CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager vs Microsoft Defender for Business comparison

The compared CyberArk and Microsoft solutions aren't in the same category. CyberArk is ranked #4 in PAM , with an average rating of 8.8, and holds a 2.6% mindshare in the category. Microsoft is ranked #18 in EPP , with an average rating of 7.5, and holds a 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of CyberArk users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege...

Read 38 CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager reviews

3,967 Views
1,190 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Read 20 Microsoft Defender for Business reviews

4,629 Views
3,425 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege...

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager and Microsoft Defender for Business based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about CyberArk, One Identity, Delinea and others in Privileged Access Management (PAM).

To learn more, read our detailed Privileged Access Management (PAM) Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

January 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 880,844 peers since 2012

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

7.2

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager enhances security, reduces risks and costs, saves resources, and protects sensitive information effectively.

Sentiment score

6.1

Microsoft Defender for Business improves security, enhances productivity, and reduces costs but may have delays in financial returns.

Deploying CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager has secured the infrastructure, which saves money, time, and resources.

Sumit Chavan

Lead Consultant at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees

I consider CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager's return on investment to be good since it effectively accomplishes the goals expected from privilege access management solutions.

Diego Rivera

Commercial and Technical Professional Manager at Evolution Technologies Group

For more quotes and insights, download the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager report

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.

Murali Gummadi

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.

Amit-Granot

Works

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.2

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager support is knowledgeable but needs improvements in response times, accessibility, and first-level assistance.

Sentiment score

5.2

Microsoft Defender for Business support is efficient but inconsistent, with variable responsiveness and differing opinions on staff knowledge and resolution times.

They respond immediately to our inquiries, resolve issues promptly, and provide valuable guidance, especially in critical situations.

Jayasree Sriram

Security Delivery Analyst at Accenture

We engage them when needed and receive prompt responses that typically resolve our issues.

reviewer2600361

Global Security Systems Consultant at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees

Earlier, we received support for normal tickets within a day, but now it takes one or two days to resolve issues.

Sumit Chavan

Lead Consultant at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager report

It is rated ten out of ten for its quality and assistance.

Nay San

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The onboarding support is exceptional, ensuring seamless integration and implementation.

Anat Garty

Chief Cybersecurity Architect at cytek-security

Faster support is needed for endpoint security solutions.

Amit-Granot

Works

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager efficiently scales for large deployments, praised for growth-centered architecture despite integration complexities.

Sentiment score

7.6

Microsoft Defender for Business offers scalable, cloud-driven security for diverse organizations, adaptable to various configurations and endpoint quantities.

We can set permissions per team or department, allowing some teams to elevate specific applications while others have different permissions.

reviewer2600361

Global Security Systems Consultant at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is quite scalable.

Jayasree Sriram

Security Delivery Analyst at Accenture

The available reports and other security tools assist in scaling it according to my organization's needs.

Gani Habib

Cybersecurity Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager report

The cloud-based nature of the solution ensures high scalability.

Nay San

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The scalability of Microsoft Defender for Business is rated as ten, indicating it is very scalable.

Murali Gummadi

Consultant at Dell Technologies

In terms of scalability, I would rate Microsoft Defender for Business a ten.

Takayuki-Umehara

Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.2

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is stable, with 99.99% uptime, reliable on Windows, needing console improvements and minimal memory.

Sentiment score

7.2

Microsoft Defender for Business is highly rated for stability, despite minor errors and complexity issues not significantly impacting confidence.

It is a robust solution that has effectively supported our environment without major issues.

Jayasree Sriram

Security Delivery Analyst at Accenture

Since implementing it, we have not experienced any outages or stability issues.

reviewer2600361

Global Security Systems Consultant at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager offers multiple options for creating and stopping policies.

Sumit Chavan

Lead Consultant at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager report

No customer complaints about its functionality or reliability.

Nay San

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.

Amit-Granot

Works

I would rate the stability of Microsoft Defender for Business with a three out of ten, where one is very bad.

Takayuki-Umehara

Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Room For Improvement

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager needs improved integration, user interface, and pricing, along with enhanced compatibility and functionality.

Microsoft Defender for Business needs improved reporting, threat protection, support, and integration, with attention to pricing and update communication.

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager could be improved by simplifying the administration process, specifically when setting up policies and applications.

reviewer2600361

Global Security Systems Consultant at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees

Currently, no user-based policy option is available inside the EPM console.

Sumit Chavan

Lead Consultant at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees

Some features provided in the self-hosted version of EPM are not supported in the software as a service version, like connection to some analysis applied by Palo Alto.

Marek Neumann

Solution Architect at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager report

Microsoft should provide batch management solutions with the application, integrating pass management with roles.

Nay San

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.

KiranKumar17

CISO at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees

There can be improvements in the user interface to make it more intuitive.

Wondimu Almu

Information Technology Security Consultant at Navaio IT Security

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Setup Cost

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager's high pricing is justified by its quality, features, and appeal to large enterprises in finance.

Microsoft Defender for Business offers integrated security in Office 365, with competitive pricing but some note higher costs than competitors.

