ESET Residence Safety Premium evaluate: Easy safety, complicated coronary heart

Greatest Costs Right this moment: ESET Safety Premium

$69.99

Once we final reviewed ESET Residence Safety Premium, it had a special identify. Formally it did, anyway. Regardless of the replace, the antivirus suite previously referred to as ESET Good Safety Premium continues to be referred to as the exact same within the app—and has saved its fundamentals, too.

These core qualities begin with good menace safety and an easy-to-use password supervisor. They embrace sufficient superior settings to probably fulfill energy customers, too. In reality, for those who like your apps to have much less handholding and extra digging round, ESET may very well be good for you…as long as you’ll be able to forgive some options for not residing as much as their hype.

Additional studying: See our roundup of the most effective antivirus software program for Home windows to find out about competing merchandise.

What does ESET Residence Safety Premium embrace? 

As with different safety suites, ESET Residence Safety Premium’s antivirus and firewall function the important thing fundamentals of the app. Collectively, they defend your PC from malware (together with ransomware), suspicious web sites and downloads, and potential community assaults. The software program can also scan for susceptible networks, thwart unauthorized use of your webcam, and block harmful e mail attachments. Parental controls and a password supervisor can be found, too.

Nevertheless, in contrast to equally priced rivals, Residence Safety Premium is extra sparse with its ancillary protections. You get safeguards for shopping classes (like for banking) and a knowledge encryption instrument, in addition to an anti-theft function to assist find misplaced or stolen units. No identification protections (like darkish net scanning) include the Residence Safety Premium plan — it’s essential to improve to Final to get these.

As an alternative ESET’s mid-tier plan leans extra closely towards PC utilities. These give attention to Home windows efficiency — they monitor system adjustments, present data on energetic Home windows processes and community connections, assist troubleshoot Home windows points, and verify what units are related to your community.

ESET

How a lot does ESET Residence Safety Premium value? 

Once you purchase a subscription instantly by means of ESET, you’ll be able to cowl the precise variety of units you need (as much as 10). The value begins at $60 for only one machine, then will increase in $5 increments. Lined units should run Home windows, macOS, or Android — iOS is just not supported.

Licenses bought by means of ESET include a 30-day money-back assure and are mechanically enrolled in auto-renewal. You’ll be able to stack collectively the corporate’s 30-day free trial with the return coverage. 

• 3-device plan: $70 for the primary 12 months 
• 5-device plan: $80 for the primary 12 months 
• 10-device plan: $105 for the primary 12 months 

ESET’s costs are the subscriptions’ record value, however the firm additionally caveats them as for “the primary time period solely.” In different phrases, don’t anticipate to get a fee lock on what you pay. Clients will obtain data for the subsequent 12 months’s subscription value solely 30 days earlier than renewal; any value will increase are communicated then.

For a reduction, ESET is at the moment providing 30 p.c off one-year, two-year, and three-year phrases.

Additional studying: get antivirus for reasonable

Key options of ESET Residence Safety Premium

Set up and person interface 

After set up, ESET Residence Safety Premium drops you into the Overview tab, which is the software program’s dashboard. For its look, the default is a darkish theme, however you’ll be able to click on an icon on the high proper of the window to change to a lightweight theme or match your system settings.

PCWorld

In darkish mode, the interface is generally grey with black tiles and inexperienced standing bar (if all’s nicely in your PC). A set of seven tabs on the left allow you to bounce to the dashboard, begin a scan, replace ESET Residence Safety Premium, use the app’s instruments, dive into settings, get assist, or go to the online portal for extra settings and options. The app could be resized to suit your window (or any dimension you need) — a rarity amongst antivirus software program.

On a floor stage, these classes really feel logical, however some group choices can really feel unintuitive. For instance, parental controls are tucked inside Setup > Web safety — they usually’re off by default. The overview tab additionally surprisingly lacks a tile that might allow you to begin a scan. Should you’re used to a extra simple format, ESET’s app received’t really feel pure to make use of till you’ve totally clicked round and familiarized your self.

