ESET vs F-Secure
We give ESET a 2.6 GPA and F-Secure a 2.4, out of 4.0. ESET grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ESET
Antivirus and home security plans priced by device count
F-Secure
Finnish antivirus and VPN suite that renews at the new-customer price
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAESETGood | 2.4GPAF-SecureFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CHOME Security Essential is $69.99 a year for 5 devices, with no first-year deal on record, so two years cost $139.98, about $5.83 a month. That's above the dearer quarter of antivirus but short of the dearest tenth. A 2-year term takes 15% off. | CInternet Security for 5 devices is $124.99 for 2 years, about $5.21 a month, just above the dearer quarter of antivirus. Total for 5 is $149.99 for 2 years and renews at that same price, which hardly any rival here promises. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free version, but a 30-day free trial with no credit card. When it ends, you pay or you're unprotected. | CThe free Online Scanner cleans a Windows PC on demand but doesn't guard it, and Total has a 30-day free trial. Nothing free protects you day to day. |
| Features | BReal-time protection, a secured browser for banking, a firewall, and checks on your router and smart devices. Premium adds a VPN and file and USB encryption, and Ultimate US identity protection. Only the VPN is stingy: 3 devices on Premium. | BAntivirus, ransomware, banking and scam protection on every plan, with scam text filtering on phones. Total adds an unlimited VPN, a password vault and identity monitoring. The VPN's kill switch skips the iPhone. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. It's software you install and leave running, with nothing to set up first. | C4.41 from about 490 App Store ratings: middling for this category, and not many people behind it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac and Android, and the VPN runs on a home router too. There's no iPhone app on record and no API, so B is the ceiling. | BWindows, Mac, Android and iPhone. No web app, API or integration list on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | plain antivirus priced by the number of devices | a renewal price that matches the first one |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ESET and F-Secure. How we grade
Price against what you get
ESET starts at $1.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. F-Secure starts at $4.17 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
ESET scores higher and starts $3.09 a month lower. Of the other antivirus apps on the chart, none scores higher than ESET for less, and 3 score higher than F-Secure for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- ESET starts at $12.99 per year for 1 device (Mobile Security for Android). F-Secure starts at $49.99 per year for 1 device (Internet Security).
- F-Secure has a free plan. ESET does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only F-Secure lists an iOS app.
- F-Secure also covers password manager.
At a glance
| ESET | F-Secure | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12.99 per year for 1 device (Mobile Security for Android) | $49.99 per year for 1 device (Internet Security) |
| Free plan | None | F-Secure Online Scanner scans and cleans a Windows PC for free, on demand; it is not ongoing protection. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial of the full version of F-Secure Total |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ESET | F-Secure |
| Price read from | eset.com | f-secure.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
ESET
- Buyers who want a light antivirus for one Windows PC or Mac
- Households covering up to 10 devices on a single plan
- Paying once for 2 or 3 years at a lower yearly rate
F-Secure
- Buyers who want a renewal price that matches the advertised one
- Households covering up to 5 mixed devices with a VPN included
- People who prefer a European company under GDPR
Worth knowing
ESET
- There is no free antivirus plan; the 30-day trial is the only way to try it without paying.
- The VPN starts at the Premium tier and covers only 3 devices there; Ultimate raises that to 10.
- Ultimate is sold for 5 or 10 devices only, and its identity protection is run by a US-based team.
- Small offices get a separate plan, Small Business Security, at $179.99 a year for 5 devices.
F-Secure
- The VPN, password vault and identity monitoring come only with Total, not Internet Security.
- The free Online Scanner only cleans a PC on demand and does not protect it continuously.
- The same-price renewal promise is stated for Total; the Internet Security page does not say what it renews at.
- The VPN kill switch works on Windows, Mac and Android only.
Key features
ESET
- Real-time malware protection
- Blocks viruses, ransomware, spyware and phishing as they arrive, with AI-based detection aimed at new threats.
- Safe banking and browsing
- A secured browser mode for banking and shopping that helps keep payment details away from phishing pages and snooping software.
- Firewall and network checks
- A firewall and network shield, plus tests of your home router and smart devices for weak points.
- ESET VPN
- Premium and Ultimate include a no-logs VPN with unlimited traffic, split tunneling on desktop and Android, and a version that runs on a home router.
- File encryption
- Premium and Ultimate encrypt sensitive files and USB drives and let only trusted apps change protected folders.
- Identity protection
- Ultimate adds dark web scanning, 1-bureau credit monitoring, SSN tracking and identity recovery with $1M insurance from a US team.
F-Secure
- Antivirus and ransomware protection
- Protects against viruses, ransomware, spyware, infostealers and other malware, with a gaming mode on Windows.
- Scam protection
- Rates online stores, blocks scam and phishing sites, and filters scam text messages on phones using AI detection.
- Banking protection
- Checks that banking sites are genuine and secures the connection while you bank or shop.
- Unlimited VPN
- Total includes F-Secure VPN with no traffic limit, virtual locations and a kill switch on Windows, Mac and Android.
- Password vault and identity monitoring
- Total stores and autofills passwords, flags weak or reused ones, and watches the dark web for leaked personal data with expert help.
- Same price at renewal
- F-Secure says a Total renewal costs the same as a new subscription rather than rising after the first year.
Plans
ESET
Mobile Security for Android$12.99
per year for 1 device
Protection for Android phones and tablets, with safe banking, network checks and anti-theft. $22.99 for 3 devices, $32.99 for 5.
NOD32 Antivirus$39.99
per year for 1 device
Real-time antivirus for Windows and macOS only. $49.99 for 3 devices, $59.99 for 5.
HOME Security Essential$49.99
per year for 1 device
Antivirus, safe banking and browsing, firewall and Wi-Fi protection across devices. $69.99 for 5 devices, $94.99 for 10.
HOME Security Premium$79.99
per year for 1 device
Adds ESET VPN with unlimited traffic on up to 3 devices, file and USB encryption and folder protection. $99.99 for 5 devices, $124.99 for 10.
HOME Security Ultimate$179.99
per year for up to 5 devices
Adds VPN for 10 devices and routers, ransomware remediation and US identity protection with $1M insurance. $204.99 for 10 devices.
F-Secure
Online Scanner$0
Free on-demand scan and cleanup for Windows PCs.
Internet Security, 1 year$49.99
per year for 1 device
Antivirus, ransomware, banking, shopping and scam protection. $64.99 for 3 devices, $69.99 for 5.
Internet Security, 2 years$89.99
every 2 years for 1 device
Internet Security paid 2 years at a time. $114.99 for 3 devices, $124.99 for 5.
Total, 1 year$69.99
per year for 1 device
Adds unlimited VPN, password vault and identity monitoring. Renews at the same price. $79.99 for 3 devices, $84.99 for 5.
Total, 2 years$124.99
every 2 years for 1 device
Total paid 2 years at a time, renewing at the same price. $144.99 for 3 devices, $149.99 for 5.
Ways to pay less
ESET
- Other savings
Save 15% on 2 years and 20% on 3 years
HOME Security Essential and Premium cost less per year on longer terms: Essential for 1 device is $84.98 for 2 years or $119.98 for 3, instead of $49.99 a year.
F-Secure
- Other savings
Lower yearly rate on 2-year plans
Total for 1 device is $124.99 for 2 years against $69.99 a year, and Internet Security is $89.99 for 2 years against $49.99 a year.
