Huntress Managed EDR vs Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting comparison

Huntress and Microsoft are both solutions in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category. Huntress is ranked #1 with an average rating of 9.4, while Microsoft is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.5. Huntress holds a 6.5% mindshare in MDR, compared to Microsoft’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Huntress users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Huntress Managed EDR

Read 57 Huntress Managed EDR reviews

12,613 Views
6,180 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender Experts ...

Read 4 Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting reviews

1,240 Views
1,240 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Huntress Managed EDR

Microsoft Defender Experts ...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Huntress Managed EDR and Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting both focus on cybersecurity, competing in endpoint detection and threat hunting. Microsoft Defender has an advantage with its advanced features and value for price, while Huntress stands out in pricing and support.

Features: Huntress Managed EDR excels with ease of use, intuitive management tools, and effective threat detection powered by a skilled SOC team. It integrates well with Windows devices, offering a simple setup process. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting provides comprehensive threat intelligence, automated analysis, and proactive threat detection, appealing to enterprises due to its robust analytics capabilities and seamless integration with Microsoft ecosystems.

Room for Improvement: Huntress could enhance its platform with more advanced analytics features and broader integrations. Additionally, expanding its capabilities for larger enterprises would be beneficial. For Microsoft Defender, simplifying deployment processes and improving user-friendliness could enhance its appeal. Streamlining its customer support could also lead to improved user satisfaction and efficiency.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Huntress offers simple deployment ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, with responsive customer service facilitating setup. Its user-friendly interface suits non-technical environments. Microsoft Defender's complex deployment is tied to its extensive features, but once operational, it offers comprehensive customer support, supporting enterprises needing robust security solutions.

Pricing and ROI: Huntress provides competitive pricing, appealing to budget-conscious buyers, and is considered to deliver good ROI through effective threat detection. In contrast, Microsoft Defender has higher setup costs, but justifies the price with its extensive features and expected long-term ROI, making it attractive to organizations seeking a more robust security framework.

To learn more, read our detailed Huntress Managed EDR vs. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Huntress Managed EDR vs. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting

March 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

Huntress Managed EDR

Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

1st

Average Rating

9.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (5th)

Microsoft Defender Experts ...

Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

18th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Huntress Managed EDR is 6.5%, down from 10.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is 1.7%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Huntress Managed EDR	6.5%
Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting	1.7%
Other	91.8%

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

Featured Reviews

JefferyGiddens

Director, Information Technology & Cybersecurity at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees

Improving alert visibility and reporting has reduced workload and strengthened security posture

Huntress Managed EDR could be improved by providing more visibility into each alert that comes in and what action was taken on it. There have been times when an alert was received through Microsoft Defender indicating an account was accessed, when in reality it was blocked by a conditional access policy, yet when checking the Huntress portal, that event does not appear at all, lacking indication that it was raised and investigated as not a threat. The reporting in Huntress Managed EDR is fairly basic, as the only available report is effectively an executive summary. Although it contains useful information, other platforms have reporting engines that are much more robust and customizable, functionality that appears to be missing in Huntress.

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Mondher-Smii

Cybersecurity Manager at Insomea

Has supported clients in managing incidents through clear pricing and hybrid deployment options

What really stands out about Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is that it's easy to use. The cost is clear, and the pricing is transparent. The onboarding of the product on the customer's environment is straightforward. We can use it in a hybrid environment, in the cloud, or on-premise environment. This is the main advantage regarding this product. If it's configured correctly, everything will be good, resilient, and secure, which supports threat mitigation efforts depending on the configuration on the tenant and the parameters on Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting. Threat intelligence updates have some impact on our overall security posture. They give us external eyes regarding threat actors, which is good. It's very helpful to enrich the SIEM, which is Microsoft Sentinel. It's a good feature that we can include threat intel on the product.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I rate Huntress Managed EDR a ten out of ten."

"I think it is honestly the best because of the price point and the value it's giving."

