Endpoint Index
Rankings / Antivirus / ESET PROTECT Core
#2 ANTIVIRUS

ESET PROTECT Core

ESET · Antivirus · Checked weekly, last verified

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SMB Fit Score
77
#2 overall · out of 100
Per seat / year at 10
$54.90
Lab tests
3 of 3
current (within 18 months)
24/7 managed response
No
not offered
On this page
  1. Why it scores 77
  2. Cost
  3. Independent tests
  4. What it includes
  5. Who it is for
  6. Integrations
  7. Alternatives
  8. What changed
  9. Sources
In short

ESET PROTECT Core costs $54.90 per seat per year at list price for 10 seats (verified 2 Oct 2026). Its SMB Fit Score is 77 out of 100, ranked #2 overall. EDR is not offered, and 24/7 managed response is not offered.

Why it scores 77

How the Fit Score works ›
  • Lab efficacy23 / 35AV-Test 6.0/6 (Dec 2025), AV-Comparatives 98.8% (2026 H1) and MITRE ATT&CK (2025) count.
  • Price20 / 25Published price, $54.90 per endpoint per year at list.
  • Easy for a small team25 / 25Buy online, no security staff needed, from 5 seats, about 2 hours to set up.
  • Feature coverage9 / 158 of 13 tracked capabilities included, 2 as paid add-ons.

The Fit Score (fit-v1) measures fit for a small-business buyer from public evidence. It is not a measure of absolute protection.

How much does it cost?

List price from ESET's own pricing calculator, verified 2 Oct 2026.

SeatsList / yearPer seatEvidence
5$274.50$54.90Price evidence screenshot, 5 seatsCaptured 2 Oct 2026 ↗
10$549.00$54.90Price evidence screenshot, 10 seatsCaptured 2 Oct 2026 ↗
25$1,167.50$46.70Price evidence screenshot, 25 seatsCaptured 2 Oct 2026 ↗
50$1,920.00$38.40Price evidence screenshot, 50 seatsCaptured 2 Oct 2026 ↗
  • Billed annually
  • Auto-renews
  • 12-month minimum term
  • 5 to 99 endpoints

At 10 seats, ESET PROTECT Core has the 8th-lowest list price of the 15 antivirus products that publish one, in the SMB endpoint security price index.

How well does it perform in independent tests?

AV-TestCURRENT
6.0 / 6Protection 6, performance 5.5, usability 6.Dec 2025 ↗
AV-ComparativesCURRENT
98.8%Protection rate, 2 false positives. Approved Business Security Product.2026 H1 ↗
MITRE ATT&CKCURRENT
Took partER7: ESET participated. MITRE evaluates detection and response, which Core does not include; the result describes ESET's platform, not this tier.2025 ↗

What does it include?

INCLUDED
  • Ransomware rollback
  • Device control
  • Mobile
  • Linux
  • macOS
  • SIEM integration
  • RMM / PSA integration
  • MSP multi-tenant
ADD-ON, EXTRA COST
  • Patch management
  • Email security
NOT OFFERED
  • EDR
  • 24/7 managed response
  • Identity protection (ITDR)
ComplianceSOC 2ISO 27001Runs on Windows · macOS · Linux · iOS · Android

Who is it for, and who is it not for?

SMALL OFFICE, NO IT STAFF

ESET PROTECT Core suits a small office that wants prevention without alerts to read. You can buy it online from five devices, try it free for 30 days, and it covers phones as well as computers. AV-Comparatives counted two false positives for ESET's engine in the first half of 2026, so staff are rarely interrupted by wrong alarms. There is no EDR in Core; if you later want someone watching for attacks, ESET sells that as PROTECT Premium with 24/7 MDR.

MANAGED BY AN MSP

Few products here name more integrations than ESET. Eleven RMM and PSA tools are listed, from ConnectWise and Kaseya to SuperOps and Atera, alongside Sentinel, Splunk, QRadar and Elastic, so an MSP rarely has to change its stack to add it. The online price falls from $54.90 per device at 10 devices to $46.70 at 25, but the calculator stops at 99 devices, so larger client estates need a quote from ESET.

