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McAfee Complete Data Protection vs Symantec Endpoint Encryption comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 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

McAfee Complete Data Protec...
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Symantec Endpoint Encryption
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of McAfee Complete Data Protection is 7.2%, down from 10.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Encryption is 9.4%, down from 10.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Encryption
 

Featured Reviews

ObaseunAwoyinfa - PeerSpot reviewer
Encrypts the hard drive, offers data protection policies and effective part of DLP strategy
The only thing that I think could be improved is the data classifier. It's not a very robust classifier, which is where its limitation lies. For example, you see a lot of higher-end solutions where people can classify data more effectively, adding labels like transcription labels and such. McAfee’s classifier doesn't handle all those tasks. It doesn’t offer the same level of functionality as other data classification tools. You can't do things like fingerprinting and other advanced classification methods. However, if you were to make it more robust, the product could become too heavy to run effectively on endpoints and servers. So, to be honest, I can't think of anything else off the top of my head that could be added. I think it's a great solution as it stands. If anyone wants extended data classification, they can leverage other tools like Titus, Fortra's Classifier Suite (previously known as Boldon James Classifier), or even Microsoft AIP if they have the budget. You can also leverage Trellix to enhance your data protection. From my point of view, McAfee Complete Data Protection is one of the best solutions out there, if not the best, to be honest.
Bharath Kumar Gajula - PeerSpot reviewer
Robust data protection with user-friendly deployment, competitive pricing, and comprehensive features like customizable alerts and effective detection capabilities but needs GUI improvements
The stability is relatively good. Occasionally, certain clients may experience disconnection from the management servers, requiring a manual process to rectify. Even in instances where the link is severed, restoring client connectivity can be challenging, sometimes necessitating the uninstallation and reinstallation of the software. Additionally, when clients go out of sync, we do not receive alerts, indicating an area for potential improvement. I would rate it seven out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It works seamlessly as long as it's well configured and the policies have been put properly."
"All of the Complete Data products are valuable."
"It provides encryption, data protection, and DLP, all under one roof. The deployment, scalability, and reporting is too good. My clients are satisfied with the stability of the product. The solution is highly scalable. The technical support's response time and turnaround time as the solution provider are excellent. The availability of great back-end support and process support makes the product great. The initial setup is straightforward, with simple configurations. I recommend the solution."
"We can scale the solution."
"The solution is excellent for protecting users from data being exploited. It's also great for preventing data leakage."
"It is capable of acting as Web control, Device Control, or Data Control."
"It worked for me: it's easy to use and has been very effective."
"With McAfee Complete Data Protection, you can managed all your security solutions from one single server and one interface. This might be the most powerful advantage of McAfee's solution."
"Overall Symantec Endpoint Encryption is a reasonable solution."
"The best feature of Symantec Endpoint Encryption is the encryption itself. Encryption truly is the way to go because nowadays we are living in an era of widespread server threats, and you need to encrypt your emails and documents because you never know who might get hold of them."
"We can extend it to all of the critical endpoints and the servers, and we can ensure the confidentiality of the data."
"Antivirus, URL filtering, and firewall protection are the most effective features for data protection."
"The installation process is pretty straightforward."
"The most valuable feature is that it works in the background so that the end-users are not aware of what is happening on the laptop."
"The solution is easy to use."
"We use it for protecting accounts, which is its most valuable feature."
 

Cons

"The solution should be more user-friendly."
"There was an option for SQL setup in the older versions of this product and it has been removed, but we would like to see it made available as an add-on."
"The product consumes too much RAM and CPU for its processing and this can lead to resource issues on PCs."
"The solution's pricing could be better."
"The price could be improved."
"As a new technology, it does need to grow."
"They could be better in terms of Complete Data Protection."
"This solution does not do as well at protecting the end-user against unknown viruses."
"The solution does not have endpoint control."
"They have too high of a price tag. That's why they're losing the market share."
"More features need to be included in the encryption software."
"Its remote deployment should be improved. Currently, there is no remote deployment for Symantec Endpoint Encryption. You have to install it manually. There are some issues with AD integration and the time taken to reflect a password on the Endpoint Encryption Manager when a new user has changed the password, but they are already working on these issues, and these will be resolved in the next release."
"I would like to see some features or functionality enhanced in Symantec Endpoint Encryption."
"If for example, a user forgets the endpoint key, they cannot access their data. We need a support team that is a single point of contact for the IT entity to be trained and to have documentation for troubleshooting and managing the solution."
"Its decryption time needs to be improved. Currently, its decryption time is very long, and it takes double time than encryption. They need to work on that. Its encryption time is fine."
"From an administration point of view, maybe it would be ideal to have it centrally managed."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is better than that of some competing products."
"The price is good, it's a low-cost solution."
"The pricing is quite reasonable compared to other vendors."
"McAfee Complete Data Protection is a little bit expensive."
"When it comes to pricing, I've observed an increase recently."
"The price of this solution needs to be improved."
"The cost of McAfee Complete Data Protection isn't that high but isn't that cheap as well, so it's in the middle."
"This solution is reasonably priced."
"Although the performance and stability of this solution are good, our challenge is the price tag. You buy the solution once, but you also have to keep on buying the licenses yearly."
"The license is not very expensive."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"It can be expensive. However, if you plan to scale or are at a large enterprise company, this product could be what you need."
"The cost of this solution is a little on the higher side."
"Symantec Endpoint Encryption is not expensive."
"The pricing is fair but there is variability in our area that needs to be addressed."
"The solution is good, but it is more expensive than other solutions in the market. Other solutions, such as BitLocker are less expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Government
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Would you choose Microsoft BitLocker or McAfee Complete Data Protection?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protection....
What do you like most about McAfee Complete Data Protection?
It worked for me: it's easy to use and has been very effective.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for McAfee Complete Data Protection?
The huge problem I see is pricing. We understand that DLP is not cheap anywhere in the world, but we constantly lose our protection because of pricing. Sometimes, this is because end users prefer t...
How does Microsoft BitLocker compare with Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and it successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protecti...
What do you like most about Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
Antivirus, URL filtering, and firewall protection are the most effective features for data protection.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
I am not sure about the pricing and licensing cost of Symantec Endpoint Encryption.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Symantec Drive Encryption
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Xcel Energy
Citrix Systems Inc., City of Lansing, Commercial & Industrial Property, France T_l_visions, Fujian Mobile Co. Ltd., Group Lotus plc, Hall Booth Smith & Slover, P.C. (HBSS), Portugal Telecom, PostFinance, Public Pension Agency
Find out what your peers are saying about McAfee Complete Data Protection vs. Symantec Endpoint Encryption and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.