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ESET PROTECT Enterprise vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.0
ESET PROTECT Enterprise offers strong returns with effective security, easy installation, and up to 30% cost savings over CrowdStrike.
Sentiment score
5.9
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection effectively enhances email security, productivity, and cost-efficiency compared to rivals like AppRiver and Trend.
The return on investment is excellent due to its functionality and ease of installation.
Director, Information Technology at Premier Realty Group
There was money saving from using ESET PROTECT Enterprise, which is why I switched from CrowdStrike to ESET.
IT Manager at R K Khanna and Associates
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.9
Customers praise ESET PROTECT Enterprise's support team for being knowledgeable, responsive, and helpful, often rating them 9 or 10.
Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection support receives mixed reviews, with response times varying based on issue complexity and service level.
The tech support from ESET is amazing, and I would rate it as ten out of ten.
Owner at Octo-Xpressions
My experience with ESET's technical support is positive; the technicians are knowledgeable and responsive.
Chief Information Officer at Cordero y Asociados S.L. - Cordero Informáticos
Even if support is addressing my problem, if the two issues I mentioned are not resolved, then the support process is not complete.
IT Manager at R K Khanna and Associates
If I had to rate the support I received on a scale of ten, I would give it a ten because he went way beyond what was expected for me.
Business Process Manager/ Educational Technologist at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft offers excellent 24/7 support.
System Administrator at Shubham housing finance
My team is able to get the help they need when necessary.
General Manager at Ambient iT
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
ESET PROTECT Enterprise is highly scalable, efficiently expanding to thousands of devices, with performance varying across workstations and servers.
Sentiment score
7.6
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection efficiently scales from small businesses to large enterprises, offering seamless cloud migration and regular updates.
It can efficiently scale up to thousands of devices in an organization without issues.
Owner at Octo-Xpressions
I have used many products before, and this solution is definitely scalable.
IT Manager at R K Khanna and Associates
It is better suited for workstations rather than server environments.
Director, Information Technology at Premier Realty Group
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
ESET PROTECT Enterprise operates reliably with minimal maintenance, despite occasional update interruptions and manageable false positives.
Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is reliable and stable, with rare security incidents, benefiting from good maintenance and occasional third-party support.
When it performs an update, ESET PROTECT Enterprise should request permission for restarting because otherwise, users lose their work.
IT Manager at R K Khanna and Associates
The solution is stable, and I have not encountered any glitches.
Owner at Octo-Xpressions
The solution is very, very stable.
Director, Information Technology at Premier Realty Group
 

Room For Improvement

ESET PROTECT Enterprise needs better deployment, performance, automation, UI clarity, and efficient management, especially for mobile and Mac.
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection needs improved flexibility, security, user experience, intuitive interface, pricing, support, and integration with other platforms.
Sometimes, agents lose connection with the management console, and the administration team needs to reinstall the agents on the computers.
Security Network Engineer at АТ "Банк інвестицій та заощаджень"
They need to reduce the number of notifications on the endpoints.
Director, Information Technology at Premier Realty Group
ESET PROTECT Enterprise makes the system a little slow sometimes and updates occur at startup.
IT Manager at R K Khanna and Associates
The user interface of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) has room for improvement.
Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
From an end-user point of view, I am quite happy with Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) because my favorite feature is the ease with which I can identify if an email is a phishing email or spam email.
Business Process Manager/ Educational Technologist at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Improving the search process by allowing searches with different types of parameters and facilitating searches within emails would be advantageous.
General Manager at Ambient iT
 

