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ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs MetaDefender 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

ESET Endpoint Protection Pl...
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
18th
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (14th)
MetaDefender
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
34th
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
29th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIP) (32nd), Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) (12th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Anti-Malware Tools category, the mindshare of ESET Endpoint Protection Platform is 2.1%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MetaDefender is 1.8%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Anti-Malware Tools Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
ESET Endpoint Protection Platform2.1%
MetaDefender1.8%
Other96.1%
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.
reviewer2805510 - PeerSpot reviewer
Partner Account Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
File sanitization has protected critical networks and prevents hidden malware from entering
In my experience, the best features MetaDefender offers include the number of different antivirus engines that can scan files through multi-file scanning, often using 20 to 30 engines, with the top premium package around 33 engines, capturing 80 to 90% of malware in all those files. If any engine detects malware, the file is blocked, which increases detection because different engines catch different malware. When dealing with central government and defense, we find that if there is any kind of malware on the network or the file, whether that is a software file, hard disk file, or a pen drive, it cannot be allowed on the network. This is when we put it into the sandbox and perform file sanitization to ensure that nothing malicious comes into the network. Whenever we are dealing with central government or defense contracts, MetaDefender's core philosophy of trusting no file means it scans files, rebuilds them, and verifies their reputation, ensuring they contain no malicious content. This positively impacts our organization by detecting malware and stopping any kind of data leaks through the network. In terms of measurable outcomes across central government and defense, we are seeing saved time when files go through the antivirus file scanners. In financial services, such as with mortgage applications, the process sends files straight into MetaDefender file scanning that cleans out any malicious content.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"ESET Endpoint Security is primarily used to protect computers from viruses and ransomware."
"ESET Smart Security protects your computer against real world threats and malware attacks and provides added security layer with spam filtering, firewall and parental control."
"Endpoint Security currently meets our needs; all of our devices are integrated with the solution, and it is working so well that we renewed the contract for two more years."
"In terms of the current global landscape, it is a great solution."
"We have not picked up a bug yet, because we use ESET, which is a tried and proven system."
"ESET Endpoint Security's best feature is that it's invisible until it detects a problem."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is easy to use and maintain while also being fully encrypted."
"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."
"MetaDefender is 100% stable, making it one of the best cybersecurity solutions we offer, which provides confidence in promoting and recommending it to others."
"OPSWAT is the best alternative."
"MetaDefender is 100% stable, making it one of the best cybersecurity solutions we offer, which provides confidence in promoting and recommending it to others."
 

Cons

"Based on our organization, it is not that reliable."
"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."
"The detection could be better in ESET Endpoint Security. Sometimes it takes time to detect threats and might be because it's not holding all the memory. There are some features that have to mature. More features might be available in the higher-end product."
"ESET Endpoint Antivirus can improve by having better EDR intelligence and automation. The EDR still needs lots of human interpretation. It can be better if add more intelligence to the EDR part of the endpoint protection."
"The solution could be more user-friendly."
"The adware module could be improved."
"It seems to have some issues with updates. When you do updates, it sometimes requests for a reboot, and even when you do the reboot, it still says that you need to reboot. Currently, on my computer, it says that a new ESET Endpoint Antivirus has been installed, and I need to restart the computer for the changes to take effect, but I've already done that, and the same message is still there, which is a little annoying. It should have a feature similar to the Intercept X feature in Sophos."
"They should have better support for different languages and auto-upgrading."
"The documentation is not well written, and I often need to talk with support."
"Some capabilities are lacking in reporting because we do not have full statistics that are easy for users to understand."
"The main improvement needed is pricing because, as an enterprise solution, smaller partners do not often receive the attention they deserve."
"The main improvement needed is pricing because, as an enterprise solution, smaller partners do not often receive the attention they deserve."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price is fair. If we compare it with any other retail product, it is a little harder to compete with."
"The cost of the solution is hard to justify even if the EDR operates well."
"As is the general rule with anything, the solution could be cheaper."
"The price of the solution is reasonable compared to the other products out there. It is definitely in line with the competition."
"The price could be lower, but it's comparable, as other solutions have a similar price for the same effect."
"I pay about $100 a year, so it's really cheap. I'm sure that if I need something else beyond more technical support, I'll need to pay more."
"There is a license needed to use this solution and there is an annual subscription. The price is inexpensive."
"I rate the product's price as seven or eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
14%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Healthcare Company
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business69
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise21
No data available
 

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MetaDefender?
The pricing of MetaDefender is about hundreds of dollars. If I remember correctly, when someone attempted to buy from us one instance of OPSWAT, it was about nine thousand dollars for multi-scannin...
What needs improvement with MetaDefender?
Some feedback indicated that it takes too much time to configure certain policies because there are many options. Some people appreciate this because you can configure anything, but I believe MetaD...
What is your primary use case for MetaDefender?
I have used MetaDefender for one and a half years, deploying it in different environments and managing a team of professional services that deploy MetaDefender products in customer environments. I ...
 

Also Known As

Smart Security, ESET PROTECT Advanced, ESET LiveGuard Advanced, ESET PROTECT Platform
OPSWAT MetaDefender, MetaDefender Core
 

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. MetaDefender and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
885,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.