Eset Home Security Premium review: Simple protection, complex heart

Worth When Reviewed

$59.99

Greatest Costs Immediately: ESET Safety Premium

$60

Once we final reviewed Eset Residence Safety Premium, it had a special title. Formally it did, anyway. Regardless of the replace, the antivirus suite previously referred to as Eset Good Safety Premium remains to be referred to as the exact same within the app – and has stored its fundamentals, too.

These core qualities begin with good risk safety and an easy-to-use password supervisor. They embody sufficient superior settings to probably fulfill energy customers, too. In reality, in case you like your apps to have much less handholding and extra digging round, Eset could possibly be good for you…as long as you’ll be able to forgive some options for not residing as much as their hype.

See our roundup of one of the best antivirus software program chart to study competing merchandise.

What does Eset Residence Safety Premium embody? 

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 electronic mail attachments. Parental controls and a password supervisor can be found, too.

Nonetheless, not like equally priced rivals, Residence Safety Premium is extra sparse with its ancillary protections. You get safeguards for searching periods (like for banking) and a knowledge encryption device, in addition to an anti-theft function to assist find misplaced or stolen gadgets. No id protections (like darkish net scanning) include the Residence Safety Premium plan — you could improve to Eset Residence Safety Final to get these.

As an alternative Eset’s mid-tier plan leans extra closely towards PC utilities. These concentrate on Home windows efficiency — they monitor system modifications, present info on lively Home windows processes and community connections, assist troubleshoot Home windows points, and examine what gadgets are related to your community.

ESET

ESET

ESET

How a lot does Eset Residence Safety Premium price? 

Whenever you purchase a subscription straight by Eset, you’ll be able to cowl the precise variety of gadgets you need (as much as 10). The worth begins at £45.99/$59.99 for only one gadget, then will increase in £5/$5 increments. Coated gadgets should run Home windows, macOS, or Android — iOS will not be supported.

Licenses bought by Eset include a 30-day money-back assure and are mechanically enrolled in auto-renewal. You possibly can stack collectively the corporate’s 30-day free trial with the return coverage. 

• 3-device plan: £54.98/$69.99 for the primary yr 
• 5-device plan: £64.99/$79.99 for the primary yr 
• 10-device plan: £89.99/$104.99 for the primary yr 

Eset’s costs are the subscriptions’ checklist price, however the firm additionally caveats them as for “the primary time period solely.” In different phrases, don’t anticipate to get a charge lock on what you pay. Clients will obtain info for the following yr’s subscription price solely 30 days earlier than renewal; any value will increase are communicated then.

For a reduction, Eset provides 15% off when signing up for a two-year time period, and 20% off when signing up for a three-year time period. 

Key options of Eset Residence Safety Premium

Set up and consumer 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 modify to a lightweight theme or match your system settings.

In darkish mode, the interface is usually grey with black tiles and inexperienced standing bar (if all’s properly in your PC). A set of seven tabs on the left allow you to leap 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 net portal for added settings and options. The app will 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 unusually lacks a tile that will allow you to begin a scan. Should you’re used to a extra easy format, Eset’s app received’t really feel pure to make use of till you’ve totally clicked round and familiarized your self.

Tabs fluctuate of their function density. Laptop 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 examine them out. Scan-related notifications seem on this window as properly.

In the meantime, Instruments and Setup are extra dense. Options seem as textual content entries sorted into teams, quite 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 need 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 in case you’re prepared to look, a fancy 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 in your youngsters’s gadgets.

Virus, malware, and risk safety 

Actual-time safety

Eset Residence Safety Premium scans constantly for real-time threats in your PC and whenever you’re on-line. It checks recordsdata in your native arduous drive and any detachable media for malware and spam, together with electronic 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 embody knowledge breach monitoring, both — you could step as much as the Final tier for id protections.

