ESET Home Security Essential is the top choice for users seeking a lean, high-performance security solution. The software barely taxes the system, making it excellent for gamers, freelancers, and older hardware. Protection levels are very high, even though the feature set is slimmer than Norton or Bitdefender. In return, renewal costs are more moderate than many competitors.
Documented product tests and assessments are pending. We therefore currently publish no scores or test winners. Selections use recorded product features.
ESET vs Kaspersky
ESET and Kaspersky compared side by side: protection, performance, pricing, and features. Which antivirus suits you better?
Kaspersky has been among the absolute top performers in independent antivirus tests for years. The Plus suite offers excellent real-time protection, VPN, password manager, and privacy tools. The Premium version adds parental controls and identity protection. Note: Kaspersky has faced scrutiny in some countries due to its Russian origin – in Switzerland and the EU, the software remains freely available and consistently receives top ratings from independent labs.
Complete ratings are missing for an overall comparison.
Recorded overall rating: ESET —/10, Kaspersky —/10. The overall score is the average of six criteria.
Performance rating: ESET —/10, Kaspersky —/10. Higher points indicate a better rating for this criterion.
Prices are indicative. Check the current amount, currency, contract term and renewal conditions with the provider. Different contract terms are not directly comparable.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Listed features refer to the product range. They may require a different plan or an additional payment and may vary by platform. Check what your selected plan includes.
| Criterion | ESET | Kaspersky |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time protection | In the product range | In the product range |
| Built-in VPN | Not confirmed | In the product range |
| Password manager | Not confirmed | In the product range |
| Anti-tracking / anti-phishing | In the product range | In the product range |
| Parental controls | Not confirmed | In the product range |
| Identity protection | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Low system impact | In the product range | Not confirmed |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, Android | Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone / iPad |
| Number of devices (standard licence) | 3 devices | 5 devices |
| System impact in daily use | — | — |