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 #19 with an average rating of 8.5. Huntress holds a 7.5% mindshare in MDR, compared to Microsoft’s 1.6% 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 55 Huntress Managed EDR reviews

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5,561 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender Experts ...

Read 4 Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting reviews

986 Views
986 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: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Huntress Managed EDR vs. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting

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

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)

19th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Huntress Managed EDR is 7.5%, down from 10.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is 1.6%, down from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Huntress Managed EDR	7.5%
Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting	1.6%
Other	90.9%

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

Featured Reviews

Anto Baharian

Owner at Antra Tech

Never misses anything and has an attractive price point and a simple interface

One thing they could improve is evolving from an EDR to an MDR, like Blackpoint. This transition would enable automatic remediation of anything that looks dangerous, including within Microsoft 365. For instance, when one of my clients' Microsoft 365 account was breached, Blackpoint identified suspicious activity and disabled the account. It was in Dallas, and we are in California. Blackpoint knew something was wrong there, and they went in and disabled the account. Developing more automated remediation features would elevate them to an MDR level, but I understand that it might affect pricing. They are trying to keep it at a good price point because once they go to MDR, it is probably going to double the price. For now, I find the current features satisfactory, as they continue to add improvements. They have added security awareness training and then log collectors. They are adding pillars as they move along, and I assume they are going to have an option for MDR.

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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

"The most valuable aspect of Huntress is its 24/7 SOC service."

"Huntress Managed EDR has helped significantly in reducing the need for expensive security tools or security analysts, and since it is an EDR and fully managed, we don't need other EDR tools or specialists."

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

"Using Huntress Managed EDR has helped reduce the need for expensive security tools or to hire expensive security analysts, and it is important because we save money."

"Huntress helps us replace traditional antivirus solutions with an EDR. I like how easy it is to use and deploy. Support is good- they've responded quickly when I've had issues. I like it a lot so far. It reports valuable information and filters out things I don't need to know."

"Huntress Managed EDR is a spectacular solution for the SMB space."

"The endpoint protection is definitely the most impactful feature for clients. It just works. It is a set-it-and-forget-it type of solution."

"Huntress Managed EDR is probably the easiest solution to use, both to deploy and to maintain, of all the product lines and vendor partnerships we have."

More Huntress Managed EDR pros

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

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

"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

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

"Incident reporting could be a little bit cleaner."

"I would like the API to be a little better. They are getting there."

"Reporting for Huntress Managed EDR could be better."

"One issue is the managed antivirus. Huntress takes control of the antivirus built into Windows Defender, but it doesn't if, for some reason, Defender isn't working properly and doesn't attempt to fix it. We have to fix it with some scripts so that Defender reports correctly to Huntress. It would be nice if they took that action on our behalf. If they saw a problem with Defender, they should roll out a fix."

"Huntress Managed EDR can be improved in that right now it can only support Windows Defender and not other third-party antivirus software."

"Not every time, but sometimes when we click on the remediation, the auto-resolution of the alert, the screen gets stuck, and I need to contact support so they can confirm the remediation was applied, and they have to close the ticket."

"I also would love for them to make their new SIEM tool reports much more robust. They are currently way too simplified, and we need to have something better to send to our compliance clients."

More Huntress Managed EDR cons

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

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

"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."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Regarding the pricing for Huntress Managed EDR, I was amazed when I heard the price; I thought it was going to be way more than what it is based on the quality."

"It is fair. They provide good value for the product that they deliver. I have had one price increase in the entire time I have used them. They added a bunch of features and then said that they have to increase our price a little bit. That is a fair way to handle it."

"The tool’s price is very good. You just need to pay for the standard license. However, you need to pay the additional cost for Microsoft Defender."

"Huntress is priced fairly for the services and value it provides."

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

"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."

"Huntress has a favourable pricing structure, and I appreciate the cost-effectiveness compared to previous solutions."

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

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

19%

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	54
Midsize Enterprise	3

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.

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What needs improvement with Huntress?

In terms of room for improvement for Huntress Managed EDR, I think that if they could work with maybe other antivirus vendors to sort of work together with those, it would be beneficial because I k...

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What is your primary use case for Huntress?

Our use case is to fill some security gaps that we have, especially regarding the antivirus suite that we use, which doesn't have the full capabilities of Huntress Managed EDR. Huntress Managed EDR...

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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Compared 25% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Huntress Managed EDR

January 2026

Download Huntress Managed EDR product report

Buyer's Guide

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

December 2025

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

January 2026

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

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