"The most valuable features of Huntress Managed EDR include the SIEM and the log ingestion from firewalls; it has been really effective for managing our security. Huntress Managed EDR has positively impacted my organization by significantly reducing tickets coming to the SOC team; we have seen far less noise in terms of tickets since its implementation."

"It is incredibly efficient for our engineering team because Huntress provides all the information needed to fix issues, not just flag them."

"Huntress helped reduce the need for expensive security tools or to hire expensive security analysts."

"Their SOC is super responsive and does a great job of catching incidences and being on top of any issues that arise."

"I evaluate Huntress Managed EDR as the best choice we have made for antivirus endpoint protection EDR solutions specifically for the SMB market."

"Users usually note improvements in a matter of days. In others, it is immediately. It varies according to the environment."

More Huntress Managed EDR pros

"Easy to use is what my customers say is the biggest benefit of Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting for them."

"The solution helps to detect some suspicious items for us and our clients."

"The best feature of this solution is that it is an integrated and comprehensive solution for the entire Microsoft ecosystem."

"What really stands out about Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is that it's easy to use, the cost is clear, and the pricing is transparent, with straightforward onboarding in hybrid, cloud, or on-premise environments."

Cons

"One thing they could improve is evolving from an EDR to an MDR, like Blackpoint."

"While Huntress Managed EDR is a growing company adding innovations, one area that could improve is the time it took for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint integration, and the need to enhance detections on the Microsoft ecosystem is also evident, although I am confident they will succeed."

"One downside of Huntress Managed EDR, compared to the CrowdStrike agent, is that it takes a longer time to push it out to all of our endpoints and ensure everything is configured correctly."

"We have been working on it, but their Rio agent has been having some issues trying to repair itself."

"Customer support for Huntress Managed EDR could have been better. Although there is a dedicated representative, after the initial onboarding conversation, there was not much follow-up until renewal came up."

"Using Huntress Managed EDR has not reduced our need for expensive security tools or hiring expensive security analysts, as we run redundancy and maintain all that in-house while Huntress serves as a partner, not a replacement."

"Installing Huntress on a Mac presents a challenge for end users due to the operating system's security features, which require administrator privileges for installation."

"The reporting could be improved by providing a more simplified report that can be easily understood by clients. A way to present the data to the client so they understand its importance would be beneficial."

More Huntress Managed EDR cons

"The solution’s user interface could be improved."

"There is a lot of change in a small period. This might not be helpful for IT administrators and users."

"We tried the proactive threat hunting feature, but it was not a good experience with Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting. It created more trouble than expected with false positives and non-expected answers."

"There is a lot of change in a small period. This might not be helpful for IT administrators and users."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I believe Huntress Managed EDR is fairly priced. The value I get from it in terms of peace of mind justifies the expense. You can justify it as a business expense."

"The pricing is competitive, in line with Huntress's offerings, and aligns well with our business model."

"Huntress is an easy sell to clients because it does all the heavy lifting. Sometimes, they will buck a little at the price because they want a free antivirus or EDR. We tell them that we use Huntress on all our machines. That is our standard process for all the machines we roll out. When we give that advice, people are pretty willing to say okay."

"The solution is cheap compared to other alternatives. It offers good value for money. For the whole solution, it's up to about five pounds per device per month. Considering what it does, I think that's very good value."

"Huntress Managed EDR offers a fair pricing model."

"The cost-effectiveness of Huntress is much better compared to BlackPoint. Although Huntress does not offer all the finer details that BlackPoint does, it remains much more competitive in pricing."

"We haven't had any problems with Huntress' pricing. We're at 250 workstations, and we've grown considerably this year. They've been able to handle everything that we've thrown at them within that time frame. They're also reducing the price based on how many endpoints we add."

"It is very fair. I started at $2.50 and now I am at $3.50. When I signed up, I thought it was too cheap. It now reflects the price. It is very fair. I do not think you can find anything better."