Setup Cost

ESET PROTECT Enterprise's pricing is seen as cost-effective, offering good value despite being higher than some competitors.
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection pricing is seen as generally high, but justified by security features and Microsoft's reputation.
I pay 40 dollars per agent annually, which is cheaper than 60 dollars per agent for Check Point.
Security Network Engineer at АТ "Банк інвестицій та заощаджень"
We recently paid fourteen dollars and thirty-six cents per unit for 20 users, which is reasonable.
Director, Information Technology at Premier Realty Group
Comparing it to other solutions in the market, it was slightly higher.
IT Manager at R K Khanna and Associates
The pricing is reasonable.
General Manager at Ambient iT
I find the price of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) to be fairly reasonable, and I have no problems with it.
Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Microsoft Exchange is more expensive compared to other services like Gmail.
System Administrator at Shubham housing finance
 

Valuable Features

ESET PROTECT Enterprise offers robust security with efficient management, minimal resources, and strong threat detection for online transactions.
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection offers robust security features including anti-spam, anti-phishing, malware protection, scalability, and seamless Windows integration.
It allows simple whitelisting and has a learning mode for new installations, which reduces false positives by adapting to typical user habits.
Director, Information Technology at Premier Realty Group
Its web component prevents infections from malicious websites, which enhances its anti-malware capabilities.
Owner at Octo-Xpressions
This is a benefit because with all the systems connected, wherever the users are, from my system I can see what's happening on their system.
IT Manager at R K Khanna and Associates
We've benefited from the anti-phishing features of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP), as it has been quite accurate and has eliminated most of our phishing emails, making it really impressive.
Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The security features provided by Microsoft are robust.
General Manager at Ambient iT
Another feature I appreciate is the ability to question things, as our Exchange server allows us to identify in real-time if an email is a phishing email or spam email.
Business Process Manager/ Educational Technologist at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

ESET PROTECT Enterprise
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
10th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (20th)
Microsoft Exchange Online P...
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
12th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
Email Security (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Anti-Malware Tools category, the mindshare of ESET PROTECT Enterprise is 2.2%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is 1.1%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Anti-Malware Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
ESET PROTECT Enterprise2.2%
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)1.1%
Other96.7%
Anti-Malware Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Manikumar David - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at R K Khanna and Associates
Provides comprehensive monitoring and policy implementation with room for memory optimization
ESET PROTECT Enterprise makes the system a little slow sometimes and updates occur at startup. Sometimes unwanted pop-ups appear to users, and they are unable to disable them. The user-friendliness is lacking in some areas. When users are using any computer, ESET PROTECT Enterprise should work in the background without consuming much memory, and any updates should proceed in the background without disturbing the user.
NancyHartman - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Process Manager/ Educational Technologist at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Layered email security has protected sensitive research and still flags phishing in real time
The valuable features of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) include providing an additional layer of protection, as it builds on the basic Exchange level of security that allows us to get our work done. Another feature I appreciate is the ability to question things, as our Exchange server allows us to identify in real-time if an email is a phishing email or spam email. It really helps us identify risks, especially through our external exchanges via email or through our cloud-based platforms. Our Exchange system blocks any embedded AI from all our applications and products, so we cannot use embedded AI in our daily work from our official laptops because we have secure information. The system is quite locked down.
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Top Industries

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

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business24
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with ESET Protect?
One area for improvement in ESET PROTECT Enterprise is its capabilities on Mac devices, which are less functional compared to Windows. In terms of device management, ESET PROTECT Enterprise could i...
What is your primary use case for ESET Protect?
My customers use ESET PROTECT Enterprise to secure all their operating systems; we have a lot of customers who rely on this antivirus. It also acts as a platform where I can manage all the devices ...
What advice do you have for others considering ESET Protect?
I suggest that other users considering ESET PROTECT Enterprise utilize this platform to manage all their laptops and apply security policies effectively to protect their Windows environments. On a ...
What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?
The initial setup was easy. The configuration process is very straightforward.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?
The user interface of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) has room for improvement, as at times it doesn't make sense where to go to access certain features.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?
My use case for Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is basically to protect ourselves from phishing emails and to improve our email security.
 

Also Known As

ESET Protect, ESET File Security
Microsoft EOP, MS Exchange Online Protection
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about ESET PROTECT Enterprise vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.