ESET licensing is the set of terms under which ESET, spol. s r. o., the Bratislava-based security vendor, sells its endpoint, server, mail, cloud application, identity and managed detection services to businesses. One master agreement, the Terms of Use for Business, governs business Subscriptions, the ESET PROTECT Hub, ESET Business Account and ESET MSP Administrator accounts, and the Services delivered through them. ESET’s small-business offering is excluded.[1] The version retrieved here took effect on 2026-09-30.[1] The licence itself is a right to use the Services “on the agreed number of devices” for the Subscription period.[1] In practice ESET counts a seat for each operating system on which an ESET application is activated.[2] See concurrent and device licensing.
ESET is moving its vocabulary to a subscription model. “License” becomes “Subscription”, “License key” becomes “Activation key” and “Enlarge license” becomes “Increase license quantity/units”. Existing activation keys keep working.[4] Catalog: ESET now calls licences subscriptions and licence keys activation keys.
Editions
ESET sells business protection in two ways: as Protection Tiers, which bundle modules into a defined level of protection, or as standalone Products and Services.[1] The current US price page shows three ESET PROTECT plans: Core, Premium and Ultimate. Each can take an optional Plus package. The page also lists Small Office Protection and standalone offers.[3]
| Plan or product | Positioning (eset.com) | Online quantities | US price, 1 year (lowest band) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESET PROTECT Core | Next-gen antivirus, firewall, web and device control, LiveGuard, disk encryption[3] | 5 to 99 devices | USD 54.90 per device[3] |
| ESET PROTECT Premium | Core plus 24/7 MDR and the LiveAI assistant[3] | 10 to 99 devices | USD 103.00 per device[3] |
| ESET PROTECT Ultimate | Premium plus remediation, a dedicated expert and priority support[3] | 99-device bundle | USD 16,360 per bundle[3] |
| ESET Small Office Protection | For 5 to 25 devices with no IT admin, managed in ESET HOME[3] | 5 to 25 devices | USD 179.99 for 5 devices[3] |
Above 99 devices, quantities and prices come from ESET sales or partners.[3] Older documents still refer to the earlier tier names, such as ESET PROTECT Entry and ESET PROTECT Advanced.[2][5] The prices and volume bands are covered in ESET PROTECT plans and seat counting.
Metrics
| ESET term | Catalog row | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Seat (subscription unit) | Seat | One per operating system for endpoint and server applications[2] |
| Mailbox | Mailbox | ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server[2] |
| User | User | ESET Endpoint Encryption; SharePoint security in internal use[2] |
| Server | Server | SharePoint security on internet-facing servers[2] |
| Seat-day | Seat-day | MSP usage reporting and billing[6] |
| ETI End-User | ETI End-User | ESET Threat Intelligence, up to ten per Subscription[1] |
Counting / floors
One seat per operating system. ESET’s business FAQ gives an example: a file server, a print server and three workstations need a subscription with five seats.[2] Unless the Subscription says otherwise, one copy of a locally installed application may be used on one device.[1] Catalog: One seat per operating system; Use limited to the agreed number of devices and the Subscription period.
Virtual desktops and terminal servers. In VDI, seats equal the maximum number of virtual machines running at the same time. Terminal servers need one ESET Server Security seat per server instance.[2] See ESET PROTECT plans and seat counting.
Floors. The US online store sells most plans from 5 devices and Premium from 10. Ultimate is sold as a 99-device bundle.[3] The Terms of Use set no contractual minimum.[1]
Affiliates. A Customer may let its Affiliates use the Services as End-Users, but their use must not exceed the quantities in the Subscription Confirmation.[1] Catalog: Affiliate use must stay within the Subscription quantities.
Virtualization & partitioning
ESET has no processor or core metric. Each virtual machine with an ESET application is an operating system and needs a seat. For non-persistent or shift-based VDI pools, ESET counts the peak number of concurrently running VMs, not the total number of images or users.[2] Catalog: VDI seats equal the maximum number of concurrently running VMs; Terminal servers need a server seat per instance. See virtualization and partitioning.
Cloud / BYOL
ESET PROTECT can be deployed in the cloud or on-premises, and the Terms of Use cover both.[1] Cloud-based applications are provided as a service. ESET does not license them; it grants a right to access and use them. Locally installed applications are licensed for the Subscription period and the number of devices covered.[1] The Core plan’s antivirus covers “computers, servers, mobiles and cloud VMs”, so cloud virtual machines use seats like any other device.[3]
Programs
- Protection Tier Subscription. This is the standard way to buy. The period, quantities and tier are stated in the Subscription Confirmation.[1]
- ESET MSP Program. MSPs are billed daily and invoiced monthly, with no flat rates or long-term commitment.[6] See ESET MSP and partner licensing.
- Trial Subscription and NFR Subscription. Trials are for customers new to the trialled Service. NFR subscriptions are limited to training and demonstrations.[1]
- Subscription renewal window. A subscription can be renewed from 90 days before to 730 days after expiry.[2]
Compliance at a glance
The Terms of Use contain no audit clause. ESET relies on product telemetry instead, which it processes for purposes that include “verification of Subscription entitlements”.[1] It can also restrict Services, or charge additional fees, where use is significantly excessive.[1] ESET PROTECT Hub flags subscriptions above 90% and above 100% of capacity.[5] The older product EULAs stated that ESET “checks using its own means” whether use complies.[7] Transferring activation keys, or using keys obtained outside ESET and its partners, is forbidden.[1] Catalog: Telemetry used to verify Subscription entitlements; Excessive use may be restricted or charged additional fees; Activation keys must be kept confidential and not transferred. Details are in ESET PROTECT Hub subscriptions and compliance and ESET Terms of Use for Business.
Contract terms
The Terms of Use are governed by Slovak law, and the Slovak courts have exclusive jurisdiction.[1] Either party may terminate a Subscription if the other commits a substantial breach and leaves it unremedied for 30 days after written notice. A customer that terminates for ESET’s breach, or because of a substantial change to the Terms, gets a pro rata refund for the unused period.[1] Assignment needs the other party’s prior written consent, which may not be unreasonably withheld. A reorganization, merger or sale of substantially all assets is an exception.[1] When a Subscription ends, the customer must stop using locally installed applications and destroy all copies.[1] Catalog: Assignment needs ESET consent, except in reorganizations; Uninstall and stop using Applications on termination or expiry.
Out of scope
- ESET HOME and the small-business offering (including Small Office Protection’s own terms), which use the home and small office terms.
- Prices outside the United States, partner price lists and quotes above 99 devices.
- Professional and Security Services terms, the Data Processing Agreement and the Data Act Addendum.