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ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs Malwarebytes Teams vs Symantec Endpoint Security comparison

 

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:
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of ESET Endpoint Protection Platform is 3.0%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Malwarebytes Teams is 2.2%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Security is 3.6%, down from 4.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Symantec Endpoint Security3.6%
ESET Endpoint Protection Platform3.0%
Malwarebytes Teams2.2%
Other91.2%
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

Tarkan GU - PeerSpot reviewer
Protects against threats and helps with ransomeware but needs optimization for lower resource usage
We are using ESET products for our clients, especially for entry-level protection tools. The demand for these tools is primarily coming from our clients, and we sometimes propose them to our clients as well We install the product in a standard way as a product. The primary purpose is to protect…
Anas Anas - PeerSpot reviewer
Effective threat predictions, simple to deploy, and light on resources
Malwarebytes's initial setup is simple. It is easy to deploy and configure the policies and the configuration. I deployed Malwarebytes for one customer and I did it in under two days. They had approximately 50 users, it took approximately an hour. The steps I took for the implementation were downloading the Malwarebytes management console from the site, installing it, then running the discovery tool, scanning my network, and checking all of the PCs on my network. It's already pre-configured, you don't need to configure anything. The only configuration that I did on the administration console was some of the exclusion from the scan. This is the only rule that I have created. I rate the initial setup of Malwarebytes a ten out of ten.
Kumbesh Rajagopal - PeerSpot reviewer
Management becomes easier with minimal complications, but improvement in support tools needed
Regarding areas of improvement for Symantec Endpoint Security, there are many changes, and the support portal tool is complicated compared to other tools. When trying to get service from Symantec, the process is complex. I'm not sure whether it's because of my project or something else. Though it is easy to manage, easy to get, easy to install, and works efficiently for managing policies, we faced a significant disadvantage. We wanted to add multiple hashes because of numerous new alerts coming, but we could only add them one by one, which is a considerable disadvantage in Symantec.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It hasn't crashed a single time, so it is stable in that sense."
"The most valuable features for me in ESET Endpoint Security are the antivirus feature and detection."
"I rate ESET Endpoint Security eight out of 10 for ease of setup. Setting up ESET can be straightforward or complicated depending on the customer's environment. The deployment time varies, but it's typically around five days. We have a team of four or five people involved in the deployment. Only one person is needed for maintenance. The only maintenance is adjusting the configuration of the dashboard."
"The most valuable features of ESET Endpoint Antivirus are that it is lightweight, it will not take up too much CPU and memory of the server or workstation. The detection is good and easy to use."
"We do not have a domain structure yet but we can manage our client stations via this solution's managing interface. This means that we don't need to have any extra management platforms."
"The solution offers impressive advanced protection."
"If it detects ransomware or something, it can isolate that computer."
"I find the main valuable feature to be the antivirus, it is very effective with removing viruses."
"The most valuable features of Malwarebytes are the agents, user experience, efficiency of the findings, and MDR features."
"The pricing of the product is very good."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that I can use it wherever I want, be it at the office, at home, or even outside."
"It comprehensively finds and removes malicious software."
"Malwarebytes is a comprehensive solution for keeping endpoints safe and secure from intruders, viruses, malware and so on."
"It is intuitive and easy to use. For the most part, it does a good job of catching things. It is good at stopping stuff. I did a couple of tests with a password cracker. I tried to load that on, and Malwarebytes didn't let me do that, which was pretty good. It has a rollback feature that I haven't seen with any other company. If one of your endpoints are hit with mass ransomware, you could actually roll it back. I watched a demo of them do that, and it was pretty sweet."
"We have seen a decrease of approximately ninety percent in the number of events."
"The behavior-based detection is very nice, and it combats zero-day threats by looking for anomalous behaviors."
"It's good at detecting signature-based stuff and stopping that."
"It's a good proxy to control the user's access to the website."
"The most amazing qualities of Symantec Endpoint Protection is that it provides a total solution to all virus problems."
"I like the malware threat control policy and USB blocker. In Symantec Manager, we use multiple available features, so we created firewall policies to prevent any malware attack from the network or device controls."
"The solutions' main features are patch management and security."
"The most valuable features of Symantec Endpoint Security are endpoint protection, antivirus, firewall, and policy creation."
"Symantec have everything – documentation, videos, data sheets."
"Symantec's detection capabilities are strong. It involves run protection and behavioral analysis."
 

