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Bitdefender GravityZone Extended Detection and Response (XDR) vs Microsoft Defender XDR 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)
37th
Ranking in Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
29th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
Network Detection and Response (NDR) (18th)
Microsoft Defender XDR
Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
5th
Ranking in Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
102
Ranking in other categories
Microsoft Security Suite (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Extended Detection and Response (XDR) category, the mindshare of Bitdefender GravityZone Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is 0.5%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender XDR is 6.1%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender XDR6.1%
Bitdefender GravityZone Extended Detection and Response (XDR)0.5%
Other93.4%
Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
 

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.
MohtesanShaikh - PeerSpot reviewer
Experience improves security management and simplifies threat protection
I have created automated investigations, and while they work, they operate rather slowly in the Microsoft portal. If I automate something, it takes considerable time; if I do it manually, I can complete it in a quarter of the time. The automation response being slow is the main concern; when an incident occurs or if I run a remediation, it takes significant time to complete the remediation. There are some limitations regarding the scalability of Microsoft Defender XDR with specific licensing. For SMB customers, there is only Microsoft Defender for Business, and if they want more features such as XDR features and automation investigation or incident response, they need to purchase Defender for Endpoint. We are currently using the EDR.

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."
"The threat detection rates are exceptionally good, better than most of the competition."
"It never fails. Bitdefender always catches all of the viruses that have been detected on customer sites."
"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."
"Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus is highly stable."
"The solution has best-in-breed technology and scores very highly on efficacy rates."
"The best features in the product, as a reseller, are the integrated SOC; integration with a SOC is one of the advantages."
"Microsoft Defender XDR has significantly improved our operational security."
"Among the most valuable features are the alert timeline, the alert story, which is pretty detailed. It gives us complete insight into what exactly happened on the endpoint. It doesn't just say, "Malware detected." It tells us what caused that malware to be detected and how it was detected. It gives us a complete timeline from beginning to end."
"Another noteworthy feature that I find appealing in Microsoft Defender is the credit-backed simulation. This feature enables organizations to train their users on effectively responding to phishing emails through a simulated training environment."
"The EDR features are valuable. By getting the EDR features, we have more control over the device. We have information about events in real-time and more protection against zero-day threats and zero-day vulnerabilities. We can monitor every event or action that a device is going through. We can get an idea if it is something malicious or if we have to take any actions."
"The ability to hunt that IM data set or the identity data set at the same time is valuable. As incident response professionals, we are very used to EDRs and having device process registry telemetry, but a lot of times, we do not have that identity data right there with us, so we have to go search for it in some other silo. Being able to cross-correlate via both datasets at the same time is something that we can only do in Def"
"Microsoft Defender XDR is scalable."
"Advanced hunting is good. I like that. We can drill down to lots of details."
"Microsoft Defender XDR provides strong identity protection with comprehensive insights into risky user behavior and potential indicators of compromise."
 

Cons

"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."
"Detection and response is a disadvantage that could be improved."
"The solution must improve its management features."
"Adding a feature like Data Loss Prevention would be beneficial."
"Some customers would like additional features that aren't available through the current GravityZone platform."
"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."
"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 mobile version needs improvement."
"There is no comprehensive visibility, making it less user-friendly."
"The user interface of Microsoft 365 Defender could improve. They could make it simpler."
"For Microsoft Defender XDR, there is currently no ability to reset passwords for on-premises accounts, which is a key challenge."
"There is no comprehensive visibility, making it less user-friendly."
"In the beginning, it's difficult to navigate the system because it is quite large. Just trying to find your way and understand how the system works can be hard. After spending quite a lot of time searching it's a lot easier, but I wish it were a bit more user-friendly when you're trying to find things."
"The improvements to Microsoft Defender XDR would probably go on the Linux side. There's still some more work to be done there."
"I personally have not seen much evidence of how Defender can enhance the story of zero trust for enterprises."
"Microsoft could improve on threat hunting and build more on threat detection and handling."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's a very good price for MSP. It's cheaper than Symantec."
"We have purchased licenses for the use of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus. The price of the solution is reasonable but could be better."
"Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus is pretty average, meaning it's not cheaper, but it's pretty good. It has average pricing."
"Understanding the subscription model has been a bit challenging, as every feature or requirement comes with an additional cost."
"While Microsoft Defender XDR carries a higher cost, its ease of use compared to Defender may justify the investment."
"We've managed to navigate it effectively through our enterprise agreement, and Microsoft's academic discounts have proven to be quite generous."
"The price could be better. Normally, the costs depend on the country you're located in for the license. When we were in the initial stage, we went with the E5 license they call premium standard. It cost us around $5.20 per month for four users."
"365 Defender can get expensive because you pay per gigabyte of data ingested. On the other hand, much of the data available in the other Microsoft security solutions are made available relatively cheaply—sometimes at cost or for free. Integrating only a limited set of third-party solutions with Sentinel would be cost-effective. It's much more affordable if companies only have Microsoft stuff."
"Microsoft should provide lower-level licensing options. They should do it in such a way that even an individual could purchase a license, and it should be entirely flexible."
"For Defender, they have Endpoint Plan 1 and Endpoint Plan 2, but I don't know on what basis they have classified Endpoint Plan 1 and Plan 2, but it has given me enough pain to pick and design Endpoint Plan 1 or Endpoint Plan 2 for my organization. In fact, we are still struggling with it. Too many SKUs are confusing. There should not be too many SKUs, and they shouldn't charge for every new feature."
"While the standalone price of Defender XDR might seem high, its value becomes clear when considering the ease of implementation and smooth integration with our existing Microsoft infrastructure, especially when bundled with other Microsoft products."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business46
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise37
 

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 needs improvement with Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Plus?
Detection and response is a disadvantage that could be improved. It could be improved by the technical teams of Bitdefender GravityZone Extended Detection and Response (XDR). I think the detection ...
What do you like most about Microsoft 365 Defender?
Microsoft Defender XDR provides strong identity protection with comprehensive insights into risky user behavior and potential indicators of compromise.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft 365 Defender?
The pricing for Microsoft Sentinel operates on a pay-as-you-go model based on data ingestion. I recall that Defender XDR pricing is based on the number of endpoints.
What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Defender?
For Microsoft Defender XDR ( /categories/extended-detection-and-response-xdr ), there is currently no ability to reset passwords for on-premises accounts, which is a key challenge. Incident managem...
 

Also Known As

GravityZone Ultra Plus
Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Threat Protection, MS 365 Defender
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Archdiocese, Northstar, SeSa, W&W Informatik, Yamaha Motor Europe
Accenture, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, General Electric, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and many others.
Find out what your peers are saying about Bitdefender GravityZone Extended Detection and Response (XDR) vs. Microsoft Defender XDR and other solutions. Updated: August 2025.
867,370 professionals have used our research since 2012.