Eset vs Kaspersky Antivirus Comparison 2018

I’m sure many of us had Kaspersky in the earlier years, and the BlueGadgetTooth team wanted to check if Kaspersky was still the forerunner in the world of computer security.

With Eset also being a frequently used antivirus program, our readers wanted to know which program would be the winner in a comparison battle between Eset vs Kaspersky, and this set the tone for our next comparison guide.

We compared them on a number of points, ranging from how good the respective programs were in detecting malware, to just how easy they were for first time users to navigate through. We also looked at how they impacted the system’s performance as well as compared their price points to cover all our bases for comparing Eset vs Kaspersky.

Kaspersky Is The Overall Winner

If you would like to read the in depth review of the antivirus programs, you should read on. But to cut to the chase, Kaspersky was the ultimate winner in the comparison battle between Eset vs Kaspersky. Available for only $39.99/ year, offering protection to 3 devices, Kaspersky remains as one of the most affordable options in terms of antivirus security suites.

Kaspersky: Knowing More

A global antivirus and cybersecurity provider, Kaspersky Lab was founded in 1997. Headquartered in Moscow, Kaspersky has grown exponentially over the years, becoming the preferred antivirus program for Europeans. It is ranked fourth globally amongst other antivirus companies in terms of revenue and has been named as a ‘Leader’ in many security platforms and has discovered many cyber-espionage platforms through their research.

Eset: Knowing More

Based in Bratislava, Slovakia, Eset has won many awards in its lifetime since its creation in 1992. The name is derived from the Egyptian goddess of love, health and marriage and has a huge database of computer security products that have been approved and recommended by many leading market experts.

Which Independent Testing Labs Does The BlueGadgetTooth Team Follow?

When it comes to relying on independent testing labs, there is only two that the BlueGadgetTooth team absolutely trusts – AV-TEST.org based in Germany and Av-Comparatives.org, a lab based in Austria.

They each have their own series of tests that they conduct on a range of antivirus programs, to test their capabilities, performance and just how reliable they are on multiple Windows versions, revealing their results on their website, updating their results several times in a year. From bombarding the antivirus programs with over 20,000 malware, to discovering and registering hundreds of thousands of new malware on a daily basis, these two independent testing labs are the forerunners of delivering unbiased, accurate results.

The BlueGadgetTooth team tests and reviews the antivirus programs on its own, but there are certain results that we rely on these two labs – we do test the programs with a few malware, but nothing on the scale these two labs conduct their tests.

**We use the latest Av-Test and AV-Comparatives scores for our reviews, but if there is an updated score released, we will use them in our next review.

So, to check which was better – Eset vs Kaspersky, we shared some lab results to deliver as accurate a review as possible.

Checking with the results released by the two independent labs, we found out that Kaspersky had better malware detection and protection rates while online, at 97.8% and 99.86% respectively. While offline, the malware detection rate was 94.1%.

Whereas Eset could detect more malware while offline, with 97.2% malware detected, while online, the number remained the same. This is only. 0.6% lower than Kaspersky’s, but every percentage makes a difference. The Online Protection rate stood at 99.86%, a whole 0.10% lower than Kaspersky.

Eset did have a really good score in false positives, generating 0, while Kaspersky generated 10 false alarms. This is not such a big deal for me, as it is better to have a false alarm rather than have a lower malware detection or protection rate.

Looking at the chart above, you can clearly see that 8 malware got through its protection, whereas with Eset, 28 malware compromised the system. Even one malware getting through is enough to create havoc with your computer, why take the risk with one program that allows 28 to get through?

Winner of Round One: Kaspersky wins this round in the battle between Eset vs Kaspersky by the sheer performance in malware detection and protection.

Kaspersky was pretty easy to install, with no hiccups along the way. Each step of the process was documented for you – you get to choose your language that you are comfortable communicating in, it shows you recommended settings you should have, as well as being a breeze. There were no unnecessary steps with Kaspersky, which I really appreciate.

