Guardz vs Microsoft Defender XDR comparison

Guardz and Microsoft are both solutions in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category. Guardz is ranked #50 with an average rating of 8.0, 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

922 Views
535 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender XDR

Read 106 Microsoft Defender XDR reviews

10,352 Views
5,487 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Guardz

Microsoft Defender XDR

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

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: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 881,082 peers since 2012

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)

50th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Security (31st), Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (31st), Ransomware Protection (13th)

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) (3rd), Microsoft Security Suite (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 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."

"I like how Microsoft XDR and the other Microsoft products are integrated into a single unified security stack covering identity access management, endpoint protection, email, cloud applications, etc."

"Having a single pane of glass for all Microsoft security services makes everything much easier. A security analyst can go to a single portal and see everything in one view. The integration of everything into one portal is a huge benefit."

"Microsoft Defender XDR is a complete package of different Defender solutions, including Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Office 365, Defender for Cloud, and Sentinel SIEM, among others."

"For technical support, I would definitely give a rating of nine out of ten."

"In our company,we have faced multiple attacks over the last few months, but none of them have been successful, and I think Microsoft Defender XDR has played a major role in it."

"Microsoft Defender's most critical component is its CASB solution. It has many built-in policies that can improve your organization's cloud security posture. It's effective regardless of where your users are, which is critical because most users are working from home. It's cloud-based, so nothing is on-premise."

"It's a great threat intelligence source for us, providing alerts for things it detects on the network and on the machines. We've used it often when there is a potential incident to see what was done on a computer. That works quite nicely because you can see everything that the user has done..."

"Many people don't realize that Microsoft Azure, Exchange Online, and the security and compliance portal all sync together. For instance, within the Azure portal you can set security restrictions and policies to help secure your tenants... The good part of it is that these products have already been integrated. When you sign on as an admin you have global admin rights and that gives you access to all these 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."

"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 automation response being slow is the main concern; when an incident occurs or if I run a remediation, it takes significant time to complete the remediation."

"There is no common area where we can manage all the policies for the EDR, third-party solutions, devices, servers, Windows, Mac, etc., but it's on the road map, and we ware waiting for that feature."

"365 Defender has multiple subsets, including Defender for Cloud Apps. When integrating Defender for Cloud Apps with apps on third-party cloud platforms like AWS or GCP, there are limitations on our ability to control user activities. If Microsoft added more control over third-party products, that would be a game-changer and help us quite a lot."

"Microsoft Defender is slow to adapt to evolving threats."

"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."

"The support could be more knowledgable to improve their offering."

"The price could be better. It'll also help if they can continuously update and upgrade the solution. Every day there's a new virus uploaded into the network, and we have to keep updating it to identify all these things."

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."

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

"While Microsoft Defender XDR carries a higher cost, its ease of use compared to Defender may justify the investment."

"The pricing of Microsoft 365 Defender is definitely on the costly side, but with the features and services that Microsoft provides, such as the seamless integration of all the Defender tools, while the price is on the higher side, there is no alternative."

"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."

"The bundling of software makes it easier to manage our setup, but Microsoft purposefully obfuscates this through marketing ploys to hide costs."

"Microsoft Defender XDR is expensive."

"Sometimes 365 Defender is expensive, but it can be moderate, depending on the organization's size and the license type. We're satisfied with the cost because it gives us a product that protects our entire environment with DLP. To compromise some cost, of course, we are to complete the most secure environment."

"I would like to have more security features in the lower licenses because not every customer is able to buy E5 licenses. The bundling isn't always easy for our customers to understand. Compared to other tools, it's a good price."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

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

What do you like most about Guardz?

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

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Guardz?

I like Guardz's pricing model because it's very cost-effective and has no long-term commitments. You could run it monthly if you want to and then leave.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Guardz?

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

See all answers

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

Comparisons

Coro vs Guardz

Compared 23% of the time

Huntress Managed ITDR vs Guardz

Compared 18% of the time

Cynet vs Guardz

Compared 13% of the time

Avanan vs Guardz

Compared 12% of the time

Huntress Managed EDR vs Guardz

Compared 11% of the time

More Guardz Competitors

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 12% of the time

Wazuh vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Sentinel vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Defender XDR Competitors

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)

December 2025

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft and others in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) vendors.

We monitor all Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.