


CrowdStrike Falcon and Microsoft Defender XDR compete in the field of cybersecurity solutions, providing comprehensive features for endpoint protection. Based on the comparison, each product offers strengths in different areas. CrowdStrike excels with superior endpoint detection and response capabilities, while Microsoft Defender XDR offers seamless integration with Microsoft products and competitive threat prevention features, particularly beneficial for enterprises utilizing the Microsoft ecosystem.
Features: CrowdStrike Falcon provides excellent endpoint visibility and real-time threat response with minimal system impact. Its powerful EDR capabilities enable remote connection and manual analysis by security analysts, coupled with network isolation and forensic capabilities. Microsoft Defender XDR integrates well with other Microsoft products, offering comprehensive threat detection and AI-assisted threat remediation. It provides effective analytics, visibility, and extensive coverage, particularly beneficial for businesses already using Microsoft's suite.
Room for Improvement: CrowdStrike Falcon could improve its dashboard for better usability and expand integration with third-party solutions. Additionally, the absence of on-demand scanning functions and comprehensive email security features are noted gaps. Microsoft Defender XDR requires better visibility for non-Microsoft products and improved third-party integration. Streamlining customization and clarifying the complex licensing model can further enhance user experience.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: CrowdStrike Falcon is known for its adaptability across various deployment models, from cloud to on-premises, and praised for ease of deployment. The customer service is generally responsive but could benefit from enhanced technical support. Microsoft Defender XDR, supporting cloud deployments, might encounter challenges integrating third-party solutions. Its technical support is knowledgeable about Microsoft products but occasionally experiences response delays.
Pricing and ROI: CrowdStrike Falcon's pricing is on the higher end due to its comprehensive features, although users often find it a worthwhile investment with substantial ROI through threat mitigation. Microsoft Defender XDR can be cost-effective when bundled with Microsoft 365 subscriptions, offering competitive value within integrated environments. However, standalone pricing may be high for smaller enterprises, and the complex licensing can create entry barriers for some customers.
They appreciate the rich telemetry data from the solution, as it provides in-depth threat identification.
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks helps to reduce my total cost of ownership significantly.
I have seen a return on investment with Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks, as this product is offered at a minimal cost, and we can find a good ROI from it.
CrowdStrike Falcon saves time and offers good value for money, especially for enterprise companies, because it can stop breaches.
It's very easy to deploy without many IT admins, saving time.
We can quarantine and isolate a device within minutes.
Microsoft Defender XDR has saved me at least 50% of my time.
It helped stop multiple intrusion points where we would have had millions in lost revenue if the attackers got in.
The technical support from Palo Alto deserves a mark of ten because they reach out within an hour whenever assistance is needed.
There is no back and forth, and they know what we are asking for and come up with the best resolution for a solution.
If any of these services are missed, it becomes a problem in terms of support tickets, follow-up, or special configuration that needs to be done in the system.
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the technical support as a 10 because they resolve many issues for us.
The CrowdStrike team is very efficient; I would rate them ten out of ten.
They could improve by initiating calls for high-priority cases instead of just opening tickets.
You get stuck in low-level support for way longer than you should, instead of them escalating the issue up the chain.
It's critical to escalate SEV B issues immediately to a domestic engineer.
Once issues are escalated to the second or third layer, the support is much better.
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks can be expanded anytime by purchasing another license without any issues related to scalability.
I think scalability for Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is good.
It has adequate coverage and is easy to deploy.
In terms of scalability, I find CrowdStrike to be stable, and I have not encountered any limitations with it.
There's no scalability limitation from CrowdStrike itself, as it just requires agent deployment.
My concern is about the scale of events and alerts being generated, and the product is doing a very good job of only surfacing the important items for us.
Microsoft Defender XDR shows tremendous scalability, much more so than on-premises solutions.
Microsoft Defender XDR scales pretty well.
Cortex remains fast and responsive, even with increasing data and alerts.
The thresholds we've seen on our firewall boxes at some instances reached 80% to 85%, but even at that level of utilization, we don't observe any latency or any issues reported with respect to accessing the application.
Cortex XDR is stable, offering high quality and reliable performance.
I have never seen instability in the CrowdStrike tool.
We are following N-1 versions across our environment, which is stable.
The biggest issue occurred when every computer worldwide experienced a blue screen.
The service has remained consistently online, with any issues isolated to specific components, suggesting a well-designed and modular architecture.
The services within our ecosystem have been reliable, meeting their SLAs.
It provides high-fidelity signals.
Improving reporting and dashboard customization, along with the addition of real-time and exportable reports, would help SOC teams greatly.
The inclusion of this feature would allow the application of DLP policies alongside antivirus policies via a single agent and console, making it more competitive as other OEMs often offer DLP solutions as part of their antivirus products.