REGULATED (HIPAA, PCI, CMMC)

Fine for PCI DSS scope, doubtful for HIPAA. ESET publishes PCI DSS support material and holds SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001, but its Trust Center shows no BAA and no CMMC or FedRAMP position. Core has no EDR, so it records little beyond blocked threats; if an auditor will ask how you investigate incidents, look at ESET PROTECT Premium or an EDR product instead.

NOT FOR, OR WORTH KNOWING
  • Businesses that need EDR or incident investigation: Core has no detection-and-response module, and ESET does not sell one as a Core add-on on its plans page; detection and response starts with ESET PROTECT Premium (24/7 MDR).eset.com · 2 Oct ↗
  • Teams under 5 devices: the Core device stepper will not go below 5 devices.eset.com · 30 Sep ↗
  • No lab has tested ESET PROTECT Core under that name. The results shown are for the same ESET agent in other tiers: AV-Test's December 2025 round tested PROTECT Advanced 12.1, and AV-Comparatives' first-half 2026 business test used ESET PROTECT Entry with ESET PROTECT Cloud. ESET has no AV-Test business result in 2026.av-test.org · 30 Sep ↗
  • No EDR. Core and its Plus package have no detection-and-response module; ESET's detection and response comes with ESET PROTECT Premium, which adds 24/7 MDR.eset.com · 2 Oct ↗
  • Patch management, email and Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace protection, and multi-factor authentication are in the Plus package, which costs extra ($164.00 a year at 10 devices).eset.com · 2 Oct ↗
  • No online price at 100 devices or more: the online calculator stops at 99 devices and sends larger buyers to ESET sales.eset.com · 30 Sep ↗

What does it integrate with?

SIEM
Microsoft Sentinel · IBM QRadar SIEM · Splunk · Elastic SIEM · Elastic Security
RMM / PSA
ConnectWise Asio · ConnectWise Automate · ConnectWise Manage · Kaseya VSA · Kaseya VSA X · Datto RMM · Datto Autotask · N-able · NinjaOne · Atera · SuperOps
Identity
Microsoft Active Directory · Microsoft Entra ID
Other
Amazon Web Services · Microsoft Azure · Google Cloud Platform · Palo Alto Networks Firewall · Cisco XDR · Arctic Wolf · Stellar Cyber · Tidal Cyber · Wazuh · OpenCTI · Sekoia · Lumu · Mindflow

Alternatives

Full leaderboard ›
ProductFit Score$ / seat / yr at 25Compare
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security
Bitdefender · Antivirus · buy online · min 3 seats
78$34.20Compare ›
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security Premium
Bitdefender · Antivirus · buy online · min 5 seats
74$74.80Report ›
Sophos Endpoint
Sophos · Antivirus · buy via sales · min 1 seat
42Quote onlyReport ›

What changed

Full changelog ›
  1. RECHECKPrices re-verified at 10 and 25 seats.
  2. LAB RESULTAV-Test, December 2025: ESET scored 6.0 out of 6 for protection.
  3. EVIDENCEPrice evidence captured at 5, 10, 25 and 50 seats.
  4. CORRECTIONESET PROTECT Advanced (now ESET PROTECT Core): removed a "pricing not published" limitation that contradicted the verified, published price.

Sources

  1. Pricing, Limitations · eset.com · vendor calculator · verified 2 Oct 2026
  2. AV-Test · av-test.org · independent lab · verified 2 Oct 2026
  3. AV-Comparatives · av-comparatives.org · independent lab · verified 2 Oct 2026
  4. MITRE ATT&CK · evals.mitre.org · independent lab · verified 2 Oct 2026
  5. Capabilities, Deployment · eset.com · vendor page · verified 2 Oct 2026
  6. Buying and setup · eset.com · vendor page · verified 30 Sep 2026
  7. Compliance, Regulatory · eset.com · vendor page · verified 30 Sep 2026
  8. Contract terms · eset.com · vendor page · verified 2 Oct 2026
  9. Integrations · eset.com · vendor page · verified 2 Oct 2026
  10. Limitations · av-test.org · independent lab · verified 30 Sep 2026

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