ESET NOD32 is an antivirus solution for Windows
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ESET is an antivirus company based in Bratislava, Slovakia. It has been around since 1992, in which time they have won numerous awards for their antivirus software. Today, they are one of the front-runners in the antivirus software business. Although they offer a free basic version, it is really their premium versions which are what they are so highly ranked for.
ESET NOD32 might be asking you to pay a yearly fee for their software and service but it’s actually quite reasonably priced when you compare it to other premium antivirus software. Not only that, but ESET NOD32 also has a huge range of features that have performed extremely well under rigorous testing.
The main features of ESET NOD32 are:
- antivirus
- antispyware
- firewall
It also has webcam protection, password manager, anti-phishing, and anti-spam. More, it offers ransomware shield, banking and payment protection, parental controls, gamer mode, and a UEFI scanner. The list goes on. It has anti-theft, network attack protection, botnet protection, connected home monitor, and secure data encryption.
It certainly has an impressive array of utilities. The ESET Smart Security program (its high-end version) has a few more including a:
- password manager
- script-based attack protection
- cloud-powered scanning
Not only that, when the software was tested against some of EICAR’s (The European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research) malware test files, it blocked every single one including adware and trojans.
ESET NOD32 has a clean, easy to use interface in all three of its premium software options. But, of course, the features and level of protection vary from software to software. ESET’s entry-level premium antivirus software is simply called ‘ESET NOD32 Antivirus’. With this software comes antivirus and antispyware, anti-phishing, gamer mode, exploit blocker, UEFI scanner, cloud-powered scanning and:
- small system footprint
- script-based attack protection
- ransomware shield
As well as free support in your local language and a license manager.
As you can see the list is shorter than the features listed above which were for the top-level premium software, ESET Smart Security Premium. There is also a mid-range software called ‘ESET Internet Security’ which has all the ESET NOD 32 Antivirus features plus:
- banking and payment protection
- personal firewall
- antispam
It also offers network attack protection, botnet protection, parental controls, webcam protection, connected home monitor, and anti-theft (for Windows computers).
There’s not a huge difference in pricing between the three of these premium software options, but it’s worth thinking carefully about which features you really need before leaping into one of them.
How can you run this program?
To sign up with ESET, you only need to enter basic information such as your name, address, and card payment information. There is a Mac version available, but if you are downloading the program onto Windows then the installer file should take less than a minute to download. When you have followed the installation steps and have opened the program, you will then need to update the product. This allows for real-time malware and threat protection to operate. It takes about ten minutes to update but this isn’t an update you want to skip.
The latest versions of ESET NOD32 (from 9 to 13) require a minimum of Windows Home Server or Windows Vista to run. Older versions of the program (from 3 to 9) can operate using Windows XP (or Windows 2000 in the earliest versions). Be warned, the older antivirus software will not offer the same level of protection or features as the latest versions.
Is there a better antivirus software?
ESET NOD32 is lacking some features compared to other programs including automatic app updates, a VPN, file shredder, file cleanup, and sandboxing suspicious items.
Compare this to another big antivirus software such as Avast, which can offer all of these features. Avast is lacking many of the features which ESET has, however, including banking and payment protection, parental controls, gamer mode, UEFI scanner, anti-theft, botnet protection, and others. Not only that, but ESET NOD32 also scores better against EICAR malware tests.
ESET is also considerably cheaper than Avast. ESET’s most expensive software (ESET Smart Security Premium) is cheaper than Avast’s entry-level software. The only exception to this is if you want to buy in bulk, Avast has better offers.
ESET NOD32 is an extremely high-performing anti-virus software. It’s comparable or better than all the top antivirus software companies out there including Avast, Norton Antivirus, Sophos, and more. ESET also has a huge range of features, outdoing most of its competition. Its pricing points for its products are also much more reasonable than most premium antivirus software.
Should you download ESET NOD32?
If you’re looking for high-quality antivirus software with numerous extra features that create a wholesome protection package then go for ESET NOD32. The only caveat is, if you want to protect more than five devices, its value for money quickly goes downhill.
