ESET Inspect vs Microsoft Defender XDR comparison

Why PeerSpot?

ESET and Microsoft are both solutions in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category. ESET is ranked #51, while Microsoft is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.4. ESET holds a 0.9% mindshare in EDR, compared to Microsoft’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of ESET users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 9, 2024

ESET Inspect and Microsoft Defender XDR compete in the security monitoring and extended detection and response solutions category. Microsoft Defender XDR seems to have the upper hand due to its advanced features and integration capabilities, making it worth its higher price.

Features: ESET Inspect is praised for its detailed threat analysis, incident response capabilities, and cost-effectiveness. Microsoft Defender XDR is noted for its deep integration with other Microsoft products, advanced threat intelligence, and comprehensive extended detection and response solution. Microsoft Defender XDR's integration with other Microsoft services gives it a competitive edge.

Room for Improvement:ESET Inspect needs a more intuitive learning curve, improved scalability, and better documentation. Microsoft Defender XDR could benefit from better documentation, more flexible configuration options, and a smoother learning curve. ESET Inspect faces challenges with scalability while Microsoft Defender XDR's documentation could enhance user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:ESET Inspect is recognized for its straightforward deployment process and responsive customer service. Microsoft Defender XDR users find deployment to have a steeper learning curve but appreciate comprehensive support. ESET Inspect’s ease of deployment and customer service are strengths, while Microsoft Defender XDR requires more effort initially.

Pricing and ROI:ESET Inspect is noted for its affordability and positive ROI. Microsoft Defender XDR, though more expensive, is considered worth the investment because of its extensive features and integration benefits. ESET Inspect is cost-effective, while Microsoft Defender XDR offers higher ROI through its advanced functionalities.

To learn more, read our detailed ESET Inspect vs. Microsoft Defender XDR Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

ESET Inspect vs. Microsoft Defender XDR

September 2026

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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

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Net...

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 3.7%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ESET Inspect is 0.9%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender XDR is 2.0%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks	3.7%
Microsoft Defender XDR	2.0%
ESET Inspect	0.9%
Other	93.4%

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Featured Reviews

ABHISHEK_SINGH

Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk

Gained full visibility and streamlined threat detection through behavior-based insights and AI integration

Initially, we got to have a lot of false positives when we onboarded, but nowadays it's quite smooth. We have fine-tuned our security policies and allowed different levels of policies to get rid of those false positives. Currently, we are getting a fairly good amount of incidents that are not false positives or benign, but actionable items. The process is streamlined. In the initial days, the operations used to get involved in a lot of benign and other activities, but now the process is streamlined. We are leveraging the auto-detection and remediation plans. The operations teams are now more involved in other business roles as well, not just looking into the logs and fetching out what's happening there. They have fixed a lot of things. Initially, they didn't have IAC code drift detection, cloud posture management, or security posture management, but they have those now. They purchased different vendors and did a merger with that. They have now Prisma Cloud that gets integrated and now they are working with Cortex Cloud. Everything that was negative has now been addressed, and the product altogether looks to be in a very better and mature shape now. Currently, it's more or less detecting the workloads with AI-based best practices. Since most organizations are consuming AI agents and other things, we are looking forward to seeing what other feature enhancements Palo Alto can support in that.

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Cees Van Den Haak

ICT Manager at Bouwbedrijf de Vries en Verburg BV

A product with an easy setup phase that helps manage attacks and vulnerabilities

The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that you can manage and react to vulnerabilities and attacks on all the workstations or laptops. You can put certain workstations and isolation. With ESET PROTECT, you see only one machine that is protected, but with ESET Inspect, you see all the machines that are protected in an environment.

Read full review

reviewer2812758

Infosec at a government with 10,001+ employees

Integrated defenses have unified threat hunting, phishing simulations, and identity investigations