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is slightly expensive, but costs can be negotiated to become more competitive.

Gani Habib

Cybersecurity Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is costly compared to other solutions.

Sumit Chavan

Lead Consultant at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees

I've received feedback that the pricing is high, however, for me, the value it brings is worth the cost.

Padmanabha Hegde

Manager at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager report

Single-year pricing remains good.

Nay San

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The pricing is quite affordable at the enterprise level with no extra expenses noted.

Murali Gummadi

Consultant at Dell Technologies

Although the cost can be slightly higher, it expedites deployment, which is beneficial, especially for startups.

KiranKumar17

CISO at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Valuable Features

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager enhances security by managing privileges, integrating seamlessly, and preventing ransomware while ensuring regulatory compliance.

Microsoft Defender for Business provides robust, scalable security with seamless Azure integration and effective threat management at a cost-effective price.

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager effectively reduces malicious content in applications by allowing us to identify and block dangerous applications.

Jayasree Sriram

Security Delivery Analyst at Accenture

It allows them to granularly manage controls to prevent some malicious activities on the endpoint machine.

reviewer1247523

Head of Sales Services Department at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager enhances computer security by providing minimal access, effectively preventing ransomware attacks.

Gani Habib

Cybersecurity Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager report

The threat detection capabilities are robust, with a dedicated research team and a continuously updated threat feed.

Wondimu Almu

Information Technology Security Consultant at Navaio IT Security

Its vulnerability management is regarded as one of the best in the industry.

Nay San

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.

Murali Gummadi

Consultant at Dell Technologies

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Categories and Ranking

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Compliance (4th), Privileged Access Management (PAM) (4th), Anti-Malware Tools (5th), Application Control (3rd), Ransomware Protection (5th)

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (18th), Microsoft Security Suite (16th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Endpoint Security solutions, they serve different purposes. CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is designed for Privileged Access Management (PAM) and holds a mindshare of 2.6%, down 3.6% compared to last year.
Microsoft Defender for Business, on the other hand, focuses on Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP), holds 2.0% mindshare, up 1.9% since last year.

Privileged Access Management (PAM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager	2.6%
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager	11.6%
WALLIX Bastion	5.1%
Other	80.7%

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Business	2.0%
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint	8.1%
CrowdStrike Falcon	7.0%
Other	82.9%

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

Featured Reviews

Sumit Chavan

Lead Consultant at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees

Helps secure the infrastructure and control users with admin rights

There are many features that are currently missing. A customization option is required for certain policies. For instance, if we need to stop PowerShell scripting, we have to create a different policy for that. Being able to create a sub-level policy within a top-level policy would be good. Currently, no user-based policy option is available inside the EPM console. We can only create computer-based policies. The database is available, but there is a drawback in not being able to create local groups on the EPM console. We only have to depend on Active Directory. This limits infrastructure security as we depend on the Active Directory team to manage user groups. If they remove any users, we lose control. If we could create groups locally and block them or set specific policies, we would have more control. Local endpoint management is missing from the EPM site. Moreover, there is an issue with policies not running as expected when we make enhancements. We have to find multiple ways to whitelist applications or enhance policies.

Read full review

Takayuki-Umehara

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.

Read full review

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions are best for your needs.

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880,844 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

17%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	18

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

Looking for recommendations and a pros/cons template for software to detect insider threats

This is an inside-out --- outside-in --- inside-in question, as an insider can be an outsider as well. There is no short answer other than a blend of a PAM tool with Behavioral Analytics and Endpo...

See all answers

What do you like most about CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager?

The most valuable feature of the solution is its performance.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager?

I believe it's quite a reasonably priced solution. It's not very common to use CyberArk because it's a niche solution, but customers who are willing to control administrative accounts are willing t...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?

I see room for improvement in Microsoft Defender for Business, particularly regarding the consolidation of all security solutions in one place and the integration of AI and data security into the s...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender for Business?

I would rate this product an eight out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

CrowdStrike Falcon vs CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager

Compared 11% of the time

BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management vs CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager

Compared 9% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager

Compared 8% of the time

VMware Carbon Black Endpoint vs CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager

Compared 3% of the time

More CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager Competitors

HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 12% of the time

Trend Micro Worry-Free Services Suites vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 2% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager

January 2026

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager report

Download CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Business

January 2026

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Also Known As

Viewfinity

No data available

Overview

CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager, a critical and foundational endpoint control addresses the underlying weaknesses of endpoint defenses against a privileged attacker and helps enterprises defend against these attacks through removing local admin rights, enforcing least privilege, and implementing foundational endpoint security controls across all Windows, macOS and Linux endpoints from hybrid to cloud environments.

Click here for a free 30 day trial: CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager free trial

CyberArk

Microsoft Defender for Business is a new endpoint security solution that was designed especially for the small and medium-sized business (up to 300 employees). With this endpoint security solution, your company's devices are better protected from ransomware, malware, phishing, and other threats.

Microsoft

Buyer's Guide

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

January 2026

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Find out what your peers are saying about CyberArk, One Identity, Delinea and others in Privileged Access Management (PAM). Updated: January 2026.

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