Scheduled scans

Proper after set up, Eset performs an preliminary full-system scan. Its settings additionally embody a system startup file examine as a part of the default scheduled duties. Nonetheless, the app primarily depends on real-time scanning as the first methodology of catching threats. You could create your individual scheduled scans to proactively display screen your system.

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PCWorld

PCWorld

To schedule a scan, you’ll head to Software > 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, day by 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 sensible 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. Laptop scans mechanically select your PC’s native drives to scan.

The components of your PC that may be scanned (together with hidden areas) change with the default scan possibility chosen — and you may choose 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.

Nonetheless not sufficient granularity? You possibly can 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.

Guide scans

For handbook 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 can too drag and drop folders or recordsdata into the window to scan them.

Associated, you may as well submit recordsdata of unknown or doubtful origin by 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 site visitors. Whereas less complicated than Home windows’ a number of interfaces for settings, you’ll need to dive into Residence Safety Premium’s superior setup to alter the firewall guidelines. 

If that appears like your thought of time (no sarcasm), you will get fairly granular with customized guidelines. However for typical customers of third-party antivirus software program, the Eset defaults needs to be adequate.

Extra notable options 

Anti-theft 

The anti-theft device is designed to find a stolen gadget. On PC, the app will take a number of steps if marked as stolen within the Eset net portal — it’s going to seize screenshots of the display screen and take photographs by the webcam, in addition to location data. You can too arrange a “phantom” account, which turns into the one lively account when somebody filches your PC, in addition to assessment exercise logs.

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PCWorld

PCWorld

In follow, this device isn’t as efficient as you’d hope. A webcam will 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 unattainable. 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’s best to. On an area Home windows account with arrange with a clean password discipline, Eset nonetheless counted the account as secured. (Tapping the enter key to log in will not be safe, for the file.) The app additionally couldn’t at all times seize the IP handle of the check PC — and IP addresses aren’t at all times an correct reflection of somebody’s true location.

Browser extensions

Eset promotes its free Browser Privateness & Safety extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge as a further approach to keep protected on-line — you need to use it to get visible badges for good search outcomes, clear up your searching historical past, and wipe metadata from pictures 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 high-quality on the check PC used to assessment the app inside Edge, nonetheless.

Parental management

Eset Residence Safety Premium contains 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 father or mother account. The filtering settings modify based mostly on age group (underneath 12, 12 to 17, and 18+). You can too change what varieties of web sites are screened and add exceptions to both a block or permit checklist.

Some classes don’t make rapid 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.

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PCWorld

PCWorld

Web site blocking works properly. In reality, you can argue it really works a bit too properly — once I tried to permit sure web sites inside a forbidden class throughout testing, the app wouldn’t allow them to by. The other works, although. You possibly can 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 a complete separate Eset account, by no means confirmed up in any respect. This function appears greatest fitted to web site filtering and exercise monitoring.

Password supervisor 

Eset Password Supervisor is simple and efficient — starter password supervisor, in case you haven’t but began utilizing one. Although it doesn’t provide 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. Make sure to save the restoration key generated throughout setup — in case you neglect your password, it’s the one approach to get again into your account.

The extension fills in and captures passwords seamlessly, instantly recognizing login types and even password reset fields. You possibly can create entries for accounts, identities, notes, and bank cards, with notes the most suitable choice for easy entries like Wi-Fi passwords. (Account entries require all fields, together with username, be crammed out.) Eset additionally enables 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.

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PCWorld

PCWorld

Extra options embody the flexibility to immediately kill all lively periods from the menu (Safe periods). You possibly can forcibly sign off in all places, with the choice to particularly delete cookies and sign off, delete obtain historical past, delete historical past and shut tabs, and/or delete bookmarks. You can too manually examine your passwords for any caught up in a knowledge leak. And you’ll safe the browser extension on PC with a PIN to safe your password vault however nonetheless get fast entry.

