Heimdal Endpoint Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business comparison

Heimdal and Microsoft are both solutions in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category. Heimdal is ranked #40 with an average rating of 9.0, while Microsoft is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.6. Heimdal holds a 0.5% mindshare in EPP, compared to Microsoft’s 1.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Heimdal users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Heimdal Endpoint Security and Microsoft Defender for Business are competing in endpoint protection. Microsoft Defender for Business often has the upper hand due to its integration within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Features: Heimdal Endpoint Security focuses on advanced threat prevention, a comprehensive software patching system, and layered security measures. Microsoft Defender for Business emphasizes extensive integrations, automated threat detection, and a robust cloud-native infrastructure.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Heimdal offers an easy deployment process with personalized support, beneficial for hands-on assistance. Microsoft Defender provides scalable deployment for multi-platform environments, suitable for existing Microsoft users but potentially challenging for those unfamiliar with Microsoft solutions.

Pricing and ROI: Heimdal's competitive pricing delivers substantial ROI through effective threat prevention. Microsoft Defender may have higher upfront costs but offers significant ROI over time by leveraging the Microsoft ecosystem for overall cost savings.

To learn more, read our detailed Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

April 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 April 2026, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 3.5%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Heimdal Endpoint Security is 0.5%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 1.9%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks	3.5%
Microsoft Defender for Business	1.9%
Heimdal Endpoint Security	0.5%
Other	94.1%

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

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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DEEPAK KUMAR PACHDEO DUBEY

Senior IT Support Specialist at PXGEO

Delivers efficiency and agility with USB control limitations

One area where we lag is that, since we use everything from Heimdal, including XDR and other features, we also use the privilege manager feature called Elevation. What we lack is granular USB control. We have an issue where we can only switch USB on or off. I want to whitelist specific devices in the network, which I currently cannot do.

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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

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Overall, it's a great platform; it integrates very well with other solutions from Palo Alto and also with our vendors, the ease of use is excellent, I love the root cause analysis from Cortex, which is amazing, and in a few clicks you can have the full root cause."

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks should be a stable solution."

"Cortex XDR is a simple platform that's easy for administrators and users. You have a lot of flexibility to change or customize the features."

"We can visualize and control the activities in the environment from anywhere."

"The dashboard is customizable."

"It's very stable. I've never experienced downtime for the ASM console or ASM core."

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks's ability to block sophisticated threats in real time is quite good and is on par with SentinelOne's."

"The stability is pretty good except for one or two cases, and based on the performance, it's been okay with pretty high performance, no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pros

"As compared to multiple solutions I have used in the past, Heimdal is a very agile and lightweight solution."

"Heimdal is a very agile and lightweight solution."

"Microsoft Defender for Business is good for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers solid security flexibility and integration with tools like Microsoft Lighthouse and some other software. It takes some of the features of Defender for Endpoint EDR and provides those services for small and medium-sized business environments."

"Defender's main strength is its integration with Microsoft Sentinel, offering valuable insights."

"I rate Microsoft Defender for Business a 10 out of 10."

"Defender's main strength is its integration with Microsoft Sentinel, offering valuable insights."

"It is scalable."

"Defender is top class in terms of functional security."

"If you're an Intune user, you can bring in certain capabilities like system-hardening policies, which further enhances the security."

"Microsoft Defender for Business offers the best pricing option in the market and is very cost-effective."

More Microsoft Defender for Business pros

Cons

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

"Impact on system performance is horrible, adding a lot of delays for users."

"It's very time-consuming to log support issues and the people that answer the tickets aren't very knowledgeable."

"It's not an ideal choice for smaller businesses, as you need a minimum of 200 endpoints to even use the solution at all."

"It takes time to scan the servers and devices."

"We would also like to have advanced tech protection and email scanning."

"I think sometimes Cortex XDR agent automatically stops event capturing from the device, and then even the dashboard does not get any notifications from the agent."

"Enhancing UI simplicity and playbook flexibility are areas that could benefit from more low-code automation options for smoother integrations."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks cons

"What we lack is granular USB control."

"What we lack is granular USB control. We have an issue where we can only switch USB on or off."

"The solution's AI is notorious for false positives, and the time you have to spend training it is ridiculous."