I appreciate Microsoft Defender XDR's MDE, Microsoft Defender tool, which has Attack Simulator. Instead of doing a phishing campaign and getting a separate tool, Microsoft Defender XDR does it all. These features of Microsoft Defender XDR have helped us conduct a phishing campaign quarterly, which has been beneficial. I also appreciate the fact that it has Defender for Office integrated, Defender for Identity, and everything integrated together. I would describe the process of using Microsoft Defender XDR to prioritize incidents in my security operations as quite decent. I appreciate the automatic alerting system where any incidents or alerts we receive come directly to our email. From there, we can open the email, go directly to Microsoft Defender XDR, and start our investigations and remediations. I perceive the integration of security and identity access management in Microsoft Defender XDR as affecting my identity protection strategies very well because it is well integrated with Purview, integrated well with Entra ID, and integrated well with Exchange. I especially appreciate MDO, the Office product. If anything happens and I want to conduct an investigation, it takes me directly to Exchange, where I can also investigate any emails or phishing incidents. Instead of going to different portals, everything can be done from Microsoft Defender XDR. If necessary for further investigation, Microsoft Defender XDR then directs me to that environment. I would assess the integration of AI in guiding security actions within Microsoft Defender XDR as quite positive. Recently, Security Copilot went big, and it is beneficial that I can use that, especially to write KQL. I can do threat hunting features and intelligence all within using Microsoft's Security Copilot. It also has a nice AI feature for threat hunting. I know that all the Defender logs go to Sentinel, and I can pull it up from Microsoft Defender XDR or from Sentinel. The fact that I can actually do all that within Microsoft Defender XDR is a nice feature. In the top module, I can do threat lookups, and I can actually type KQLs in Microsoft Defender XDR and look up incidents. Predictive shielding has had a nice impact on my proactive security measures. It is beneficial that it has, similar to Entra ID, a secure score. For me to improve the product, the secure score helps me out. If I rate it from highest to lowest, I can see what things I can improve. Secure score helps me see what areas I can improve in Microsoft Defender XDR to increase my score and bring it to 80 or more. Knowing Microsoft Defender XDR from using it since 2019, before COVID days, I know that they have improved significantly. It is much more user-friendly and has a very nice vulnerability feature that I find handy and useful. The fact that this feature integrates into Intune is also very decent.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is easy to use."

"Traps has drastically reduced our endpoint attack surface via advanced detection capabilities, sandboxing of never before seen programs, and by drastically limiting where executables can launch in the first place."

"The solution allows us to make investigations. Other XDR solutions also provide similar capabilities but for investigation, Cortex XDR is better."

"Cortex XDR's most valuable feature is its intelligence-based dashboards."

"The most valuable features are the fact that it was running in the background and it would intercept any weird stuff, and the fact that it would send things directly to the cloud for sandboxing. It's quite practical."

"We think that this product will help us grow, as it meets our needs currently and we can grow with it over time."

"Technical support is the best in class, in my opinion, because they have invested heavily in research and development."

"The solution helps find bugs, and it is safe to use to prevent attacks by hackers."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pros

"The rules are the best and most useful features."

"Rules are the most valuable feature of ESET Inspect. They are created through XML language, and they track and filter events from endpoints. If the event matches the rule, the rule is triggered. Exceptions are the second most valuable feature because it gives you the power to filter false positives in large numbers. The third most valuable feature is the Learning mode that facilitates making exceptions for known processes with a good reputation."

"I find the multilayered endpoint security the most valuable feature."

"Scalability-wise, it is a very good solution."

"ESET Enterprise Inspector's greatest asset lies in its user-friendly interface, which allows for easy navigation and thorough analysis of incidents."

"This solution is easy to install, setup and monitor."

"ESET Enterprise Inspector's most valuable feature is EDR."

"The product's most valuable features are its performance and stability."

"The most valuable feature depends on the scenario. For compliance, I like Microsoft Purview Information Protection and Data Loss Prevention. Sentinel is the most helpful feature for security. 365 Defender helps us prioritize threats across an enterprise. It's a crucial feature for the managed services team."

"The best feature is threat hunting. There are a lot of other features I like, such as the alert mechanism. The chain alert mechanism has a huge impact. It combines all the alerts into one incident and automatically correlates them with AI."

"Email protection is the most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender XDR."

"The comprehensiveness of Microsoft's threat detection is good."

"The product integrates security into one tool instead of having third-party security tools."

"Many people don't realize that Microsoft Azure, Exchange Online, and the security and compliance portal all sync together. For instance, within the Azure portal you can set security restrictions and policies to help secure your tenants... The good part of it is that these products have already been integrated. When you sign on as an admin you have global admin rights and that gives you access to all these features."

