--- title: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Reviews meta_title: 'Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 312 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Microsoft Defender for Endpoint works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.4 review_count: 312 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-08-11' parent_category: name: Endpoint Protection url: https://www.g2.com/categories/endpoint-protection --- # Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Reviews **Vendor:** Microsoft **Category:** [Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/endpoint-detection-response-edr) **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 312 ## About Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a complete endpoint security solution that delivers preventative protection, post-breach detection, automated investigation, and response. With Defender for Endpoint, you have: Agentless, cloud powered - No additional deployment or infrastructure. No delays or update compatibility issues. Always up to date. Unparalleled optics - Built on the industry’s deepest insight into Windows threats and shared signals across devices, identities, and information. Automated security - Take your security to a new level by going from alert to remediation in minutes—at scale. ## Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users find **Microsoft Defender for Endpoint very easy to use** , appreciating its seamless setup and deployment options. (20 reviews) - Users value the **advanced threat detection** in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, ensuring robust protection against evolving cyber threats. (18 reviews) - Users appreciate the **comprehensive cybersecurity features** of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, ensuring robust protection and innovation. (17 reviews) - Users appreciate the **strong protection against malware and cyber threats** provided by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. (15 reviews) - Users appreciate the **strong protection against malware and cyber threats** provided by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's advanced features. (14 reviews) - Features (11 reviews) - Integrations (10 reviews) - Threat Protection (8 reviews) - Dashboard Usability (7 reviews) - Easy Integrations (7 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users face **compatibility issues** with third-party applications, complicating deployment and overall functionality in some cases. (8 reviews) - Users find the **complex setup and licensing** of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint challenging, especially for newcomers. (8 reviews) - Users struggle with **difficult configuration** , finding policy management and setup overly complex and confusing in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. (7 reviews) - Users find **configuration and navigation cumbersome** , struggling with policy management across multiple Microsoft portals. (7 reviews) - Users face **lack of clarity** in navigating Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's multiple portals and customizing policies effectively. (7 reviews) - Complex Interface (5 reviews) - Configuration Issues (5 reviews) - Users find **difficult navigation** challenging, as the many menus and hidden items complicate the experience for newcomers. (5 reviews) - Expensive (4 reviews) - High Resource Usage (4 reviews) ## Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Reviews ### 1. Room to Improve **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Financial Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 02, 2026 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** What I like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is its strong integration with the Microsoft ecosystem and its visibility. It provides actionable insights through real-time threat detection, advanced investigation, and automated response capabilities. **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** In more complex environments, advanced configuration and troubleshooting is less intuitive and certain features require navigating multiple portals or having deep Microsoft expertise to use effectively. The real issue is knowing where to go to create a policy. Between Entra, Intune, Defender, and Perview, I have a hard time knowing where to go or how to keep track of my policies. Most significantly though, I've seen way to many tests/comparisons on how Defender performs on Zero Day or viruses and I'm not sure if they are bias or not but Microsoft does not fair well in blocking these attacks. **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** We currently use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint primarily as a secondary EDR. While it is included with our E3 licensing, it is not our primary tool for attack prevention. For network-level protection and stronger confidence in blocking advanced threats, we rely on additional third-party EDR solutions. ### 2. Industry leading endpoint protection capabilities **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer & Network Security | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 10, 2025 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** The integration into the MS Defender ecosystem and the ease of use of the Defender portal **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Incidents are often lackluster with details. Additional context pulled into the incidents would be nice **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** Solves the endpoint protection part of our service. It is integrated into the MS Defender portal, making managing it together with other MS security products an eass ### 3. "Microsoft Defender Endpoint: A Stalwart Shield for Endpoint Security" **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 11, 2023 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Real-time protection, seamless integration, and robust threat detection make Microsoft Defender for Endpoint stand out. **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Limited customization options and occasional false positives can be drawbacks in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** Microsoft Defender for Endpoint addresses various cybersecurity threats, enhancing overall system security and minimizing the risk of malicious attacks. This benefit translates to improved data protection, reduced downtime, and increased user confidence in the reliability of the IT infrastructure. ### 4. Licensing & Deployment Headaches **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 28, 2023 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** As a system administrator who recently switched to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, I found the deployment to be rough and challenging. However, one thing that I do appreciate about the product is its seamless integration with the existing Microsoft ecosystem. Since Defender for Endpoint is a Microsoft product, it ties in perfectly with other Microsoft tools and services, such as Azure Active Directory and Intune. This allows for centralized management and a more streamlined approach to security, which can save time and effort in the long run. Despite the challenges of deployment, I believe that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a powerful security tool that is worth considering if you are already bought into the Microsoft ecosystem. **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Getting all of our users on the required licensing was somewhat painful. We have a mix of paid licenses and IUR licenses. This required us to purchase add-on licenses to get everyone