More Huntress Managed EDR pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

23%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Energy/Utilities Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	55
Midsize Enterprise	4

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Huntress?

It is very easy to use. It is a great solution. They are one of the better vendors that I have ever worked with since I have been in the industry.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Huntress?

One downside of Huntress Managed EDR, compared to the CrowdStrike agent, is that it takes a longer time to push it out to all of our endpoints and ensure everything is configured correctly. My team...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Huntress?

Our current use cases for Huntress Managed EDR involve replacing CrowdStrike as our endpoint protection in our K-12 school. We use it to ensure that our devices are secure, compliant, and that any ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?

Microsoft now changes a lot in products, which might be a disadvantage right now. There is a lot of change in a small period. This might not be helpful for IT administrators and users. New features...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?

Right now we manage some firewalls using Microsoft products. In regard to Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting, I have been working with this product so far. Mainly and basically for incident han...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?

The pricing, engineers behind Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting, changes, and support services make the difference compared to other products. In terms of pricing, the solution is good, and th...

See all answers

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Bitdefender MDR vs Huntress Managed EDR

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SentinelOne Singularity Complete vs Huntress Managed EDR

Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

eSentire MDR for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting

Compared 10% of the time

Sophos MDR vs Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting

Compared 7% of the time

LMNTRIX Active Defense vs Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting

Compared 2% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Huntress Managed EDR

March 2026

Download Huntress Managed EDR product report

Buyer's Guide

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

February 2026

Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting report

Download Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting product report

Overview

Huntress Managed EDR provides round-the-clock threat detection, incident response, and remediation services. It offers a cost-effective security solution tailored for small to medium businesses, integrating seamlessly with Microsoft Defender to bolster cybersecurity without needing extensive security personnel.

Huntress Managed EDR specializes in comprehensive threat-hunting and proactive defense, designed to operate alongside existing antivirus tools like Microsoft Defender. It delivers continuous monitoring and advanced threat detection to protect endpoints from threats beyond traditional antivirus capabilities. The platform features a user-oriented interface enabling efficient endpoint management and security. While valued for its 24/7 security operations and threat response, Huntress faces certain challenges such as enhancing reporting capabilities, expanding integration with third-party systems, and advancing its XDR functionalities. Users seek improved API capabilities, streamlined report generation, and broader Macintosh support to elevate their experience with the tool.

What are the key features?

24/7 SOC: Continuous monitoring and rapid threat response by expert analysts.
Threat Hunting: Active detection of complex threats that bypass traditional AV.
Proactive Incident Response: Immediate action taken to mitigate potential threats.
Automatic Remediation: Hands-free threat resolution without manual intervention.
Integration with Microsoft Defender: Seamlessly work alongside existing antivirus solutions.

What benefits should users consider?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces the need for large in-house security teams.
User Friendliness: Allows easy operation and management of cybersecurity tools.
Enhanced Security Posture: Adds an extra layer of protection to existing defenses.
Adaptability: Supports various deployment models for flexible implementation.
Endpoint Protection: Provides robust defense against evasive cyber threats.

Industries leverage Huntress Managed EDR to enhance security frameworks and integrate with existing security measures, like Microsoft Defender. Its deployment spans financial, healthcare, and SMB sectors, where the need for robust endpoint protection and threat-hunting capabilities is paramount. Organizations benefit from its flexible deployment options, adapting Huntress to their specific cybersecurity strategies.

Huntress

Defender Experts for Hunting is a proactive threat hunting service that goes beyond the endpoint to hunt across endpoints, Microsoft Office 365, cloud applications, and identity. Our experts will investigate anything they find, then hand off the contextual alert information along with remediation instructions so you can quickly respond.

Microsoft

Buyer's Guide

Huntress Managed EDR vs. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting

March 2026

Free Report: Huntress Managed EDR vs. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting

Find out what your peers are saying about Huntress Managed EDR vs. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

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