A number of small issues hold this password supervisor from being top-notch. One is definitely 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 need to click on on them for the autofill to occur. This is usually a safety threat and needs to 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 stepping into the vault.

PC utilities

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

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

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PCWorld

PCWorld

Of the set, Community Inspector has much less usefulness. I preferred the way it put the found gadgets in a listing kind 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 at all times see each gadget, both.

System Cleaner will be helpful for seeing what’s modified when troubleshooting, however its ideas for reversions or mitigations don’t at all times work — and generally appear untrustworthy. (Why is a system look change flagged in purple?)

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

Secured searching

Eset provides twin options that lock down probably delicate knowledge 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, during which the Eset antivirus engine screens for any processes that may attempt to intervene with Chrome, Edge, and Firefox’s regular operation.

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PCWorld

PCWorld

No visible indicator exists for the protected banking and searching mode being lively. Nonetheless, you will notice a skinny, vibrant inexperienced border when the safe mode for searching is on…and when it’s off, too. This seeming bug occurs in case you 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 searching 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 gadgets into my PC.)

Buyer help 

Should you need assistance with Eset Residence Safety Premium, yow will discover hyperlinks to the corporate’s on-line assist pages, information base, and technical help. The assistance pages perform as a primary handbook for the appliance, whereas the information base is extra of a searchable FAQ. Each assets clarify ideas in concise language. For extra detailed help, the technical help kind (which you’ll attain after clicking by a number of pages) enables you to get into the nitty gritty. You can too contact buyer help by reside chat or electronic mail.

Updates and upkeep 

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

Efficiency

For antivirus detection and safety check knowledge, solely one of many main safety analysis organizations contains Eset in its current evaluations — AV-Comparatives. (AV-Take a look at, which used to incorporate Eset usually till 2021, final examined Eset’s antivirus engine in February 2023.) 

In AV-Comparatives’ most present outcomes, Eset performs comparatively properly, although with extra uneven scores than its rivals. It blocked 98.2% of the 512 check circumstances in AV-Comparatives real-world safety check for July to October 2023 — the underside of the checklist. And but, it didn’t flag any false positives. In the meantime, in AV-Comparatives’ September 2023 malware safety check, it had a 96.1% offline detection charge, 98.3% on-line detection charge, and 99.96 on-line safety charge. These outcomes point out extra even safety (rivals like McAfee have notably decrease offline detection charges, for instance), with an general safety charge that hangs comfortably near the highest. 

When evaluated for its potential to deal with extra subtle threats like malicious scripts and fileless assaults, Eset had one of many higher scores. It caught 13 of 15 check circumstances in AV-Comparatives’ November 2023 Superior Risk Safety Take a look at. However in these outcomes, the better-performing antivirus engines usually miss what their rivals catch, which suggests room for development. 

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

Residence Safety Premium had mild influence 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 a giant uncompressed video file right into a smaller model. In each benchmarks, Eset hanging out within the background solely decreased scores by about 1 to 2%.

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

We additionally noticed a lightweight influence 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 lively, since Phrase and Excel recordsdata can unfold malware. Putting in Eset prompted a small decline in Procyon scores, with a 3% lower. It had a smaller impact on Handbrake, with a tiny dip of just below 2%.

Even with a full system scan operating within the background, Eset didn’t hit our check PC as arduous as rivals have. In PCMark 10, scores drifted down by lower than 3%. 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%. Rivals like Avast, Norton, and McAfee have proven rating degradation of as much as 41%.

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 in case you schedule full scans for off-hours (like whenever you’re asleep). Similar goes in case you run good scans on a PC the place you don’t typically change or add recordsdata, since that sort of scan skips over unchanged recordsdata marked clear in a earlier move.

Must you purchase Eset Residence Premium Safety? 

Ideally, an antivirus suite’s options ought to carry out properly 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 so much out of this suite — offered they don’t want a well-rounded set of parental controls. Much less technical customers might profit from an easier app, although.