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Digital Guardian vs McAfee Complete Data Protection 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

Digital Guardian
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
8th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (13th), Mobile Data Protection (6th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (24th), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (41st)
McAfee Complete Data Protec...
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of Digital Guardian is 1.0%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of McAfee Complete Data Protection is 7.2%, down from 10.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Encryption
 

Featured Reviews

Sandeep Jopat - PeerSpot reviewer
Highly customizable, helpful support, and multiple modules available
Digital Guardian is generally considered stable, with its robust data loss prevention capabilities being highly valued by organizations. However, as with any complex software solution, there may be occasional challenges in terms of compatibility with certain operating systems or applications. In such cases, it may be necessary to modify settings or entries within Digital Guardian to ensure optimal performance. Overall, Digital Guardian is a stable solution that can be highly customized to meet the specific needs and requirements of organizations. As with any software solution, regular maintenance and support from a team of experts is necessary to ensure optimal performance and stability.
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Digital Guardian is its reputation. They have scored high on the Gartner Magic Quadrant."
"There is a built-in endpoint detection response that helps save money."
"In Digital Guardian, they have the cloud correlation servers that give you visibility work like EBR and the correlation server works very well for security analysis."
"The technical support is really terrific."
"I like the solution's adaptive inspection and container inspection."
"We have been able to monitor access to files from each of our workstations."
"It has been scalable."
"Some of the features that are highly appreciated are its robust data loss prevention capabilities, flexible deployment options, and the ability to monitor data transfer across multiple vectors."
"It works seamlessly as long as it's well configured and the policies have been put properly."
"The interface is very good. You can create and manage your own dashboard."
"Reporting and encryption are its most valuable features."
"The console of the EDR is totally in the cloud."
"It is part of the DLP and works well for that use case."
"All of the Complete Data products are valuable."
"The new feature for online protection does a good job of identifying traits."
"The most important feature of McAfee Complete Data Protection to my customers is the ePO or the management console. It's easy to use and it's scalable. You can also generate the reports you want on the console. It's a mature management console. The features that McAfee Complete Data Protection has, for example, anti-spam features and other features can also be found on other solutions, but the most unique feature you can find in the solution is the ePO itself, the management console."
 

Cons

"The room for improvement with Digital Guardian is that it will be better with the Linux agent because it is the only DLP solution for Linux workstations. It still needs to upgrade the agents to the latest version for the Linux kernel."
"It would be helpful if there was an on-premise version of the solution for companies that cannot use the cloud, such as government sectors."
"There are a lot of issues with the current version of the Endpoint agent. It's not stable, it's resource-consuming, and there are some performance issues. If they could improve the stability of the agent it would be great."
"Digital Guardian is an excellent solution but our experience with the partner has been the most horrible experience we have ever had with any partner."
"The solution has complexities around policy creation and deployment."
"Technical support could be better."
"If the client uses Windows 10 or 11 and Microsoft updates the operating system's version, Digital Guardian must update their product to match compatibility."
"I would like to see the workflow, to get all the rules and policies set up, be less complicated."
"There's a limited coverage of operating systems. The marketing strategies need to change drastically."
"They could be better in terms of Complete Data Protection."
"There are compatibility issues with the Chrome browser."
"The price is a little high and could be better."
"Initial setup was complex."
"In terms of where the solution could improve, it could integrate with network solutions for ADTs, email web gateways and discovery."
"The solution needs to reduce the number of false positives. There are too many of them."
"I would like to have an easier and less-hassle upgrade process in future releases of the software, and extra license renewal price discounts too."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Digital Guardian has both, subscription and perpetual licenses, but I think when everything (all technologies) will go to the cloud they will only offer subscriptions."
"The price of Digital Guardian is expensive."
"If I compare Digital Guardian with Symantec, the license cost is lower, but McAfee can be cheaper than Digital Guardian. It depends on how many licenses you plan to buy and how big the project is. The cost is not so high as Symantec, but not as cheap as McAfee. They can easily sell the solution for price."
"The price of Digital Guardian is on the higher end compared to other vendors."
"The cost was around $300,000."
"I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten because Digital Guardian is expensive."
"The price is good, it's a low-cost solution."
"McAfee Complete Data Protection is a little bit expensive."
"The solution is affordable"
"The pricing is quite reasonable compared to other vendors."
"The pricing is better than that of some competing products."
"This solution is reasonably priced."
"I think the price could be a little bit less."
"The pricing of the cloud offering seems confusing."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Government
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Digital Guardian?
I like the solution's adaptive inspection and container inspection.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Digital Guardian?
Technical support is included in the subscription package. But if, during the subscription, our clients want to include the professional services of a Digital Guardian engineer, the price changes. ...
What needs improvement with Digital Guardian?
If the client uses Windows 10 or 11 and Microsoft updates the operating system's version, Digital Guardian must update their product to match compatibility.
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...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

The Fifth Avenue Theatre, Jabil Circuit
Xcel Energy
Find out what your peers are saying about Digital Guardian vs. McAfee Complete Data Protection and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.