Antivirus review · Ranked #3 of 8
ESET review 2026
Light, precise and honestly priced. We reviewed ESET HOME Security Essential using published lab results and prices we read on ESET's site.
Reviewed by the AVSO Editorial Desk
Prices and lab results verified How we scoreEditorial policy
Our verdict on ESET
8.6/10
Editorial score
#3 of 8 suites
ESET is the quiet professional of the group: 18/18 at AV-TEST, ADVANCED+ in AV-Comparatives' September Malware Protection Test with just 3 false positives, and 12 of 15 targeted attacks blocked. Its one-year price is not an introductory discount, which makes it the most predictable to budget for. Extras are thin at the Essential tier.
Best for:Best for low false alarms
- Protection 40%
- 9.3
- Performance 15%
- 8.9
- Value 20%
- 7.6
- Features 15%
- 7.4
- Trust & transparency 10%
- 9.4
What it does well
- AV-TEST 18/18 and TOP PRODUCT (August 2026)
- Only 2 false positives in AV-Comparatives' Real-World test, the fewest here
- Gold for Advanced Threat Protection in AV-Comparatives' 2025 summary
- 1-year price is not an introductory discount
Where it falls short
- Real-World protection rate (98.5%) trails Bitdefender, Norton and Avast
- No VPN or password manager in the Essential tier
- Not included in AV-TEST's or AV-Comparatives' 2026 Android tests
ESET HOME Security Essential · 3 devices
$59.99first year
Renewal price not stated by vendor
30-day money-back guarantee
We may earn a commission through affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.
On this page
ESET in brief
ESET's results reward people who care about precision. In AV-Comparatives' Real-World test (February–May 2026) it protected against 98.5% of threats, a little below the leaders, but with only two false positives, the fewest of our eight. In September's Malware Protection Test it scored 99.89% with three false positives and earned ADVANCED+. AV-Comparatives gave ESET Gold for Advanced Threat Protection in its 2025 summary, and it blocked 12 of 15 attacks in the 2026 edition.
Pricing is refreshingly plain. The $59.99 HOME Security Essential price for three devices is not a first-year discount; ESET only discounts multi-year terms. ESET did not state a renewal price, so we cannot promise it stays at $59.99, but there is no visible 2× jump like Norton's or Malwarebytes'.
What you give up is the bundle. Essential has no VPN or password manager. Premium adds the password manager at $89.99 for three devices.
9 independent lab results for ESET, 2025–2026
Read on each lab's report page. Product versions are the ones the lab tested.
| Test | Result | Award | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AV-Comparatives2Real-World · Share of 400 live web threats blockedTested: HOME Security Essential 19.0–19.1 | 98.5%2 false positives | ADVANCED | 15 Jun 2026 |
| AV-Comparatives3Malware · Online protection rate against malware samplesTested: HOME Security Essential 19.2 | 99.89%95.7% offline detection, 3 false positives | ADVANCED+ | 15 Oct 2026 |
| AV-Comparatives4Malware · Online protection rate against malware samples | 99.93%16 false positives; award lowered for false positives | ADVANCED | 15 Apr 2026 |
| AV-Comparatives5Performance · Impact score; lower means less slowdown | 9.5Impact score, lower is better | ADVANCED+ | 20 Oct 2026 |
| AV-Comparatives6Advanced Threat · Targeted attacks blocked, out of 15 | 12 of 15No false positives | ADVANCED | 10 Nov 2026 |
| AV-Comparatives7Summary 2025 · Year-end rating across the 2025 test series | Top-RatedGold: Advanced Threat Protection | Top-Rated | 14 Jan 2026 |
| AV-TEST8Windows · Protection / Performance / Usability, each out of 6Tested: Security Ultimate 19.1 & 19.2 | 6 / 6 / 6 | TOP PRODUCT | Jul–Aug 2026 |
| AV-TEST9macOS · Protection / Performance / Usability, each out of 6Tested: Security Ultimate 9.0 | 6 / 5.5 / 6 | Certified | Jun 2026 |
| AV-Comparatives10macOS · Mac malware protection rateTested: HOME Security Essential for macOS 9.0 | 99.9%94% PUA protection, 0 false positives | Approved | 17 Jun 2026 |
Not in: AV-TEST Android · Sep 2026; AV-C Android · 2026. Absence is not a failure; vendors choose which tests to enter, and some tests cover few products.
What ESET costs, plan by plan
Checked on vendor site| Plan | Devices | First term | Renewal / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOD32 AntivirusCore antivirus for Windows and macOS | 1 device ($49.99 for 3) | $39.99 | Not stated |
| HOME Security EssentialRanked planMulti-platform security$49.99 for 1 device, $69.99 for 5 | 3 devices | $59.99 | Not stated |
| HOME Security PremiumAdds password manager | 3 devices | $89.99 | Not stated |
| HOME Security UltimateTop tier | 5 devices | $179.99 | Not stated |
USD, before tax, read on 12 Nov 20261. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Before you pay
Cheapest per device is the 1-device NOD32 or Essential licence. The 3-device default is better value only if you will actually use three installs.
