ESET NOD32 Review: Antivirus with Powerful Customization

ESET NOD32 is the flagship product of ESET, a company based in Bratislava and with 100 million global users. This is a good antivirus, although it doesn't have as many extra features as some of its competitors, the antivirus features it possesses are top-notch.

Renowned for its low performance impact and versatility, it's a great choice for anyone who wants a good antivirus product that can be tweaked to fit their needs.

Cost and Key Features of ESET NOD32

The price of ESET NOD32 Antivirus is calculated annually, and buyers can take advantage of a 30-day free trial. A one-year license for a PC costs $39 (nearly VND 900,000), which is similar to the price of other high-end antivirus packages. However, the price becomes more attractive with every additional device you need to protect.

For example, a 3-year license for 3 devices costs only $119.98, which means a savings of $60 The tool can be used with PC, Mac or Linux computers and also provides real-time protection against malware.

Anti-virus protection

File-based virus scanning is supported in ESET NOD32, including general scans and custom scans. Device Control is an advanced feature that controls access to any devices trying to connect to your system. This includes physical drives like USBs and hard drives, as well as those that try to connect via wireless methods like FireWire and Bluetooth.

ESET NOD32 uses a cloud file reputation service to protect you from the latest malware, and sophisticated anti-phishing measures are in place to block any fraudulent websites before they have a chance to do so. damage your computer. The UEFI scanner can search for existing malware in your computer's firmware, while more than 150 custom settings can help you change the way ESET NOD32 works on your system.

Anti-virus performance

In AV Comparatives' September 2018 report, ESET ranked 12/18, with an overall protection score of 98.5%. However, results were slightly better from February to June, reaching an average rate of 99.1%. ESET NOD32 performed significantly better in anti-malware tests, ranking 3rd/13th in SE Labs' home anti-malware report from July to September 2018.

While the results aren't surprising, it's worth noting that these lab reports run antivirus programs on their default settings. If you know how to use the program, you can improve those scores by adjusting many settings and using some advanced features, like Device Control.

Security and privacy features

Unlike many competitors, the ESET NOD32 does not have ancillary privacy and security features. If that's important to you, you might want to consider some of ESET's other, more comprehensive offerings, such as the Internet Security or Smart Security Premium plans.

Systemic impact

System impact is where the ESET NOD32 really shines. An incredibly powerful piece of software, it placed second in PassMark's 2019 Security Products Performance Benchmarks report, just behind Norton. This suggests that ESET NOD32 will have minimal performance impact, although exact results will vary depending on your computer hardware and how you run the program.

Display

It takes some time to learn the main interface of ESET NOD32. Before you get the hang of things, the interface can look pretty cluttered, with buttons, links, sidebars, and status information crammed together. However, if you use the Help function, you will be able to find out what each of the different technical settings means. There is a long way to go in making the interface more user-friendly.

The Tools menu is a bit less intimidating, with more visual displays of running processes, logs, and other data. EST SysInspector is a feature that takes a virtual image of the program at any given point, highlighting the most important information. While not particularly beginner-friendly, it is a powerful tool.

Users accustomed to using highly technical interfaces will appreciate the customization capabilities of the ESET NOD32. As a pure antivirus, it has more features than you might expect, which means you should take some time to get used to as much as possible.

Installation and support

All you need to get started with ESET NOD32 is an email address, as everyone can take advantage of the month-long free trial. The installation process itself is a breeze, with the package automatically updating upon installation and running the initial scan itself. The clearly organized installation files take up about 650MB of hard drive space, and the program will only take up about 100MB of RAM when inactive.

Customer support is largely handled by the company's extensive knowledge base of articles on the company's website, divided into business users, home users, and existing customers. If the FAQ section and help articles aren't helpful enough, you can also send a direct message to customer service using an in-browser form. You can also get phone support Monday – Friday, between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific Time, at 1-844-824-3738.

Conclude

ESET NOD32 Antivirus can be used to protect a PC, Mac or Linux device. While the user interface is a bit cluttered and doesn't offer any other security or privacy features, the sheer versatility of the ESET NOD32 makes it an option worth considering for anyone looking to keep secure your system.

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