Tabs range of their function density. Pc Scan has simply three choices: scanning the native disks in your PC, beginning a sophisticated scan (which features a customized possibility), or dragging and dropping recordsdata to verify them out. Scan-related notifications seem on this window as nicely.

PCWorld

In the meantime, Instruments and Setup are extra dense. Options seem as textual content entries sorted into teams, fairly than as tiles. Superior settings (referred to as Superior setup) are a maze of toggle switches, too. Energy customers will benefit from the management, however customers who desire a easy expertise will possible get misplaced among the many choices — even with the helpful tooltip explanations. The vibe is that of a house wired for its personal server room: You first see simply the put in ethernet wall ports and maybe a bit of networking tools, however for those who’re prepared to look, a posh setup lives inside a cramped closet down the corridor.

Along with the desktop app, ESET Residence Safety Premium ties into the corporate’s net portal, which you’ll use to handle your account and password supervisor customers. The anti-theft instruments reside right here too, as do the parental management exercise logs on your kids’s units.

Virus, malware, and menace safety 

Actual-time safety

ESET Residence Safety Premium scans repeatedly for real-time threats in your PC and while you’re on-line. It checks recordsdata in your native laborious drive and any detachable media for malware and spam, together with e mail downloaded to Home windows Mail, Microsoft Outlook, or Mozilla Thunderbird. The software program additionally screens webpages for harmful recordsdata and phishing makes an attempt, in addition to suspicious community exercise going to and from the web. 

Not like comparable rival plans, ESET Residence Safety Premium doesn’t allow you to restrict app entry to the web or particular recordsdata as further safety. It solely mechanically screens for uncommon habits. And as talked about above, the Residence Safety Premium subscription doesn’t embrace information breach monitoring, both — it’s essential to step as much as the Final tier for identification protections.

Scheduled scans

Proper after set up, ESET performs an preliminary full-system scan. Its settings additionally embrace a system startup file verify as a part of the default scheduled duties. Nevertheless, the app primarily depends on real-time scanning as the first methodology of catching threats. You need to create your personal scheduled scans to proactively display screen your system.

PCWorld

To schedule a scan, you’ll head to Instrument > Scheduler, click on on the Add activity button, and select On-demand pc scan. When configuring the scan, you’ll schedule its time (as soon as, repeatedly, every day, weekly, or based mostly on an occasion set off), then its habits (like if it runs when a laptop computer is on battery). 

Subsequent, you’ll choose the scan depth — a wise scan, context menu scan, in-depth scan, or pc scan. Good scans skip recordsdata beforehand marked as clear and never since modified. Context menu scans set off a user-defined scanning profile when checking a file or folder utilizing the Home windows context menu. In-depth scans dig into each file in your system, no matter earlier scan outcomes. Pc scans mechanically select your PC’s native drives to scan.

The elements of your PC that may be scanned (together with hidden areas) change with the default scan possibility chosen — and you’ll decide precisely the place to probe. If you wish to create a scan that solely checks locations just like the working reminiscence, boot sectors/UEFI, WMI database, or system registry, that’s doable. So is checking solely a community location, an area drive or set of folders, or a mixture of all areas.

PCWorld

Nonetheless not sufficient granularity? You’ll be able to dig into ESET Residence Safety Premium’s Superior Setup — if you wish to tinker with how aggressive the scans are, you’ll be able to.

Handbook scans

For guide scans, you’ll be able to solely select between a pc scan (examines the native drives in your PC), a customized scan (lets you choose scan depth and the areas checked), a detachable media scan, or repeating the final scan. You too can drag and drop folders or recordsdata into the window to scan them.

Associated, you may also submit recordsdata of unknown or doubtful origin by means of the app to the ESET labs for additional evaluation.

Firewall

ESET replaces Home windows’ built-in firewall with its personal defenses, taking on the screening of all of your PC’s inbound and outbound visitors. Whereas less complicated than Home windows’ a number of interfaces for settings, you’ll must dive into Residence Safety Premium’s superior setup to vary the firewall guidelines. 

If that appears like your concept of a superb time (no sarcasm), you will get fairly granular with customized guidelines. However for typical customers of third-party antivirus software program, the ESET defaults must be enough.