"The areas where Microsoft Defender for Business could improve include the support, installation process, and wiki. I should be able to find solutions to issues quickly without having to delve too deep."

"We face a licensing issue with Windows 11 Enterprise not reflecting in our portal, which affects activation. Microsoft's support did not resolve this issue, even after sharing remote desktop and screen details."

"Pricing could be lowered as it is expensive and not suitable for low-budget organizations."

"Defender's threat protection should be fine-tuned to reduce false positives. It could be more targeted, reflecting a continuous evolution in detecting. Also, it could be easier to integrate into other environments."

"Additionally, the pricing policy poses a challenge, particularly in multi-year contracts, where other solutions like Trend Micro offer more affordable options."

"If I need logs and don't have local storage bundled with Defender, I need to add workspace and log analytics, which is costly for storing logs of 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB."

"I am not satisfied with Microsoft's technical support. There are challenges with the knowledge and experience of the support staff, frequent redirection between departments, and slow response times."

More Microsoft Defender for Business cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"I did PoCs on products called Cylance and CrowdStrike. Although, I consider these products and they were also good, when it come to cost and budgetary factors, Traps has been proven to be better than the other two products. It is quite cost-effective and delivers all the entire solution which we require."

"It has a yearly renewal."

"The price of the solution is high for the license and in general."

"It is cost-effective compared to similar solutions. It fits for the small businesses through to the big businesses."

"I don't like that they have different types of licenses."

"Compared to CrowdStrike, Cortex XDR is an expensive solution."

"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."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pricing and cost advice

Information not available

"The tool is cheap, while some other solutions are more expensive. I remember the tool cost about five euros for a workstation or for a user on a monthly basis."

"Defender for Business is included by default with an Office 365 premium subscription."

"The tool's cost has been a little high, but I do not think it was terrible."

"Since we're a nonprofit, we get pretty good discounts on the tool."

"It has to get more competitive because we are starting to see some of the competitors providing better pricing, and some of it, of course, is to gain market share. The Defender product pricing is probably a little higher than the competitors."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

17%

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Non Profit

Computer Software Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	48

No data available

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

Questions from the Community

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. Sentinel One

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. SentinelOne SentinelOne offers very detailed specifics with regard to risks or attacks. ...

See all answers

Comparing CrowdStrike Falcon to Cortex XDR (Palo Alto)

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. CrowdStrike Falcon Both Cortex XDR and Crowd Strike Falcon offer cloud-based solutions th...

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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,...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Heimdal Endpoint Security?

Pricing, compared to what we had before, was quite economical. There was a difference of about twenty percent or some...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Heimdal Endpoint Security?

One area where we lag is that, since we use everything from Heimdal, including XDR and other features, we also use th...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Heimdal Endpoint Security?

My company colleagues and I use this antivirus solution. I am part of a company where I deploy solutions, and I also ...

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 w...

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 securi...

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

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 8% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Complete vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 6% 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 4% 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 Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 5% of the time

Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense vs Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 5% of the time

Coro vs Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 5% of the time

More Heimdal Endpoint Security Competitors

HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 9% of the time

Norton Small Business vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 3% of the time

eSentire MDR for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

April 2026

Download Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks product report

Buyer's Guide

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

April 2026

Download Heimdal Endpoint Security product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Business

March 2026

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps

Heimdal Next-Gent Endpoint Antivirus, Thor Vigilance Enterprise, Heimdal Endpoint Detection and Response, Heimdal DNS Security - Endpoint, Heimdal Threat Prevention, Heimdal Ransomware Encryption Protection

No data available

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

Heimdal Endpoint Security, is a comprehensive suite of security tools designed to safeguard devices from a range of cyber threats. Offering functionalities like Next-Generation Antivirus, Endpoint Detection and Response, Application Control, Firewall, and Mobile Device Management, Heimdal ensures a multi-layered defense against malware, suspicious activities, and unauthorized applications. Its benefits include proactive threat detection, enhanced efficiency through task automation, centralized management for streamlined administration, and dedicated mobile device security features. Targeted primarily at businesses and organizations of all sizes, Heimdal Endpoint Security caters to the diverse cybersecurity needs of modern enterprises, providing robust protection against evolving threats.

Heimdal

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

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank

Brother, Symbion, CPH West

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

April 2026

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