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Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 9, 2024

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
7.3
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers improved security and cost-efficiency, with many users noting savings of 15% to 30%.
Sentiment score
5.7
Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise offers significant ROI, reducing manual tasks, aiding compliance, and securing data against cybercrime threats.
We have seen a return on investment when using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, as it saves labor by reducing the need for staff to focus on it.
The biggest return on investment for me when using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is the time saving.
The return on investment is primarily in time savings and better observability of what's happening.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
Microsoft support is generally reliable and satisfactory, but experiences vary with responsiveness and outcomes depending on support level and expertise.
Sentiment score
6.5
Symantec Endpoint Security support is responsive but inconsistent post-acquisition, with European and African customers facing significant challenges.
The level-one support seems disconnected from subject matter experts.
I rate Microsoft support 10 out of 10.
Due to our size, we don't have access to direct technical support, but the knowledge base, Microsoft Learn, and the articles available are really good.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable and integrates well with cloud services, though some find cost and dashboard management challenging.
Sentiment score
6.5
Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise is highly scalable, adaptable for various business sizes, but challenges include licensing cost and extension compatibility.
We managed to scale it out in a short amount of time, with two months of planning and three months of implementation on 10,000 computers.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable enough to handle various devices across environments, whether they are laptops, Android devices, or operating in hybrid environments.
Compatibility is its main feature.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is stable and reliable, with infrequent issues quickly resolved, preferred for Windows integration.
Sentiment score
8.5
Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise is stable and reliable, despite occasional performance issues with Windows updates and full scans.
I haven't seen any outages with Microsoft.
I rate Defender 10 out of 10 for stability.
Defender for Endpoint is extremely stable.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint requires improvements in integration, user interface, performance, pricing, and third-party vendor compatibility.
Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise needs enhanced features, user-friendliness, performance improvements, better support, and more comprehensive threat coverage at a competitive price.
Repeated interactions are necessary due to Level One's lack of tools and knowledge, hindering efficient problem-solving and negatively impacting our experience with Microsoft support.
We use Microsoft partners to help govern the platform, and as part of an alliance, we want to gather data from each tenant and combine them for a complete view.
Providing more detailed information on how Microsoft Defender for Endpoint detects vulnerabilities.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is cost-effective in bundles, offering licensing flexibility and comprehensive security features for enterprises.
Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise offers a 60-day trial, with annual costs from $70-$100 per user, varying by features.
Given our extensive Microsoft licensing, transitioning to Defender for Endpoint did not affect licensing costs.
It costs $15 per VM for the P2 plan, which is seen as affordable for customers.
The pricing, setup, and licensing were very easy and simple.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides efficient security with integration, automation, and centralized management, enhancing protection and response capabilities.
Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise provides advanced threat protection, scalability, AI integration, and user-friendly management for comprehensive and efficient security.
Defender for Endpoint's coverage across different platforms in our environment is pretty good. We have devices running Linux, Mac OS, Windows, iOS, and Android. It covers all of them.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides a unified management interface allowing customers to manage their on-premises and hybrid infrastructures from a single pane.
The attack surface feature where phishing simulations can be performed is quite neat.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Endp...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
196
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (2nd), Anti-Malware Tools (1st), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (3rd), Microsoft Security Suite (5th)
Symantec Endpoint Security ...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
25th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is 10.8%, down from 14.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise is 0.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

AnuragSrivastava - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides detailed visibility into threats but the ability to add exceptions needs improvement
One major item for improvement is the ability to add exceptions. We can add some exceptions, but not at the level we need to. The second major area for improvement involves enhanced capabilities for different operating systems or platforms. That is, even though we have coverage for different operating systems or platforms such as Linux, we don't get all of the controls and enhanced capabilities that are available with Windows devices. Reporting could also be improved because, at present, we get limited results at times. For example, in an environment with more than 100,000 devices, you may just get 10,000 results when you run a report.
WAKKAS AHMAD - PeerSpot reviewer
The real-time visibility is excellent because it uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect advanced threats
Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise helps us meet regulatory requirements for payment card industries. We must use next-generation antivirus to comply with PCI regulations. The solution protects our network environment, data, and devices. Symantec is an innovative solution. They're always upgrading the product, and the signatures are constantly updated on the cloud side, and the signatures update on my machine three or four times. Symantec stays ahead of novel viruses and malware using machine learning and next-generation technology It helps us adopt a multilayered approach to security that incorporates behavioral analysis to detect threats that a signature-based solution can't protect us against. I rate Symantec's Endpoint Security Enterprise Single Agent System an eight out of ten for attack surface reduction, attack prevention, and breach prevention. A single breach can impact the company's reputation. The return on investment is always great because we are confident that Symantec will protect our users and data. Symantec Global Intelligence Network helped us reduce false positives by 20 to 30 percent, so we aren't spending as much time investigating these alerts. This frees up resources to do something else. Two of our people working on Symantec also have other responsibilities.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
25%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
17%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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, applies behavioral-based endpoint protection and response, and includes risk-ba...
Which offers better endpoint security - Symantec or Microsoft Defender?
We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior solution. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security s...
How does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint compare with Crowdstrike Falcon?
The CrowdStrike solution delivers a lot of information about incidents. It has a very light sensor that will never push your machine hardware to "test", you don't have the usual "scan now" feature ...
What do you like most about Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise?
The tool is a secure and stable workstation for checking antivirus. The alerting feature helps us see alerts and is easy to control. The main benefit we derive from using Symantec Endpoint Security...
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Defender ATP, Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection, MS Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender Antivirus
No data available
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Petrofrac, Metro CSG, Christus Health
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs. Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,236 professionals have used our research since 2012.