Further notable options 

Anti-theft 

The anti-theft instrument is designed to find a stolen machine. On PC, the app will take a number of steps if marked as stolen within the ESET net portal — it’ll seize screenshots of the display screen and take photographs by means of the webcam, in addition to location information. You too can arrange a “phantom” account, which turns into the one energetic account when somebody filches your PC, in addition to evaluate exercise logs.

PCWorld

In apply, this instrument isn’t as efficient as you’d hope. A webcam could be coated with tape, for starters. The phantom account is ineffective in case your Home windows accounts aren’t secured with passwords. Whereas that’s more durable to do these days in Home windows 11, it’s not inconceivable. ESET’s app can’t precisely inform when a Home windows account isn’t password protected, both—and so that you don’t get the warning it is best to. On an area Home windows account with arrange with a clean password subject, ESET nonetheless counted the account as secured. (Tapping the enter key to log in is just not safe, for the document.) The app additionally couldn’t all the time seize the IP handle of the check PC — and IP addresses aren’t all the time an correct reflection of somebody’s true location.

Browser extensions

ESET promotes its free Browser Privateness & Safety extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge as an extra option to keep protected on-line — you need to use it to get visible badges for good search outcomes, clear up your shopping historical past, and wipe metadata from photographs you add.

However on one PC, I couldn’t get the extension to behave correctly in Chrome — a doable battle with an already-installed ad-blocker extension. It couldn’t join with ESET’s servers. The identical extension labored effective on the check PC used to evaluate the app inside Edge, nonetheless.

Parental management

ESET Residence Safety Premium consists of parental controls — each for computer systems and Android telephones. On a PC, you’ll be able to configure Home windows accounts individually, in order that your youngster logging into their account received’t have the identical full entry to web sites as a dad or mum account. The filtering settings regulate based mostly on age group (beneath 12, 12 to 17, and 18+). You too can change what sorts of web sites are screened and add exceptions to both a block or permit record.

Some classes don’t make fast sense — the assistance pages on-line don’t give an in depth clarification of what the much less instantly apparent imply. When requested, ESET graciously defined a number of (“Dynamic” means web sites that redirect to different websites or pages, for instance), however clearer documentation could be higher.

PCWorld

Web site blocking works nicely. In reality, you can argue it really works slightly too nicely — once I tried to permit sure web sites inside a forbidden class throughout testing, the app wouldn’t allow them to by means of. The other works, although. You’ll be able to ban particular websites when the general class is allowed.

Geolocation monitoring by no means fairly labored correctly for the kid account used for testing, both. The Android cellphone’s location typically wouldn’t present correctly, and in an entire separate ESET account, by no means confirmed up in any respect. This function appears greatest suited to web site filtering and exercise monitoring.

Password supervisor 

ESET Password Supervisor is simple and efficient — a superb starter password supervisor, for those who haven’t but began utilizing one. Although it doesn’t supply many extras, the fundamentals are coated in a cultured interface.

You’ll set up the browser extension on PC or obtain the app for Android, then create a separate account than the one which controls the antivirus app. You’ll want to save the restoration key generated throughout setup — for those who overlook your password, it’s the one option to get again into your account.

The extension fills in and captures passwords seamlessly, instantly recognizing login kinds and even password reset fields. You’ll be able to create entries for accounts, identities, notes, and bank cards, with notes the best choice for easy entries like Wi-Fi passwords. (Account entries require all fields, together with username, be stuffed out.) ESET additionally helps you to retailer and generate two-factor software program tokens for accounts — which isn’t the strongest safety transfer, but when it helps you utilize 2FA, it’s nonetheless the higher selection than in no way.

PCWorld

Further options embrace the flexibility to immediately kill all energetic classes from the menu (Safe classes). You’ll be able to forcibly log off all over the place, with the choice to particularly delete cookies and log off, delete obtain historical past, delete historical past and shut tabs, and/or delete bookmarks. You too can manually verify your passwords for any caught up in a knowledge leak. And you may safe the browser extension on PC with a PIN to safe your password vault however nonetheless get fast entry.

