ESET vs Webroot

Webroot vs. ESET

Webroot and ESET both provide antivirus protection for individuals and businesses, but their approaches differ. Webroot focuses on lightweight, cloud-based security, while ESET offers a broader set of security, privacy, and device protection tools. Here is how they compare across services, usability, security, and pricing.

Range of Services and Platform Focus

Both providers offer malware, ransomware, phishing, and web protection, along with additional security and privacy features on higher-tier plans. They support major operating systems and offer options for protecting multiple devices.

ESET provides a broader range of security tools, with features such as a password manager, encrypted storage, parental controls, VPN access on eligible plans, and protection for connected devices. They also have an extensive lineup for businesses. Webroot keeps its consumer offering more focused, combining antivirus protection with features such as identity monitoring and system cleanup on select plans.

Ease of Use and System Performance

Both providers offer straightforward installation and automated protection that requires little day-to-day management. Their antivirus software can run in the background while handling scans and threat detection automatically.

Webroot has an advantage when it comes to its installation size and scanning approach. Its cloud-based system performs much of its threat analysis remotely, which helps keep the software lightweight and scans relatively quick. ESET offers more settings and security controls, giving experienced users greater control over how protection works.

Security Strength

Both providers offer real-time protection against malware, ransomware, phishing, and other threats. They also use behavioral and machine-learning tools to detect suspicious activity beyond known malware signatures.

ESET has a stronger recent independent testing record. AV-TEST awarded it perfect 6/6 scores for protection, performance, and usability in October 2025 and June 2026. In AV-Comparatives testing, ESET blocked 99.5% of threats in the July to October 2025 real-world protection test and achieved a 100% online protection rate in the September 2025 malware protection test.

Webroot has appeared less consistently in major lab tests and has not participated in AV-Comparatives consumer testing since 2012. Its latest AV-TEST results showed 67% detection of zero-day threats and 98.9% detection of known malware.

Pricing & Value

Both companies use tiered pricing, with costs varying by plan, device count, subscription length, and included features. Higher tiers add privacy, identity, and other security tools beyond standard antivirus protection.

ESET offers more plans and device options. Essential starts at around $39.99 to $49.99 per year for one device, while Premium costs roughly $74.99 per year for five devices and adds features such as a password manager, encryption, and an unlimited VPN. Ultimate can cost up to about $179.99 per year before discounts and adds identity theft monitoring, dark web scanning, and router-level VPN protection. Webroot has a simpler and generally cheaper lineup, starting at about $39.99 per year for basic single-device protection and reaching roughly $79.99 per year for Internet Security Complete, which covers five devices and adds secure storage. 

Conclusion

ESET and Webroot cover the same core security needs but differ in features, performance, and price. Webroot offers a simpler, lower-cost option with lightweight cloud-based scanning, making it a good fit for users who want basic protection without many extras.

ESET offers more security and privacy tools, greater control over protection settings, and a stronger recent record in independent testing. It costs more at higher tiers, but the added features may justify the price for users who want broader protection across multiple devices. Overall, Webroot stands out for simplicity and lower pricing, while ESET has the advantage in features and independently tested security performance.