Cons

"I'm unsure as to if they could actually support a large enterprise."
"They can improve ransomware protection, and there should be cloud sandboxing for Mac."
"ESET's updates are mostly manual. That's my biggest concern. I'd like it to be more automatic. I've had to download the new version and run it manually to install it. I've got several workstations like that right now."
"The new versions only support no operative systems in Mac and do not support operative systems."
"I would like them to use AI features to do preventative virus protection."
"I used Avira previously and ESET lacks certain aspects in comparison to Avira."
"While it is cheap, ESET Endpoint Protection Platform sometimes makes the computer run slower and takes backup, which affects system performance."
"It would be useful if they could automate the deployment more."
"Every once in a while, it gets clobbered by updates from other places. I don't think this should happen."
"We have noticed that when the solution is doing the scanning, all the scanning activities make the device heavier. It slows down your machine."
"It would be better if updates could be downloaded, and deployed, on-premises to avoid low bandwidth causing issues."
"It's not good in search hunting."
"Requires increased efficiency in terms of detecting false positives."
"The reporting is not as flexible as you would find with other antivirus software."
"If they want to compete with bigger players, they should consider adding items like threat detection and website warnings."
"Malwarebytes should improve its mobile compatibility."
"The monitoring capabilities could be further developed."
"Every time an OS comes out, I have to upgrade the Symantec product. They don't know how to patch it. If they would produce a patch instead of uninstalling or installing over the current version and rebooting I'd be a lot happier with the product."
"It would be nice to see more antivirus features for USB control."
"In a few cases, when we enable the IPS/IDS feature, there are performance-related issues on the end devices. If we run quite a few features of Symantec, especially the IPS/IDF, it consumes a lot of processing and memory capacity."
"When it was directly with Symantec, the technical support was perfect. After Broadcom acquired Symantec, the level of technical support dropped."
"I think the CPU dependence should be enhanced."
"It's not cheap."
"We communicate with our local partners and they give us the license key. Then, we have to go to the portal and apply it, but sometimes it doesn't work. We then have to create a new administrative account and migrate all our endpoints. That is the only major issue we have been battling with."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You need to pay for the ESET Endpoint Antivirus license monthly or yearly, whichever you choose."
"The price could be lower, but it's comparable, as other solutions have a similar price for the same effect."
"I rate the product’s pricing a three out of ten. It is neither cheap nor expensive for our clients."
"It's a cost-effective product"
"At first, we thought it was a bit expensive, but we negotiated a better price."
"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 license is annually, and the price is low compared to competitors."
"Its price is reasonable."
"It is expensive."
"I rate the tool's pricing a five out of ten."
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price and ten is a high price, I rate the product's pricing a seven."
"The cost may be something in the ballpark of $20-25 a year per computer."
"Its licensing is annual. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee."
"Yearly, it is around $50 per client."
"Its cost is around $60 a machine. The cost of the total solution for 250 people is about $8,500 a year. If we add EDR to it, it will bring that cost up to about $15,000. The cost for Carbon Black is about $25,000, which is $10,000 more, but you get all AI functions with it."
"I believe the retail price is between $40 and $50 per copy."
"Its price should be reasonable."
"It's pretty awesome price-wise. That's why we give it to most of our clients. It isn't very expensive. Compared to Cisco AMP, which is very expensive, its price is okay. It's also cheaper than Malwarebytes."
"It's not cheap."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"I thought the pricing was reasonable."
"This is not the cheapest product and I know others that are most cost-effective, although it is difficult to compare because it depends on the features."
"The pricing is as per the environment. If all the features are there, there will be a cost for them. There were no additional costs for me. Support and other things were included in the pricing."
"Its price is fair."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
15%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
5%
Computer Software Company
11%
University
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business67
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise21
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business69
Midsize Enterprise32
Large Enterprise62
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ESET LiveGuard Advanced?
I would rate ESET Endpoint Protection Platform a five for pricing on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is cheap and 10 is...
What needs improvement with ESET LiveGuard Advanced?
The areas where ESET Endpoint Protection Platform could be improved include implementing single sign-on for the cloud...
What is your primary use case for ESET LiveGuard Advanced?
The main use case for ESET Endpoint Protection Platform is endpoint protection and blocking malware, making sure that...
What do you like most about Malwarebytes?
Ten times a day, improved signatures will be downloaded, so it is very up-to-date in terms of malware experience.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Malwarebytes?
I really hate the automatic rebilling without officially confirming it with me. It's an annoyance and they should at ...
What needs improvement with Malwarebytes?
It takes up too much space when it's trying to run in the background.
Which is better - Cortex XDR or Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?
Aqua Security is easy to use and very manageable. Its main focus is on Kubernetes and Docker. Security is a very valu...
Which offers better endpoint security - Symantec or Microsoft Defender?
We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior sol...
What do you like most about Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?
Symantec have everything – documentation, videos, data sheets.
 

Also Known As

Smart Security, ESET PROTECT Advanced, ESET LiveGuard Advanced, ESET PROTECT Platform
No data available
Symantec EPP, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP)
 

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
Knutson Construction
Audio Visual Dynamics, Red Deer Advocate, Asia Pacific Telecom Co. Ltd., Kibbutz Ein Gedi, and AMETEK, Inc.
Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, Microsoft, SentinelOne and others in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP). Updated: September 2025.
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