HOME Security Essential3 devices · opens eset.com
Who should get ESET, and who shouldn’t
Get it if you want…
- Best for low false alarms
- Fewest false positives (Real-World)
- No intro-price trick
- Gold: Advanced Threat 2025
Look elsewhere if…
- Real-World protection rate (98.5%) trails Bitdefender, Norton and Avast
- No VPN or password manager in the Essential tier
- Not included in AV-TEST's or AV-Comparatives' 2026 Android tests
ESET spec sheet
As published by ESET, checked 12 Nov 2026 against its official pricing page (opens in a new tab). Features are for the ranked plan.
| Editorial score | 8.6 / 10 |
|---|---|
| Our ranking | #3 of 8 |
| Ranked plan | ESET HOME Security Essential |
| Developer | ESET |
| Headquarters | Bratislava, Slovakia |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
| Devices (ranked plan) | 3 devices |
| Money-back | 30 days |
| VPN | Not included |
| Password manager | Premium tier |
| Cloud backup | Not included |
| Breach / dark-web monitoring | Not confirmed |
| Parental controls | Not confirmed |
| Free version | Not included |
What we couldn't verify
One item we could not confirm on the vendor's site
- Renewal price (not stated; the 1-year price is shown without an introductory discount)
ESET alternatives
The highest-ranked alternatives, side by side. Product names open their reviews.
| Compare4 picks | ESETThis review | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editorial score | Editorial score 8.6 out of 10 | Editorial score 9.0 out of 10 | Editorial score 8.8 out of 10 | Editorial score 8.5 out of 10 |
| First year | $59.99first year | $59.99first year | $49.99first yearLowest | $69.48first year |
| Renewal / year | Not stated | Not stated | $124.99 | $99.99 |
| Real-World protection | 98.5%ADVANCED | 99.5%ADVANCED+Highest | 99.3%ADVANCED+ | 99.3%ADVANCED+ |
| False positives | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Performance impact | 9.5 | 8.7 | 4.9 | 5.2 |
| VPN | 200 MB/day | |||
| iOS app | ||||
| Get it |
Bitdefender reviewThe most consistent lab record of 2026Editorial score 9.0 out of 10
Norton reviewThe fullest feature set, with the steepest renewalEditorial score 8.8 out of 10
Avast reviewThe best free engine, with a privacy history to know aboutEditorial score 8.5 out of 10- Bitdefender vs ESETHead-to-head comparison
- Best antivirus for WindowsBuying guide
- Best antivirus for MacBuying guide
- Best antivirus for small businessBuying guide
ESET: common questions
What is the difference between ESET NOD32 and HOME Security Essential?
NOD32 is ESET's core antivirus for Windows and macOS. HOME Security Essential is the multi-platform suite that also covers Android and iOS; Premium adds a password manager.
Does ESET have a lot of false alarms?
In 2026 it had very few: two false positives in AV-Comparatives' Real-World test and three in the September Malware Protection Test. The March 2026 Malware test was an exception, with 16 false positives that lowered its award to ADVANCED.
#3 overall · Our verdict
ESET HOME Security Essential: our verdict
Light, precise and honestly priced. HOME Security Essential: $59.99 first year · 30-day money-back guarantee.
We may earn a commission through affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.
Sources
All accessed
- 1.ESET pricing page. eset.com/us/home-store/ (opens in a new tab)
- 2.AV-Comparatives Real-World Protection Test, February–May 2026. av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-february-may-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
- 3.AV-Comparatives Malware Protection Test, September 2026. av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-september-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
- 4.AV-Comparatives Malware Protection Test, March 2026. av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-march-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
- 5.AV-Comparatives Performance Test, September 2026. av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-september-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
- 6.AV-Comparatives Advanced Threat Protection Test 2026 (Consumer). av-comparatives.org/tests/advanced-threat-protection-test-2026-consumer/ (opens in a new tab)
- 7.AV-Comparatives Consumer Summary Report 2025. av-comparatives.org/tests/summary-report-2025/ (opens in a new tab)
- 8.AV-TEST Windows 11 home-user test, August 2026. av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-11/august-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
- 9.AV-TEST macOS Tahoe test, June 2026. av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/macos-tahoe/june-2026/ (opens in a new tab)
- 10.AV-Comparatives Mac Security Test & Review 2026. av-comparatives.org/tests/mac-security-test-review-2026/ (opens in a new tab)