"The Endpoint Manager is incredible; it has a very straightforward interface and is exceedingly easy to use. Pulling out and deploying different tags or resources is a simple task across various departments with different levels of security. The notifications are also simple and satisfying; it's great to see the bubble informing us which devices are compliant and which are waiting to update."

"365 Defender saves us a lot of money because we don't have to recover data or hire outside lawyers to help us with legal trouble."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pros

Cons

"There is a severe gap in functionality between Windows, Linux, and Mac versions. For example all folder restriction settings are Windows only. Traps 5.0+ does not have SAML / LDAP integration."

"The dashboard could use some significant improvement, just making it more useful with more information. It has a limited amount of information right now. It is customizable, but I'd love to see a better out-of-box dashboard."

"I have seen lagging with Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks. There was one time when we faced a threat actor trying to gain access to our system. When our team utilized the tool, we were all on the same dashboard and we faced a lag issue at that time of around five minutes, which was quite significant."

"If they had pulse rate detection, it would be better."

"There's an overall lack of features."

"Although I would say this product is highly-rated, it could probably do more because nothing does everything that you want."

"There's room for improvement with Mac device installations, which can be challenging."

"The solution can never really be an on-premises solution based simply on the way it is set up. It needs metadata to run and improve. Having an on-premises solution would cut it off from making improvements."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks cons

"It is not a stable product. We were disappointed in the stability of this product in comparison to McAffee."

"The platform's price could be better."

"The product is complex to configure, and there are too many errors that are not errors, making it an area that can be considered for improvement."

"The solution could improve the consumption of resources. The RAM and CPU usage increases during usage which can cause issues. We have three separate services and it would be beneficial if all were executed from one agent limiting the over usage of system resources."

"One area that needs improvement for the product is ransomware protection, which does not offer complete security."

"It may be difficult for a first-time customer to understand all of the functions that are available to him."

"Every vendor is working on making the job of SOC analysts easier, with fewer false positives and more precise detections. ESET uses LiveGrid technology that provides feedback on the reputation of files and operations. It's hard to eliminate all of the false positives, but hopefully, we'll see some improvement with the advances in AI."

"There are other SIEM solutions that are easier to use, mainly based on the creation of rules, use cases, and groups."

"Microsoft 365 Defender does not have a unique package with emerging endpoint security technologies, such as EDR and XDR."

"Microsoft support is not very good. You get stuck in low-level support for way longer than you should, instead of them escalating the issue up the chain."

"The data recovery and backup could be improved."

"Some of our older hardware experienced a slight bump in CPU and memory usage. Although I don't have empirical data to back that up, I would suggest possibly more streamlining in the software."

"The dashboard should be easier to use. There is also improvement needed in the reporting when it comes to exporting or scheduling reports."

"When we do investigations, it would be better if Microsoft could populate the host dashboard more. When we open any host for investigation, we want the entire timeline of what is happening on the host, including all the users logging in, their hardware, Windows version, etc."

"At times, when we have an incident email and we click on the link for that incident, it opens a pop-up, but there is nothing. It has happened a couple of times."

More Microsoft Defender XDR cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the product is not very economical."

"It has reasonable pricing for the use cases it provides to the company."

"I feel it is fairly priced."

"The pricing is a little bit on the expensive side."

"Traps pays for itself within the first 16 months of a three-year subscription. This is attributed to OPEX savings, as security teams spent less time trying to identify and isolate malware for analysis as a result of a reduction in malware incidents, false positives, and breach avoidance."

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is an expensive solution."

"The pricing is a little high. It is per user per year."

"It has a yearly renewal."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pricing and cost advice

"The pricing and licensing are the big issue now, in my opinion. If the price was less than other companies, or a one-time charge for service was available, I think there would be more users of this solution."

"I feel it is a very expensive product."

"The platform is expensive; it could be cheaper."

"The platform's licensing is affordable and straightforward."

"This is true in the case of licensing, we do not have the most expensive products, and we don't have the cheapest product, it's somewhere in the middle. Perhaps a little higher from the middle, but we are known for what we provide to our customers, and they are pleased."

"The price of the solution is high compared to others and we have lost some customers because of it."

"365 Defender is billed per account. I don't know the exact price, but my supervisor told me that Microsoft Defender is cheaper than the alternatives. It's bundled, so you get all the features in one place."

"I find the pricing to be quite competitive, especially considering its inclusion in our E5 subscription, which provides a comprehensive set of functionalities."

