ESET Antivirus at a Glance

ESET has a lot going for it, so let’s go over its main points before getting into details. Note that for this review we tested both the basic Windows version (called NOD32) as well as the Mac version, Cyber Security Pro. We’ll assume that most readers are Windows users, so we used the Windows app as default, although there are also versions for Linux and Android. All in all, there are three packages you can get on Windows (bundled for Mac users): the basic NOD32 antivirus package, an intermediate plan called ESET Internet Security and ESET Smart Security Premium. This is a full suite of DIY cybersecurity apps, but more on that later.

NOD32, which we used for our tests, is a basic but sturdy product that scans computer systems, detecting and removing the following:

• Viruses
• Malware
• Spyware
• Ransomware

In the features list, it claims to “protect you from attacks,” which is ESET’s ransomware detection system. With one ransom demanded in France in 2020 coming in at almost $12 million,2 ransomware protection is a good thing to have, especially for businesses.

ESET’s scans are both on-access, when the app is open, and on-demand, whenever you want, meaning you can scan unknown or suspicious-looking files in their File Explorer with a single click. We really like this kind of capability as it makes it very easy to protect yourself: if you’re ever browsing your file system and see a file that you don’t know where it came from, you can scan it right there and then. ESET will also alert you if files are acting suspiciously, prompting you to scan them.

The next package is ESET Internet Security, and it does all that NOD32 does, as well as:

• Stops hackers
• Helps secure your online shopping
• Makes the license usable across all of your devices

This is a nice little package, and we especially liked the online shopping and banking protection, which is essentially a protected browser session that opens any time you submit payment information, adding an extra layer of security to your most vulnerable and valuable information. The “stop hackers” feature is a firewall, though if you scan regularly, you probably won’t need a firewall much. The last new feature makes the license usable among all your devices, which is just a great way to save money, making it well worth the price of the upgrade.

Last but not least is the ultimate package called ESET Smart Security Premium, which does all that NOD32 and Internet Security do, plus:

• Encrypts files (to learn more, read our guide to security personal data)
• Stores passwords

This last upgrade makes ESET an antivirus, encryption tool and password manager in one, which is a great deal and pretty much all we needed to secure our computer and phone against the dangers that lurk in the Internet. However, if you don’t want to pay for the upgrade, you can generate strong passwords for free on our site.

Testing ESET Ourselves

We installed ESET NOD32 on our computer (well, a virtual machine running Windows 10 and rocking a five GB hard disk) and ran a scan using the recommended settings. Because of our tiny disk size, the scan finished in 34 minutes and, because it was a fresh install, it detected no viruses, malware or anything like that.