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MetaDefender vs Symantec Content Analysis comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 15, 2026

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

MetaDefender
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
4th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (12th), Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIP) (6th), Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) (5th)
Symantec Content Analysis
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
51st
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Anti-Malware Tools category, the mindshare of MetaDefender is 2.1%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Content Analysis is 0.8%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Anti-Malware Tools Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
MetaDefender2.1%
Symantec Content Analysis0.8%
Other97.1%
Anti-Malware Tools
 

Featured Reviews

RS
Senior Associate at a educational organization with 11-50 employees
File protection has improved and now keeps millions of daily transfers secure and compliant
In my organization, while using this tool, we found that there were a few files flagged as suspicious; however, those were not suspicious and it was a false positive, so that can be improved. False positive results were an issue, and it took time to scan files if the file size was greater than 1 GB. For larger files greater than 1 GB, it needs to be improved. In some cases, the reconstruction of the file led to a failure of code deployment and it flagged a valid file as malicious, which was not effective; however, in other types of files, it was very effective and could scan files properly. We have already covered all the main suggestions; however, it can be improved to reduce false positive results, and scanning could be faster to process more files in a day.
Mel Stevenson - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Consultant at DXC Technology
The solution can be used for malware scanning, but its alerting and reporting could be improved
We use Symantec Content Analysis for malware scanning. Symantec Content Analysis is used to scan for viruses The solution's alerting and reporting are basic and could use some improvement. I have been working with Symantec Content Analysis since 2006. I rate Symantec Content Analysis an eight…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Since implementing MetaDefender, I have seen a 90% reduction in file-related security incidents and false positives reaching my analysts."
"The best feature of MetaDefender is that it can isolate USB devices from the connected network, blocks malware and unsafe files, and ensures all endpoints follow security policy, so that my organization remains safe and reduces the risk of these threats."
"MetaDefender has positively impacted my organization by reducing the risk of file-based attacks, which has significantly improved our overall defense against phishing and malware delivery techniques."
"For one of my clients, a major bank in Turkey, they reported saving approximately 30 percent of their SOC time on analyzing emails since implementing MetaDefender."
"I assess the effectiveness of MetaDefender in blocking or sanitizing content based on policy as very good."
"I like the simplicity, the way it works out of the box. It's pretty easy to run and configure. The integration of the network devices with the ICAP server was easily done."
"The best features of MetaDefender include its ability to detect malware and vulnerabilities, which I also use at server levels, including production and testing servers, helping me identify and address vulnerabilities by applying patch updates."
"MetaDefender is flexible because, for a free product, you can enroll up to 50 devices, and I have only used about eight devices so far."
"We use Symantec Content Analysis for malware scanning."
 

Cons

"While MetaDefender's mail gateway already gives fewer false positives, there is still room for improvement in reducing those even further."
"What I would like to see improved in MetaDefender includes reducing the high cost of the license, as the pricing is very high."
"I did not manage to enroll my IoT devices, including my child's device running on iOS and some Amazon products."
"From the last year that we integrated OPSWAT in our company, I have not seen any improvements."
"I would like to see improvements in the tool's automation capabilities."
"The administrative UI could be modernized and made more intuitive, as managing deep custom workflows across complex file types has a bit of a learning curve."
"The UI can be more user-friendly, and initial steps and policy tuning take some time."
"I would rate it an eight because its interface can be improved and it can improve their integrations as well, so there is room for improvement."
"The solution's alerting and reporting are basic and could use some improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We bought a three-year license, and that was pretty expensive. We agreed that it was really worth buying. It could be cheaper, but we understand that quality comes at a price."
"Symantec Content Analysis is a very expensive solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Educational Organization
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Healthcare Company
9%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise10
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MetaDefender?
MetaDefender is generally considered a premium price compared to a standard antivirus solution, and since it has multiple engine scanning, deep Content Disarm and Reconstruct, and sandboxing capabi...
What needs improvement with MetaDefender?
I would like to see improvements in the tool's automation capabilities. It would be beneficial if it could automatically create tickets and notify responsible teams about any identified vulnerabili...
What is your primary use case for MetaDefender?
The major use cases of MetaDefender in my work environment involve preventing malware updates, data breaches, and compliance violations through scanning files for malware, vulnerabilities, and sens...
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Also Known As

OPSWAT MetaDefender, MetaDefender Core
Symantec Content & Malware Analysis, Symantec Content and Malware Analysis
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
OLFA, Ricoh, McKesson, COTA, ABS-CBN, Finastra, KAKUDAI, SGN, Caravel, KORAMIS, Snapper, Budapest Bank, Rockwell Automation
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, SentinelOne, Check Point Software Technologies and others in Anti-Malware Tools. Updated: July 2026.
908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.