Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Hillstone E-Series vs Norton Small Business comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 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

Hillstone E-Series
Ranking in SSL VPN
11th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (39th), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (23rd)
Norton Small Business
Ranking in SSL VPN
12th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Backup (43rd), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (32nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Hillstone E-Series is 3.9%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Norton Small Business is 2.5%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Hillstone E-Series3.9%
Norton Small Business2.5%
Other93.6%
SSL VPN
 

Featured Reviews

TahirMahmood - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Zubair Feeds
Offers good features like URL filtering, IPS, and IDS to users
We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the firewall, where too much memory was consumed, and the firewall was hanging a lot. When we updated the tool's features, everything became okay. The tool only had some memory-related problems. It took the tool a month to fix the issues.
William_Bowers - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at Evise.ai
Provides a secure and hassle-free environment
One area where Norton 360 could improve is the constant push for upselling. The notifications urging me to buy additional services, like dark web monitoring or a secure browser, can be overwhelming. It feels like they are trying to sell me more than I actually need. I would prefer a more straightforward approach where essential features are included in the base license without constant prompts to purchase extras. While notifications about actions taken for my security are good, they could be more informative, letting me know exactly what they did to protect me without the upsell pitches. Simplifying the user experience and providing clearer information about the actions taken would make Norton 360 more user-friendly for me.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The installation is easy, we have not had any complaints from our customers."
"I am impressed with the application filtering feature."
"Working with the Hillstone E-Series has, from a remote perspective, allowed me to give my clients a secure connectivity."
"The most valuable features of the Hillstone E-Series are its hardware capacity, innovation, and the throughput that the hardware can take."
"Five out of five ROI."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The most valuable feature of the Hillstone E-Series is its user-friendliness."
"Very reliable solution with good scalability and straightforward implementation."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it offers alerts if I get a spam email."
"It offers diverse features, such as antivirus protection, firewall, identity protection, secure VPN, device backup, password management, parental controls, and performance optimization."
"The product’s valuable feature is the availability of support services 24/7."
"Norton 360 offers the best defense compared to other low-priced antivirus solutions. Its most valuable feature is storage and automatic backup. You can restore materials from the tool's cloud backup. It is encrypted with authentication."
"The solution detects viruses very, very fast."
"The solution has good performance."
"The most valuable feature of Norton 360 has been its robust notification system."
"The performance is fine."
 

Cons

"I am not sure if this solution offers active directory integration. Adding that feature will definitely be an advantage."
"The solution doesn't have a web proxy built into the system like Sophos. This is something they should work to change."
"The current usage reporting is very basic."
"Support from Hillstone E-Series has a shortcoming that needs improvement."
"The tool provides just a general report. It does not provide a granular report. Hence, the tool should work on its reporting feature."
"SSL VPN license cost is not cheap."
"Having frequent live webinars on a monthly basis would really help."
"The tool needs to improve its price."
"The product should be improved with more storage. Though included in its price, the tool's auto VPN doesn't work at times."
"The updates must be less frequent."
"There's a need for enhanced security measures."
"The tool's price is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"One area where Norton 360 could improve is the constant push for upselling."
"The tool should be easily available in the market and should be cheaper."
"Norton 360’s features for device optimization could be better."
"The solution’s stability could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing model is very complex with many subcategories of licenses you can purchase. They could make it more simplified for customers to understand."
"Hillstone's pricing is economical and neither very high nor very low."
"The cost per year for licensing, and hardware, is approximately $850 for the basic plan."
"The tool's pricing is reasonable. It depends on the model. The product's pricing is around 600 USD. You need to buy a software license to activate the features. You need to pay around 150 USD for that."
"It is an inexpensive product. We purchase its yearly license."
"The solution is cost-effective."
"The price is fairly acceptable."
"The tool has a yearly licensing."
"On a scale of one to ten, if ten is the most expensive and one is the cheapest, I rate the price as nine."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which SSL VPN solutions are best for your needs.
880,481 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
15%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Hillstone E-Series?
We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the firewall, where too much memory was consumed, and the firewall was hanging a lot. Wh...
What is your primary use case for Hillstone E-Series?
I use the solution in my company for site-to-site VPN, SSL VPNs, URL filtering, IPS, IDS and all the other features which are available in the firewall.
What advice do you have for others considering Hillstone E-Series?
Our company did not use the tool's micro-segmentation features. There were no issues while integrating the tool. I have not used any AI in the tool. I recommend the tool to others. I rate the tool ...
What do you like most about Norton 360?
The product offers all the essential licenses compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and mobile platforms.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Norton 360?
I have a yearly licensing plan. The cost is not that high. The solution is cost-effective.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bank of China Macao, Instituto Tecnológico Bolivariano, Ministry of Labor in San Salvador, FEDCO
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Hillstone E-Series vs. Norton Small Business and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
880,481 professionals have used our research since 2012.