I like that the installation window tells me how much time is left for the process to get over, as well as how much of the program has been downloaded already. If you notice, there are two icons given on the left hand side of the screen, which are automatically created during the installation process. One is for the main Kaspersky antivirus program, and the second is an interesting protection feature that pops up when you try to access any financial or banking website (which we will show you.)

After the application is loaded, it then tells you to restart if there are any other antivirus programs (or other programs which will interfere with its running) on your computer which will need to be deleted.

This is the main window for Kaspersky, showing you the various features it offers. You can click on Scan to start a full or quick scan of your computer.

The full scan took a few hours, but it was quite thorough in its search, and you can see the file names that it is checking at any point if you want to see the scan’s progress. It did find one possible threat, which it then shifted to quarantine for me to check and take action against it.

If it is something that you are working on, you can simply move it back – click Restore – but in my case, I deleted the quarantined file.

Eset downloaded and really quickly, within a span of five minutes. But what it made up for in a short download speed, it made up in complicating things up a little bit. I, personally like easy installation processes, where you don’t have to figure out what’s next.

After downloading, the Eset window disappeared and I was trying to figure out what came next. That’s when I checked my mail and noticed a notice for getting a license key to get the program activated.

The process itself is quite straightforward – agree on the license agreement which is a default window for all antivirus programs, after which it will take you to the installation window. After that, it’s literally skip, hop and jump.

The scan itself was a full computer scan and took many, many hours to complete – but it was a thorough scan, locating various threats I had no clue about.

Winner of Round Two: Kaspersky takes the trophy for this battle in Eset vs Kaspersky – because I preferred the no complication route the antivirus program took for its installation process. I am a fan of simple, to the point processes and Kaspersky was exactly that.

Kaspersky has always been known for its minimal impact on system performance and various tests and our own findings have revealed that as well. From the time of download, installation and running a scan, we kept running various programs and could find no lags as such. I had multiple tabs open, each loading various pages, with two power hungry applications running in the background, with no noticeable lags or disruptions.

Kaspersky System Performance

With Eset I did notice that my computer’s response to my commands was slower, with a noticeable negative impact on my system’s performance. (Results from Av-test shared below)

Eset System Performance 

You can tell how the respective programs perform when compared to industry average – in all rounds, Kaspersky does better than Eset.

Winner of Round Three: Kaspersky is clearly the winner in system performance in Eset vs Kaspersky battle. The screenshots say it all with av-test.org giving Kaspersky 6.0/6.0 and Eset scoring 4.0/6.0 in their tests.

Both antivirus programs offer similar features, like virtual keyboards which prevent keyloggers from collecting information to passwords that you may type out.

Kaspersky

Winner of Round Four: Even though both security suites have an impressive range of features, I have to side with Kaspersky on this round as it offers such a comprehensive range of security features that will really leave my computer very secure and protected. This is what Kaspersky is also known for, so between Eset vs Kaspersky, the winner is Kaspersky.

Why You Need Antivirus Software

Getting an all-in-one security suite which has all the needed features is important instead of having multiple anti-virus programs as one feature could interfere with the process of the other program.

It is always better to choose a single reliable antivirus program which has all the features you need.

Antivirus programs help protect your computer from the thousands of malware and cyber threats that attack your computer on a daily basis. Without advanced protection, malware and hackers can get access to your computer and could cause a lot of problems, like emptying out your bank account or stealing your identity.

Paying close attention to online security is as important as making sure your home is safe from real time threats.

There is no substitute for good protection, as even one malware could compromise your entire system.

Final Verdict: Eset vs Kaspersky Antivirus

Eset is a great antivirus program in its own right, and has many features that help make it a good option, but why get a ‘good option’, when you have on even better available.

Kaspersky aced all our rounds – from performance, price and installation ease, Kaspersky is a much better option in this Eset vs Kaspersky comparison guide.