"I believe the pricing is fair and acceptable. I consider it to be reasonable and satisfactory."

"Defender XDR is included in the E5 license, but it's a bit too expensive."

"Microsoft Defender XDR is expensive."

"Purchasing Microsoft Defender XDR as part of a Microsoft 365 bundle can be cost-effective, but acquiring it as a standalone product may be more expensive."

"Microsoft Defender XDR is included in our license."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Construction Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

13%

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	47
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	55

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	46
Midsize Enterprise	28
Large Enterprise	41

Questions from the Community

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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,...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft 365 Defender?

My experience with the pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Defender XDR is that we are on an E5 license,...

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What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Defender?

From my perspective, Microsoft Defender XDR can be improved with better visibility in certain areas where I can trigg...

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What is your primary use case for Microsoft 365 Defender?

My main use cases for Microsoft Defender XDR are telemetry, advanced hunting, and the ability to perform host isolati...

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Comparisons

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 15% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 5% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

Cortex XSIAM vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 3% of the time

Symantec Endpoint Security vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 3% of the time

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks Competitors

CrowdStrike Falcon vs ESET Inspect

Compared 13% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint vs ESET Inspect

Compared 5% of the time

HP Wolf Security vs ESET Inspect

Compared 5% of the time

TrendAI Vision One vs ESET Inspect

Compared 4% of the time

Fortinet FortiEDR vs ESET Inspect

Compared 4% of the time

More ESET Inspect Competitors

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 8% of the time

Wazuh vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 6% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 3% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 2% of the time

More Microsoft Defender XDR Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

October 2026

Download Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks product report

Buyer's Guide

ESET Inspect

October 2026

Download ESET Inspect product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender XDR

September 2026

Download Microsoft Defender XDR product report

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps

ESET Enterprise Inspector

Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Threat Protection, MS 365 Defender

Overview

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?

Advanced Threat Detection: Uses AI and machine learning for proactive threat identification.
Multi-layered Security: Combines various security measures for comprehensive protection.
Endpoint Protection: Safeguards against malware and exploits.
Behavioral Analysis: Monitors suspicious activity for early detection.
Automatic Threat Response: Automates responses to neutralize threats.

What benefits should users expect?

Ease of Use: Simplifies security management with intuitive design.
Resource Efficiency: Minimizes impact on system resources.
Integration Capabilities: Works well with existing security setups.
Reduced Analyst Workload: Automates processes to decrease manual intervention.

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.

Palo Alto Networks

ESET Inspect provides strong EDR capabilities with user-friendly operations and multilayered security for threat detection and response, supporting efficient management across multiple devices.

ESET Inspect enables organizations to manage security effectively through its lightweight connector, handling EDR/XDR services for vulnerability and attack management. It allows tracking of potential threats, including lateral movements and anomaly detection, and employs XML-based rules for customized filtering. The interface supports exception management and a learning mode, enhancing control over false positives. Performance, stability, and flexible deployment options add value to its comprehensive security approach.

What are the key features of ESET Inspect?

User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies navigation and threat monitoring.
Effective EDR Capabilities: Enables detailed response actions for security incidents.
Multilayered Security: Prevents malicious activities with layered protection.
XML-Based Rules: Allows customizable filtering and monitoring.
Learning Mode: Facilitates the management of false positives through exceptions.
Lightweight Connector: Efficiently manages security across devices.

What benefits can users expect from ESET Inspect?

Enhanced Threat Detection: Provides deep insights into network processes.
Comprehensive Management: Offers multilayered security across cloud and on-premises setups.
Proactive Threat Response: Enables actions like process termination for anomalies.
Flexible Deployment: Supports antivirus, spam protection, and IDS functions.

ESET Inspect is often deployed by administrators in industries requiring stringent security management, such as IT services and business sectors with sensitive data handling. It is used for network monitoring, antivirus protections across desktops, laptops, and servers, allowing proactive responses to threats with built-in and regularly updated rules.

ESET

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.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank

Mitsubishi Motors, Allianz Suisse, Cannon, T-Mobile

Accenture, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, General Electric, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and many others.

Buyer's Guide

ESET Inspect vs. Microsoft Defender XDR

September 2026

Free Report: ESET Inspect vs. Microsoft Defender XDR

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