properly licensed. Deployment was not smooth, which was partially our fault. But we did find the documentation lacking. How Microsoft re-uses words between systems and how search engines provide results does not help. For example, a policy we deployed through Intune to enable Defender for Endpoint to a test group gave us the error "non-compliant." Searching for "non-compliant" only returns results about device non-compliance in Intune. **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** We plan on utilizing Defender for Endpoint as our primary antivirus solution. We have replaced our old solution with this product, as it ties into our Microsoft ecosystem better and also provides better alerting/reporting than our previous solution. ### 5. Good to have for endpoint security but heavily prone to security threats **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Aditya V. | Data Scientist II, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 31, 2023 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Having used Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan1 extensively across both linux and windows operated devices, it provide a wide range of offerings including antivirus and antimalware security, IAM services (identity and access management), data loss protection (DLP) among many others. **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** The performance of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is optimized only for windows based devices and does not support full functionality on Mac/ Linux based devices. Moreover, having another endpoint protection tool in parallel with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is another often-faced problem as it automatically disables any other antimalware program for Endpoint **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** Cybersecurity is crucial for every tech-based company in the current world. With multiple hacking and malware attacks on endpoints, its crucial to have a tool that provides a wide range on support on security ranging from anti-malware, MFA (multi-factor authentication) ,threat intelligence, DLP etc. ### 6. Microsoft Defender Product Review **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Shailesh B. | Software Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 10, 2023 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Multiple layers of protection - Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides numerous layers of security that protect users and organizations from various cyber threats, including malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. Endpoint detection and response - Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides endpoint detection and response capabilities, making detecting and responding to threats easier. The upsides of using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint include improved security, better visibility into threats, and increased compliance. **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** The least helpful aspect of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is that it is not comprehensive enough to provide complete protection against all threats. It is also not always able to detect and respond to emerging threats quickly and adequately. Additionally, it may not be able to see malicious activity from within the protected environment, such as insider threats. Furthermore, it may cause performance issues as it uses system resources to scan for threats. Finally, users may find the interface confusing and challenging to use. **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** Enhancing Productivity: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps keep your users productive, enabling them to securely access cloud services and applications from any device. Enhancing Security Protection: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides advanced protection against malware and ransomware and helps protect against malicious attacks and data breaches. ### 7. Easy to integrate with other Microsoft Services , but not linux friendly **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 04, 2023 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** It was a breeze to get it working in Windows, and integrating with other security products from Microsoft. It had some great features like AI based security system, which was definitely useful. **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Linux setup is not good since it explicitly targets Windows users. This is incredibly hurtful since Linux is the platform of choice for developers. Also, there were some performance issues, with the software feeling sluggish on my laptop with a bit of dated hardware. **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** It is good for detecting threats and since it powered by a capable engine, which regularly received updates, it made the entire system relatively safer. ### 8. Need more improvement **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Defense & Space | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 16, 2022 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Defender for Endpoint is excellent because all updates are done through the cloud. **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** It does not show what policies are being applied or when they were applied. Looks like admins would need to dig into registry entries or the event logs. The last communication time shown in either the 365 Defender portal or MEM does not seem trustworthy. It'd be nice to vet this information within the endpoint itself. **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** Real-time updates/resolution for vulnerabilities and patching. ### 9. Good for small business **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer & Network Security | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 20, 2022 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** All in one deployment and mitigation can be done from a window you possibly you are always in **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Deploying into azure followed by intune then defender is ridiculous and takes too much work for hybrid environments. **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** Providing edr at a nice price point for customers who already have premium licensing ### 10. More effective than you would think **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Hamish D. | Senior Sales Manager IMEA/EU/APAC, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 08, 2021 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Its subtle. it sits behind most processers but you don't see it. its not a massive size program either so another benifit **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Its not as effective as others, generally speaking. eg its not as great picking up Trogens or other pieces of malware **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** The problem of low-security network. we solved this problem, relatively cheaply, by using windows defender ### 11. Why should you trust Defender... **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Akhilendu C. | Senior Software Engineer, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 01, 2021 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** It comes Pre-installed and does not have any ad and malware **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** Its reputation in the market is not as good. **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** A Trusted Anti virus that does its job ### 12. is it enough defender to protect my device from virus ? **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Financial Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 