Guardz vs Microsoft Defender XDR comparison

Guardz and Microsoft are both solutions in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category. Guardz is ranked #68, while Microsoft is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.4. Guardz holds a 0.4% mindshare in EDR, compared to Microsoft’s 2.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Guardz users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Guardz

Read 1 Guardz review

1,069 Views
631 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender XDR

Read 106 Microsoft Defender XDR reviews

10,762 Views
5,704 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Guardz

Microsoft Defender XDR

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Guardz and Microsoft Defender XDR based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft and others in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR).

To learn more, read our detailed Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

January 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

Guardz

Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

68th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Security (46th), Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (50th), Ransomware Protection (17th)

Microsoft Defender XDR

Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

106

Ranking in other categories

Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (4th), Microsoft Security Suite (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category, the mindshare of Guardz is 0.4%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender XDR is 2.6%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Defender XDR	2.6%
Guardz	0.4%
Other	97.0%

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Featured Reviews

Steve Bowtell

Managing Director at Cyber Active

Exceptionally easy to integrate and covers a multitude of cybersecurity issues

The solution's interface appears very simple, but it is very complicated in the back end. So, it removes all the complications that an MSP or an MSSP would normally have. The solution's maintenance depends on whether you run it like an MDR platform where you provide the detection response part for the customer. That would normally be the MSP part. Sometimes, you have customers who are just happy to get an email and tell them what the problem is, and they fix it themselves. If there's no in-house expertise, the MSP or the MSSP can do the maintenance. If there's in-house expertise, it's just a matter of advising them. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Read full review

Kunle Oluwadiya

House security operator at Cypress Creek Renewables

Advanced threat hunting saves significant time in tracking and responding to incidents

Microsoft Defender XDR could be improved with a lower price. My main suggestion would essentially be what Copilot is providing, which is a single pane of glass, so I don't have to go to different windows. That's just a workflow consideration for me. It would be great to have all the information centralized into one particular data app. If I need to open up extra ones, I can, however, I would appreciate a future where everything I need is right there on one single pane of glass. Beyond that, there's really nothing else I see that I would want Microsoft to improve.

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

"The solution is exceptionally easy to integrate and covers a multitude of cybersecurity issues."

"It reduces the risk of users accidentally clicking on phishing emails."

"Microsoft Defender XDR is very comprehensive, covering a lot of the services, tools, and applications that we use, so it's very efficient, and it works out of the box."

"The integration with other Microsoft solutions is the most valuable feature."

"It gives a lot of flexibility in terms of configuration and customization as per the business requirements."

"A crucial aspect for our team is the inclusion of identity and access management tools from the vendor."

"Microsoft Defender is stable."

"For me, the advanced hunting capabilities have been really great. It allowed querying the dataset with their own language, which is KQL or Kusto Query Language. That has allowed me to get much more insight into the events that have occurred. The whole power of 365 Defender is that you can get the whole story. It allows you to query an email-based activity and then correlate it with an endpoint-based activity."

"The EDR and the way it automatically responds to ransomware and other attacks are valuable features."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pros

Cons

"The solution's security awareness training and phishing are very United States-focused and don't work very well in Australia."

"At times, there may be delays in the execution of certain actions and their effects."

"The logs could be better."

"Customers say they want absolutely seamless integration between other Microsoft solutions and Defender XDR, including the ability to change device settings within the Defender portal. They need to contact the IT team responsible for the device management tools to change some settings. They would prefer that those changes be initiated directly from the Defender portal or applied from Intune without involving the IT operations team."

"Microsoft Defender XDR can be improved as a solution because it's still quite costly; it's part of E5, E5 security, so the cost is still quite high, especially considering SME and C customers, or SMB customers."

"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."

"There's still some more work to be done there. Additionally, the limited terminal live access an analyst has is very restricted."

"There is definitely scope for improvement in the automation area. Because the solution is a SaaS platform, we don't have the overall ability to automate stuff.... There is no direct way to go ahead because it's a SaaS platform."

"The technical support from Microsoft Defender XDR has been disappointingly slow, to the point that I am considering not renewing my unified support contract."

More Microsoft Defender XDR cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I like Guardz's pricing model because it's very cost-effective and has no long-term commitments."

"The solution is affordable, and we haven't been hit with any hidden costs. The subscription model is straightforward, and it's easy to understand how much additional features cost. If we need to cancel a license or feature, we do that well in advance to avoid being charged for it, but overall, the pricing and licensing are simple and easy."

"It is 15 dollars per server per month. It is worth it, but it can be costly. It depends on the company's size."

"With the little idea I have about the costs, I can say that XDR tools tend to be a bit expensive. If you are using Microsoft Defender XDR, then you need to go for a subscription-based pricing model."

"There are no issues with pricing, but sometimes, the clarity in licensing is a concern."

"Microsoft Defender XDR is priced high."

"The license cost for a year is approximately forty-four thousand, and this annual saving is a significant factor in our decision to switch."

"It can be complex to navigate since customers have varying licensing agreements across Microsoft. If they go straightforward with E5 for all users, it's simple, but combinations based on budget constraints can complicate things."

"It is fairly priced because we get complete integrated services with the E5 license."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

12%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Media Company

Performing Arts

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	47
Midsize Enterprise	25
Large Enterprise	38

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Microsoft 365 Defender?

Microsoft Defender XDR provides strong identity protection with comprehensive insights into risky user behavior and potential indicators of compromise.

See all answers

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

My experience with pricing, setup, costs, and licensing of Microsoft Defender XDR is tied to our E5 subscription, which is very straightforward for us. We also purchase the uplift for our mobile us...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Defender?

I am not aware of a mobile app that would be available for my team. With a single analyst, if she is ever away, it would be beneficial to have easier access. While she can use the web portal, the e...

See all answers

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Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 4% of the time

TrendAI Vision One vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Email Security

January 2026

Download Guardz product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender XDR

January 2026

Download Microsoft Defender XDR product report

Also Known As

No data available

Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Threat Protection, MS 365 Defender

Overview

Guardz delivers robust cybersecurity solutions tailored for businesses seeking reliable and efficient security measures without compromise.

Guardz is specifically designed for businesses looking for dependable digital protection. It integrates advanced threat detection and prevention technologies, ensuring improved cyber resilience. Guardz is a preferable choice for organizations of all sizes, offering a comprehensive security suite that addresses potential vulnerabilities and enhances data protection efficiently.

What are Guardz's most valuable features?

Adaptive Threat Detection: Continuously monitors and identifies emerging threats, adapting to new challenges in real-time.
Data Encryption: Offers strong encryption to protect sensitive data against unauthorized access.
Access Control: Provides multi-layered access control mechanisms to ensure only authorized personnel can access critical systems.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?

Enhanced Security Posture: Users will notice an immediate improvement in their comprehensive security management.
Cost-Efficiency: Reduced operational costs through efficient threat management and proactive maintenance.
Scalability: Easily adapts to growing business needs without a significant increase in expenditure.

In industries like finance and healthcare, Guardz is implemented to counter sophisticated attacks, protecting client data and maintaining regulatory compliance. Retail sectors use Guardz to secure online transactions, ensuring customer data remains protected from breaches and fraud.

Guardz

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

Information Not Available

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

Buyer's Guide

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

January 2026

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