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Bitdefender GravityZone Extended Detection and Response (XDR) vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 9, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Bitdefender GravityZone Ext...
Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
47th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
Network Detection and Response (NDR) (19th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (29th)
Microsoft Defender for Endp...
Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
194
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (1st), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (2nd), Anti-Malware Tools (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category, the mindshare of Bitdefender GravityZone Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is 0.3%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is 10.5%, down from 14.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Robin Cook - PeerSpot reviewer
Exceptional threat detection and effortless installation impress users
The solution has best-in-breed technology and scores very highly on efficacy rates. The threat detection rates are exceptionally good, better than most of the competition. The solution is highly respected in the industry. The product is very scalable, and the installation is reported to be extremely easy, even for those without great technical capabilities.
AnuragSrivastava - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides detailed visibility into threats but the ability to add exceptions needs improvement
One major item for improvement is the ability to add exceptions. We can add some exceptions, but not at the level we need to. The second major area for improvement involves enhanced capabilities for different operating systems or platforms. That is, even though we have coverage for different operating systems or platforms such as Linux, we don't get all of the controls and enhanced capabilities that are available with Windows devices. Reporting could also be improved because, at present, we get limited results at times. For example, in an environment with more than 100,000 devices, you may just get 10,000 results when you run a report.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The best thing about Bitdefender is that it has got top-notch features and it is not tied to specific countries like some other antivirus tools."
"The quarantine computer functionality is very good for me."
"Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus is highly stable."
"It never fails. Bitdefender always catches all of the viruses that have been detected on customer sites."
"The solution has best-in-breed technology and scores very highly on efficacy rates."
"I find Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus to be a pretty good solution for the mid-level market, specifically for organizations with up to two hundred fifty users. I like that it is an averagely priced solution. It also has a straightforward installation that can be completed within three to five minutes. Its technical support is also good enough."
"The product is easy to use."
"The threat detection rates are exceptionally good, better than most of the competition."
"I enjoy using the live response feature, which allows me to remotely access different endpoints and investigate malicious files, such as malware that people may have downloaded, and other related issues."
"We like that it has a free version available."
"I find the vulnerability management section of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to be very useful for organizations."
"The solution's main antivirus capabilities are okay. So far, they have kept us safe."
"I've started to test it from the security point of view. There are plenty of features that are interesting, but at this time, the XDR functionality is most valuable. It is endpoint security on steroids."
"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a robust platform."
"It's a Microsoft product; it's easier to deploy this product than other options."
"The most valuable features are the Windows Firewall and the regular virus definition updates. These features are very helpful and have helped to improve our security."
 

Cons

"Some customers would like additional features that aren't available through the current GravityZone platform. Some feedback has been about the deletion of other software not going smoothly during the installation of Bitdefender, particularly the removal of previous software like Sophos."
"The solution seems to be pretty amateur for an EDR solution, and it should be more in sync in terms of features, with solutions such as FireEye and SentinelOne."
"I would like automatic issue fixing for users without needing to physically open the PC. I'd prefer updates and fixes from the cloud to avoid headaches and save time."
"The solution must improve its management features."
"Some customers would like additional features that aren't available through the current GravityZone platform."
"The mobile version needs improvement."
"Adding a feature like Data Loss Prevention would be beneficial."
"The solution could use improvement on the interface."
"Microsoft Windows Defender doesn't have a game mode."
"There are alternative solutions that offer a greater range of dashboard insights when compared to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint."
"The solution could always be more secure."
"It is not very scalable from the eyes of an MSP because there is no dashboard that you can use to see all of your devices that have Windows Defender unless you have your own dashboard or an RMM tool to actually look at it. So, you might not get to know that a particular computer of a client is doing something, and it might have got a virus. That person might know that, but unless you set it up to actually send you the information, you won't get to know that. That's one of the things that is hard with Microsoft Defender. It is not made for the MSP world where you have one pane of glass to see all of your clients with Microsoft Defender on it unless your RMM tool already has that built-in and it can see the telemetry from Microsoft Defender."
"From an audit point of view, our auditors would like to have more reports on how things are used, if things go wrong, and how they went wrong. For example, if something got a warning, "Why?" So, we would like more versatility for tracing and reporting. That would improve the product, as long as the user interface doesn't get bogged down."
"I would like to see improvement from a management perspective. We have had to depend on Intune for certain tasks."
"It needs to improve the cybersecurity for lateral movements. For example, when a hacker tries to enter a machine, they try to get the password by doing a lateral movement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's a very good price for MSP. It's cheaper than Symantec."
"Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus is pretty average, meaning it's not cheaper, but it's pretty good. It has average pricing."
"We have purchased licenses for the use of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus. The price of the solution is reasonable but could be better."
"We went for Microsoft Defender once we were informed that it would be part of our Office 365 package. So, we combined the licensing for the OS with Office 365. Yeah. We thought it was a good bargain."
"As we operate in the educational sector, we are eligible for an educational discount."
"There is no license needed, the solution comes with Microsoft Windows."
"The cost is competitive and reasonable because most of the expense is log analytics, storage, and data consumption and ingestion. These things can be throttled and controlled, so they are highly flexible. Defender has a lot of advantages over competing products."
"Compared to ESET, the pricing for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is on the higher side."
"It isn't cheap, but it's reasonable and fair."
"There is an annual license required."
"It is built into Windows 10. If our clients are using Microsoft Defender, the cost goes away for them."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
25%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
7%
Educational Organization
25%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus?
The best thing about Bitdefender is that it has got top-notch features and it is not tied to specific countries like some other antivirus tools.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus?
If buying for many users, it offers good financial value, but for fewer users, it is quite expensive. I would rate the current pricing seven out of ten.
What needs improvement with Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus?
I would like automatic issue fixing for users without needing to physically open the PC. I'd prefer updates and fixes from the cloud to avoid headaches and save time. Also, I need the capability to...
How is Cortex XDR compared with Microsoft Defender?
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security solution. The tool reduces the attack surface, applies behavioral-based endpoint protection and response, and includes risk-ba...
Which offers better endpoint security - Symantec or Microsoft Defender?
We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior solution. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security s...
How does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint compare with Crowdstrike Falcon?
The CrowdStrike solution delivers a lot of information about incidents. It has a very light sensor that will never push your machine hardware to "test", you don't have the usual "scan now" feature ...
 

Also Known As

GravityZone Ultra Plus
Microsoft Defender ATP, Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection, MS Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender Antivirus
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Archdiocese, Northstar, SeSa, W&W Informatik, Yamaha Motor Europe
Petrofrac, Metro CSG, Christus Health
Find out what your peers are saying about Bitdefender GravityZone Extended Detection and Response (XDR) vs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.