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Symantec Endpoint Encryption
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
4th
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 August 2025, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of McAfee Complete Data Protection is 7.1%, down from 9.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Encryption is 9.5%, down from 10.7% 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.
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865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
16%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Insurance Company
6%
 

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: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.