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ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

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 Anti-Malware Tools
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
102
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (18th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (15th)
WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
27th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Anti-Malware Tools category, the mindshare of ESET Endpoint Protection Platform is 2.8%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus is 0.3%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Anti-Malware Tools
 

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…
PA
Reasonably priced and simple to use
During the product's installation phase, you just put the tool in the right place, and it works. The solution is deployed on an on-premises model. The solution can be deployed in a couple of minutes. The installation process is so basic that I don't even remember what you need to do. You just put the tick marks in the tool and ask the tool to use them. In the rules, where you see the files go through is where you can think over what to do with the files. With the tool, you just need to put it on, and then the default rules make sure that there is some indication that something is wrong.

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 features are the sandbox, mail scanning, sandboxing attachments, files, and that it responds to VPN porting."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the protection itself, which works well for us."
"The stability is great."
"The product is quite affordable."
"It's light. I almost don't know that I am using it."
"The most valuable features for me in ESET Endpoint Security are the antivirus feature and detection."
"For security purposes, we feel good and safe when using ESET Endpoint Protection Platform."
"It hasn't crashed a single time, so it is stable in that sense."
"WatchGuard is easy to implement and inexpensive. When we get a bulk-off license, we get a very discounted price that is competitive with alternative or competitor solutions."
"It does its job very well, and it is quite easy to put to use."
"The pricing of the solution is okay. It's not the most expensive option."
"I haven't a problem with anti-virus stability using WatchGuard for over two years."
"It is the most effective on non-encrypted traffic and it is able to determine some threats through deep packet inspection."
 

Cons

"There are some complexities if you want to manipulate the software."
"There are other features you can add on to help make the security stronger, however, they should offer better security even on a basic level."
"We'd like the solution to be a next generation antivirus with some sort of artificial intelligence or machine learning angle."
"The migration between on-prem and cloud has room for improvement."
"Its initial setup process could be more straightforward."
"While it is cheap, ESET Endpoint Protection Platform sometimes makes the computer run slower and takes backup, which affects system performance."
"Sometimes, ESET sends alerts within my own network that cause confusion. That is, it might warn about contamination, or that the VM has crashed, but it doesn't go further than that. It just shows me the alert and sometimes I am not sure what to do about it."
"The feature is somewhat lacking in security protection."
"It doesn't offer the best protection and it's incompatible with a lot of China's websites. It makes a lot of mistakes when it is detecting items as it's not recognizing items correctly."
"WatchGuard technical support requires a license."
"There were a little bit of problems with the tool's updates, making it an area where improvements are needed."
"Since WatchGuard acquired Panda, there may be synergies in consolidating both solutions under a single name to reduce customer confusion."
"The solution isn't what I would consider feature-rich."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of the solution is hard to justify even if the EDR operates well."
"This solution is a good value for the money."
"The license is annually, and the price is low compared to competitors."
"This is not an expensive product."
"The price is okay and I don't have any issues with it."
"It is not expensive; the pricing model is fine."
"Pricing of ESET Endpoint Security is within the market pricing."
"The pricing is pretty good."
"For what we use, the tool's price has been reasonable, but it is not the cheapest. The tool has been quite reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ESET Endpoint Security?
ESET Endpoint Security’s most valuable feature is the management console.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ESET Endpoint Security?
I rate the product’s pricing a three out of ten. It is neither cheap nor expensive for our clients. We use the free version, and there are no additional costs involved.
What needs improvement with ESET Endpoint Security?
The product’s AI implementation feature could be better for learning user behavior. There could be a feature to detect unsecured devices in the network similar to its older version. We need additio...
What needs improvement with WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus?
It is a basic tool tool, and it does very well for what it is supposed to do. It does simple checks against signatures. I think it is very much what it needs to be, and it is a basic tool that you ...
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus?
The solution is used when you want to handle policies with the file. There are different ways you can use it, like in the firewall rules and in proxy rules, and to secure emails. The tool was used ...
What advice do you have for others considering WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus?
It is the basic starting tool. We used different tools in the company. In our gateway, we used WatchGuard because we used WatchGuard's firewalls. It was very easy to set it up. It was used so that ...
 

Also Known As

Smart Security, ESET PROTECT Advanced, ESET LiveGuard Advanced, ESET PROTECT Platform
No data available
 

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
Star Cargo
Find out what your peers are saying about ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs. WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.