If the per GB data could be provided at a certain level free of cost or at the same cost which the customer is taking for the entire bundle, that would be better.
Simplifying the querying process, such as using double quote queries or directly obtaining logs based on IP addresses or usernames, would be beneficial.
Another concern is CrowdStrike's GUI. It changes annually, making it hard to work and find options.
Threat prevention should be their first priority.
The licensing process needs improvement and clarification.
Improvements are needed in automated response capabilities.
Some inconsistencies exist between blades, which could be improved for a more seamless user and UI experience.
The pricing on SentinelOne is far more reasonable and cheaper than Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks.
I would say it is definitely not a cheap product, considering how mature it is and how scalable all Palo Alto products are together.
Cortex XDR is perceived as expensive by some customers, yet offers dynamic pricing.
It is expensive compared to SentinelOne, but as the market leader, it is worth it.
The licensing cost and setup costs are affordable.
The solution is a bit expensive.
There are certainly savings when using Microsoft Defender XDR, which can range from 30%, 40%, and even up to 50%.
I would rate the pricing as eight out of ten, indicating it is a reasonable cost for the product.
Microsoft purposefully obfuscates this through marketing ploys to hide costs.
It incorporates AI for normal behavior detection, distinguishing unusual operations.
The product provides automation responses in case of a threat attack, severity assessments, centralized manageability, and comprehensive compliance features, resulting in reduced costs.
It includes machine learning to easily analyze data and detect complex threats across endpoints, networks, or clouds.
I can investigate by accessing the customer's host based on the RTR environment and utilize host search to know details for the past seven days, including logins, processes, file installations, malicious processes, and network connections.
The real-time analytics aspect of CrowdStrike performs well because we get all logs in real-time, with no delay, allowing us to take action immediately.
Being an EDR solution, it helps us identify attacks in real-time.
With Microsoft threat intelligence information, it detects various types of threats, including insider attacks, malicious content, and data exfiltration.
This allows us to secure our systems in advance and proactively improve security, rather than waiting for incidents to occur.
Once we have it on the security dashboard, we can see a real-time storyline.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| CrowdStrike Falcon | 10.1% |
| Microsoft Defender XDR | 4.8% |
| Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks | 4.8% |
| Other | 80.3% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 42 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 21 |
| Large Enterprise | 47 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 46 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 34 |
| Large Enterprise | 62 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 46 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 26 |
| Large Enterprise | 38 |
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks provides advanced threat detection with AI-driven endpoint protection and seamless integration, ensuring multi-layered security and automatic threat response.
Cortex XDR is designed to safeguard endpoints against malware and suspicious activities. It offers advanced threat detection and response capabilities using behavioral analysis, AI, and machine learning. It seamlessly integrates with security infrastructures, providing endpoint security, firewall integration, and enhanced visibility in both cloud-based and on-premises environments.
What are the key features of Cortex XDR?Organizations in diverse sectors deploy Cortex XDR to protect against malware, leveraging its advanced threat detection capabilities. Its integration with existing security infrastructures appeals to those seeking comprehensive protection in both cloud and on-premises environments, providing enhanced visibility and threat intelligence.
CrowdStrike Falcon provides cutting-edge endpoint detection with automatic alerts, real-time monitoring, and seamless integration capabilities. Cloud-native architecture and AI-driven processes ensure scalable protection and efficient threat remediation.
CrowdStrike Falcon is recognized for its robust EDR and threat intelligence features that enhance security and streamline operations. Its lightweight agent minimizes system impact while offering real-time monitoring and detailed reporting. This platform uses cloud-native architecture for scalable, consistent protection, significantly reducing administrative demands. AI and machine learning empower precise threat hunting and behavioral analysis, which mitigates false positives and boosts cybersecurity efficiency. Users seek improvements in integration with other systems, reporting functions, and compatibility with specific operating systems. While the solution handles malware mitigation and threat response efficiently, suggestions for on-demand scanning, enhanced visibility, and better dashboard features are noted.
What are the key features of CrowdStrike Falcon?In technology sectors, CrowdStrike Falcon commonly supports endpoint protection and threat response initiatives, allowing companies to replace traditional antivirus systems with more advanced solutions. In finance, it secures sensitive data across multiple platforms, ensuring compliance. In healthcare, real-time security analysis protects patient data on critical devices like servers and laptops, utilizing AI to enhance cybersecurity defenses.
Microsoft Defender XDR is a comprehensive security solution designed to protect against threats in the Microsoft 365 environment.
It offers robust security measures, comprehensive threat detection capabilities, and an efficient incident response system. With seamless integration with other Microsoft products and a user-friendly interface, it simplifies security management tasks.
Users have found it effective in detecting and preventing various types of attacks, such as phishing attempts, malware infections, and data breaches.
Watch the Microsoft demo video here: Microsoft Defender XDR demo video.
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