Just a few small issues maintain this password supervisor from being top-notch. One is well fixable — by default, autofill is turned on. When you load an internet site, your credentials are mechanically entered into the shape fields. You don’t even must click on on them for the autofill to occur. This could be a safety danger and must be turned off within the settings. Any passwords copied to your clipboard can’t be mechanically cleared, both. You’ll want to try this manually inside Home windows. And at last, ESET’s splash display screen for the password supervisor seems each single time you open it, which looks like a unnecessary delay for moving into the vault.

PC utilities

ESET Residence Safety Premium consists of a number of instruments meant that can assist you maintain tabs in your PC — and maintain it in tip-top form. 

System Cleaner seems for any adjustments to your system settings and look from the defaults. Working Processes and Community Connections let you understand what apps and processes are energetic in your PC, and which have used your web connection. Community Inspector lists the units linked to your router. SysInspector identifies potential points together with your system, together with outdated drivers, damaged registry entries, and {hardware} incompatibilities. System Management can restrict entry for units hooked up to your PC, like a detachable drive, CD/DVD drive, or printer. And Safe Information creates encrypted digital drives or encrypted folders on detachable media.

PCWorld

Of the set, Community Inspector has much less usefulness. I favored the way it put the found units in an inventory type together with IP handle and final connection time, however some routers do that too, and with full accuracy for what’s related. Community Inspector doesn’t all the time see each machine, both.

System Cleaner could be helpful for seeing what’s modified when troubleshooting, however its options for reversions or mitigations don’t all the time work — and generally appear untrustworthy. (Why is a system look change flagged in crimson?)

In the meantime, Working Processes, Community Connections, and SysInspector can be helpful for troubleshooting functions, or simply normal understanding of what’s happening behind the scenes together with your PC. System Management and Safe Information additionally labored as marketed when examined. ESET says Safe Information makes use of 256-bit AES encryption. (Notice: I didn’t confirm that the encryption is carried out appropriately, so maintain that in thoughts if utilizing this function to retailer delicate information.)

Secured shopping

ESET gives twin options that lock down probably delicate information transmitted to and out of your net browser. The primary is Protected Banking & Shopping, which ESET says depends on a driver to filter keyboard inputs and scramble them so a keylogger can’t seize them with accuracy. The opposite is Secured Shopping, wherein the ESET antivirus engine screens for any processes that may attempt to intrude with Chrome, Edge, and Firefox’s regular operation.

PCWorld

No visible indicator exists for the protected banking and shopping mode being energetic. Nevertheless, you will note a skinny, shiny inexperienced border when the safe mode for shopping is on…and when it’s off, too. This seeming bug occurs for those who flip off the Safe all browsers possibility, however go away the secured browser settings nonetheless on. I ended up ignoring this function whereas testing, and nonetheless caught with my regular greatest practices for shopping on-line. (That’s, verifying a hyperlink is on a safe https connection, navigating on to an internet site, utilizing two-factor authentication the place doable, downloading recordsdata from solely respected sources, and never plugging in unknown USB units into my PC.)

Buyer help 

Should you need assistance with ESET Residence Safety Premium, you could find hyperlinks to the corporate’s on-line assist pages, data base, and technical help. The assistance pages operate as a fundamental guide for the applying, whereas the data base is extra of a searchable FAQ. Each assets clarify ideas in concise language. For extra detailed help, the technical help type (which you’ll attain after clicking by means of a number of pages) helps you to get into the nitty gritty. You too can contact buyer help by means of reside chat or e mail.

Updates and upkeep 

By default, ESET Residence Safety Premium checks for updates to virus definitions and the app each 60 minutes. You’ll be able to change this interval (or disable automated updates, which we don’t suggest) by going to Instruments > Scheduler within the software program. You too can manually verify for updates by clicking on Replace tab, after which clicking on the Test for updates button within the bottom-right nook. 