22, 2021 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** IT's automatically scanned USB flash drive connected to the device **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** last time it can't protect from the daily new virus and spam from the websites and also **Recommendations to others considering Microsoft Defender for Endpoint:** IT'S NOT SLOWING DOWN THE WINDOWS **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** scanning USP flash drives and checking challenging desk health scanning normal pc RAR files and windows files and my data ### 13. I'm not sure this is the best option **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Stan G. | Play by Play Broadcaster, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 02, 2020 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** It's built in for the most part so, there is not a lot required in way of set up. **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** It slows my pc down and makes network functionality difficult. **Recommendations to others considering Microsoft Defender for Endpoint:** Consider how much memory you're using overall and make surer you're at the top level for ram and SSD. **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** Protecting pc from outside threats. Huge benefit in protection as it's all built together. ### 14. It's ok-ish **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Adrian S. | IT Infrastructure Specialist, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 20, 2020 **What do you like best about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** easy to implement and monitor. easy to deploy to multiple devices **What do you dislike about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?** not a great AV engine behind. lots of false-positive **What problems is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solving and how is that benefiting you?** a cheap solution for a basic AV ## Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Discussions - [when scheduled scan starts it consume 100% CPU, can you kindly provide solution for it.](https://www.g2.com/discussions/37198-when-scheduled-scan-starts-it-consume-100-cpu-can-you-kindly-provide-solution-for-it) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [can i use this for my video games?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/32645-can-i-use-this-for-my-video-games) - 2 comments, 1 upvote - [What is Endpoint Defender?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-endpoint-defender) - 1 comment - [Which feature in Microsoft Defender for endpoint?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/which-feature-in-microsoft-defender-for-endpoint) - 1 comment - [View Microsoft Defender for Endpoint pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-defender-for-endpoint/reviews?filters%5Bnps_score%5D%5B%5D=3§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-08-13+11%3A48%3A39+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=cb74f3e4-ee5e-418b-9254-ec89c9abdaa4&secure%5Btoken%5D=a6e6bcfcb0edea19b0e83eb9ed18afcf1962e9393837f45db17bfe6812fb0902&format=llm_user) ## Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Integrations - [Azure Active Directory Domain Services](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-active-directory-domain-services/reviews) - [Microsoft Defender for Identity](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-defender-for-identity/reviews) - [Microsoft Enterprise Mobility and Security](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-enterprise-mobility-and-security/reviews) - [Microsoft Secure Score](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-secure-score/reviews) - [Microsoft Sentinel](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sentinel/reviews) ## Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Features **Administration** - Compliance - Web Control - Application Control - Asset Management - Device Control - Patch Management - Password Management - Compliance Management - Remote Monitoring & Management - Workflow Management - Policy Management - Assessment Management - Endpoint Management - Incident Management - User Management - Audit Management - PCI Compliance - Web Threat Management - Device Management **Generative AI** - AI Text Generation - AI Text Summarization - Generative AI **Services - Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) ** - Managed Services **Additional Functionality** - Real-Time Monitoring - API - Threat Protection - Spam Blocker - Spam Quarantine - Real-time Alerts - Data Security - Incident Management - Remote Update/Installation - DDoS Protection - Automatic Scans - Vulnerability/Threat Prioritization - Real-Time Analytics - Endpoint Protection - Identity Theft Protection - Security Auditing - Virus Definition Update - VPN - Tracker Blocking - Data Loss Prevention - AI Copilot - Webcam Protection - Anomaly/Malware Detection - Third-Party Integrations - Access Controls/Permissions - Password Management - Phishing Protection - Email Attachment Protection - AI/Machine Learning - Reporting & Statistics - Network Security - Authentication - Threat Response - Activity Dashboard - Vulnerability Scanning - Backup and Recovery - Next-Generation Firewall - Application Security - Whitelisting/Blacklisting - Server Monitoring **Additional Functionality** - Generative AI - Event Analysis - Prioritization - AI Copilot - Whitelisting/Blacklisting - Remediation Management - Alerts/Notifications - Behavioral Analytics - Continuous Monitoring - Root Cause Analysis - Endpoint Management - Anomaly/Malware Detection **System Control** - Device Control - Web Control - Application Control - Asset Management - System Isolation **Functionality** - System Isolation - Firewall - Endpoint Intelligence - Anomaly/Malware Detection **Vulnerability Prevention** - Endpoint Intelligence - Firewall - Malware Detection **Analysis** - Automated Remediation - Incident Reports - Behavioral Analysis - Risk Analysis - Customizable Reports - Summary Reports **Additional Functionality** - SSL Security - HIPAA Compliant - API - Threat Response - Endpoint Protection - Maintenance Scheduling - Third-Party Integrations - Security Auditing - Application Security - Encryption - Network Security - Real-Time Reporting - AI Copilot - Reporting/Analytics - Authentication - Financial Data Protection - Anti Virus - Secure Data Storage - Virus Definition Update - Activity Dashboard - VPN - Audit Trail - Anti Spam - Access Controls/Permissions - Data Visualization - Alerts/Escalation - Data Security - Real-Time Analytics - Collaboration Tools - Secure Login - AI/Machine Learning - Single Sign On - Behavioral Analytics - Prioritization - Reporting & Statistics - IOC Verification - Monitoring - Two-Factor Authentication - Server Monitoring - Vulnerability Scanning - Activity Tracking - Event Logs - Risk Assessment - Real-Time Notifications - Real-Time Monitoring - Whitelisting/Blacklisting - Activity Monitoring - Alerts/Notifications - Risk Alerts - Behavior Tracking - Tokenization - Web Traffic Reporting - Generative AI **Security Management** - Incident Reports - Security Validation - Compliance ## Top Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Alternatives - [ESET PROTECT](https://www.g2.com/products/eset-protect/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (963 reviews) - [Sophos Endpoint](https://www.g2.com/products/sophos-endpoint/reviews) - 4.7/5.0 (793 reviews) - [CrowdStrike Falcon Endpoint Protection Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/crowdstrike-falcon-endpoint-protection-platform/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (418 reviews)