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Automox vs Microsoft Defender for Business comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 19, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox delivers significant ROI by streamlining operations, reducing costs, improving compliance, and enhancing efficiency through automated patch management.
Sentiment score
6.8
Microsoft Defender boosts productivity and security, integrating seamlessly with Office tools for significant budget savings despite ROI challenges.
Using Microsoft Defender for Business results in cost reductions as it consolidates various features under one product, saving around 20% to 30% of the budget.
Consultant at Dell Technologies
The value I see in Microsoft Defender for Business is in its ability to track and respond to application usage and security threats through its CASB and automation features, which are cost-beneficial.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox's technical support is praised for quick, expert issue resolution and superior, attentive service compared to larger companies.
Sentiment score
5.5
Users have mixed reviews of Microsoft Defender's support, noting contact difficulties and inconsistent technical assistance despite good onboarding.
They are really good because they don't take five days to get back to me; they respond within 24 hours with really good information.
Network & Security Administrator at a legal firm with 51-200 employees
It is rated ten out of ten for its quality and assistance.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
The onboarding support is exceptional, ensuring seamless integration and implementation.
Chief Cybersecurity Architect at cytek-security
Faster support is needed for endpoint security solutions.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox offers effective scalability for managing thousands of devices, though some experience console load time issues.
Sentiment score
8.3
Microsoft Defender for Business is scalable and effective across diverse environments, though special configurations might impact growth speed.
The cloud-based nature of the solution ensures high scalability.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
The scalability of Microsoft Defender for Business is rated as ten, indicating it is very scalable.
Consultant at Dell Technologies
In terms of scalability, I would rate Microsoft Defender for Business a ten.
Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox is stable and reliable, with improved uptime and proactive incident response, ensuring minimal downtime and consistent system health.
Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Defender for Business is stable and reliable, with minimal crashes, but some report occasional bugs impacting stability.
No customer complaints about its functionality or reliability.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
Although it generally works, there are occasional issues and errors that sometimes require a complete system format to rectify.
I would rate the stability of Microsoft Defender for Business with a three out of ten, where one is very bad.
Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential
 

Room For Improvement

Automox users desire improved multi-organization management with profile sync, detailed reporting, enhanced automation, and reduced bandwidth for updates.
Microsoft Defender for Business needs better reporting, integration, simplified interface, and enhanced features to address various limitations and concerns.
Microsoft should provide batch management solutions with the application, integrating pass management with roles.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
Features related to Advanced Persistent Threat detection vectors and cyber kill chain integrations are not available out-of-the-box.
CISO at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
There can be improvements in the user interface to make it more intuitive.
Information Technology Security Consultant at Navaio IT Security
 

Setup Cost

Automox offers competitive, cost-effective pricing with a $2 per-endpoint fee and a free trial for evaluation.
Microsoft Defender for Business offers competitive pricing with enterprise value, though some users find costs high compared to competitors.
Single-year pricing remains good.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
The pricing is quite affordable at the enterprise level with no extra expenses noted.
Consultant at Dell Technologies
Although the cost can be slightly higher, it expedites deployment, which is beneficial, especially for startups.
CISO at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

Automox is a cloud-based platform offering cross-platform patching, task automation, intuitive interface, and scalable remote management.
Microsoft Defender for Business integrates seamlessly with Microsoft products, offering comprehensive security, scalability, and user-friendly features for effective threat management.
The threat detection capabilities are robust, with a dedicated research team and a continuously updated threat feed.
Information Technology Security Consultant at Navaio IT Security
Its vulnerability management is regarded as one of the best in the industry.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
The most effective features of Microsoft Defender for Business include its threat detection and response capabilities in managing vulnerabilities and ransomware attacks.
Consultant at Dell Technologies
 

Categories and Ranking

Automox
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
39th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
2.4
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (33rd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (12th), Patch Management (12th)
Microsoft Defender for Busi...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
16th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
Microsoft Security Suite (16th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Automox is 0.2%, down from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 2.0%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Business2.0%
Automox0.2%
Other97.8%
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

RA
Network & Security Administrator at a legal firm with 51-200 employees
Provides real-time application updates with exceptional support
Some of the better features with Automox include its nice GUI, which looks intuitive, and it doesn't have a huge learning curve. Automox's real-time visibility and control through its intuitive dashboard is important for our response to emerging threats because it tells us which applications need to be updated on a real-time basis.
Takayuki-Umehara - PeerSpot reviewer
Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential
Product deployment protects assets but needs improvement in system support
I am doing maintenance for Microsoft Defender for Business, and I'm currently working with it. We don't need to use the latest version of Microsoft Defender for Business. We still use the latest virus definition file that Microsoft Defender for Business has automatically updated. We implement a basic update mechanism. Our compliance division manages how many servers and PCs we have and whether those servers have antivirus solutions. I am not certain about how Microsoft Defender for Business helps with AI-driven security strategies. I just use it normally and don't know if it uses AI technology. I rate Microsoft Defender for Business a six out of ten.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) solutions are best for your needs.
879,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Automox?
I wouldn't be able to tell you how Automox can be improved; it seems to work very nicely already.
What is your primary use case for Automox?
We use Automox to maintain the software on all our computers. We were using Qualys before and we're still using it, but we found Qualys to be a little bit lacking since it wasn't really eliminating...
What advice do you have for others considering Automox?
Since switching over from Qualys, we have seen no positive impacts for our organization other than being able to update the applications on an endpoint. We haven't used Automox's reporting capabili...
What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Business?
A few things are valuable. One is the alerting we see when any kind of intrusion is happening, any kind of malware is being deployed across the endpoints, or any kind of suspicious activity is goin...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Business?
Our thoughts on the pricing for Microsoft Defender for Business are that we wish it could be better. If the pricing was a little better, we would definitely increase what we currently have.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?
Microsoft Defender for Business could be improved by making the advanced threat hunting available to all plans, as currently, it is only available to one of their plans which is not encouraging. It...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Automox vs. Microsoft Defender for Business and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.