Efficiency

When evaluated by high safety analysis organizations, ESET performs nicely. In AV-Check’s zero-day assault and malware checks for March and April 2025 (probably the most present outcomes launched), the software program’s antivirus engine caught 100% of the 459 zero-day malware samples. For widespread and prevalent malware, it caught 100% of the 18,722 samples.

AV-Comparatives

In AV-Comparatives’ real-world safety check for February by means of Could 2025, ESET got here in close to the highest of the pack. It blocked 99.1 p.c of the 423 samples comprised of exploits (like drive-by downloads), malicious net addresses, and URLs linking on to malware, whereas solely flagging three false positives. In the meantime, in AV-Comparatives’ March 2025 malware safety check, it had a 96.5 p.c offline detection fee, 97.2 p.c on-line detection fee, and 99.95 on-line safety fee. These outcomes rank nearer to the highest, although rivals like Bitdefender and Norton have stronger offline and on-line detection charges.

When tasked with catching and blocking 228 phishing URLs in AV-Comparatives’ anti-phishing certification check, ESET had a safety fee of 93 p.c—just a bit behind the most effective rating of 95 p.c.

When evaluated for its capability to deal with extra subtle threats like malicious scripts and fileless assaults, ESET had the highest rating. It caught 14 of 15 check circumstances in AV-Comparatives’ October 2024 Superior Risk Safety Check.

We anticipate ESET Residence Safety Premium to have minimal impression on system assets when idle within the background — at the least throughout on a regular basis duties. After working PCMark 10’s Prolonged benchmark, which simulates net shopping, video chatting, gaming, and picture and doc modifying in free, open-source apps, the scores had been the identical as earlier than putting in the software program.

Residence Safety Premium had mild impression throughout our different two benchmarks, UL Procyon’s Workplace Productiveness, and our Handbrake encoding check. Procyon focuses on Microsoft Workplace use — e.g., Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint. Handbrake lets us crunch an enormous uncompressed video file right into a smaller model. In each benchmarks, ESET hanging out within the background solely lowered scores by about 1 to 2 p.c.

AV-Comparatives

As for its impact in your PC, ESET Residence Safety Premium ought to have minimal impression on system assets when idling within the background, particularly throughout on a regular basis duties. After working PCMark 10’s Prolonged benchmark, which simulates net shopping, video chatting, gaming, and picture and doc modifying in free, open-source apps, the scores had been the identical as earlier than putting in the software program.

We additionally noticed a lightweight impression throughout our different two benchmarks, UL Procyon’s Workplace Productiveness and our Handbrake encoding check. The Procyon benchmark focuses on Microsoft Workplace use — e.g., Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint. Most antivirus software program tends to kick into greater gear when Workplace apps are energetic, since Phrase and Excel recordsdata can unfold malware. Putting in ESET brought about a small decline in Procyon scores, with a 3 p.c lower. It had a smaller impact on Handbrake, with a tiny dip of slightly below 2 p.c.

Even with a full system scan working within the background, ESET didn’t hit our check PC as laborious as rivals have. In PCMark 10, scores drifted down by lower than 3 p.c. Even in Procyon and Handbrake, the place scores can plummet when antivirus software program runs full blast, the benchmark outcomes dropped by a comparatively modest 12 p.c. Rivals like Avast, Norton, and McAfee have proven rating degradation of as much as 41 p.c.

(Interested in how we check? You will get additional particulars in our overview of our evaluate course of.)

In the actual world, you’ll be able to anticipate ESET to play nicer with older or slower computer systems — like our check PC, which is a price range laptop computer. And also you’ll see even much less impact for those who schedule full scans for off-hours (like while you’re asleep). Similar goes for those who run good scans on a PC the place you don’t typically change or add recordsdata, since that kind of scan skips over unchanged recordsdata marked clear in a earlier go.

Must you purchase ESET Residence Premium Safety? 

Ideally, an antivirus suite’s options ought to carry out nicely throughout the board. However regardless of ESET Residence Safety Premium’s inconsistencies, this software program delivers on its fundamentals, in addition to goes simpler on system assets. Energy customers specifically can get lots out of this suite — supplied they don’t want a well-rounded set of parental controls. Much less technical customers might profit from a less complicated app, although.