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Huntress Managed EDR vs Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

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
57
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (5th)
Microsoft Defender Experts ...
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
17th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Huntress Managed EDR is 5.6%, down from 10.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is 1.7%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Huntress Managed EDR5.6%
Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting1.7%
Other92.7%
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

JefferyGiddens - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, Information Technology & Cybersecurity at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Improving alert visibility and reporting has reduced workload and strengthened security posture
Huntress Managed EDR could be improved by providing more visibility into each alert that comes in and what action was taken on it. There have been times when an alert was received through Microsoft Defender indicating an account was accessed, when in reality it was blocked by a conditional access policy, yet when checking the Huntress portal, that event does not appear at all, lacking indication that it was raised and investigated as not a threat. The reporting in Huntress Managed EDR is fairly basic, as the only available report is effectively an executive summary. Although it contains useful information, other platforms have reporting engines that are much more robust and customizable, functionality that appears to be missing in Huntress.
Mondher-Smii - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The EDR tools are the most beneficial. We protect all our clients' endpoints through their security operation center, which runs through the EDR. We like that it's a small installation that doesn't take up much processing space, and we can quickly install it on our machines. We push out the agents automatically and get everybody up and running quickly."
"Huntress Managed EDR has improved our security posture and has provided peace of mind for myself as well as the firm partners that our security stance can not only meet the minimum requirements but actually positions us well to protect our environment from modern and emerging threats."
"The most valuable aspect of Huntress is its ability to isolate legacy systems from the network, preventing the spread of threats."
"I would absolutely recommend Huntress to other users. If you are considering it, go for it."
"Huntress' best feature is the threat-hunting expertise that is part of their 24/7 SOC."
"Huntress is easy to use. It immediately improved visibility and understanding of our security posture."
"Huntress Managed EDR positively impacts our organization as it gives us a clear advantage in selling ourselves as a 24/7 SOC versus having to manually keep on-call staff."
"The most valuable aspect of Huntress Managed EDR is its personalized approach."
"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."
"The best feature of this solution is that it is an integrated and comprehensive solution for the entire Microsoft ecosystem."
"Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting helps my customers detect or prevent emerging threats that are not yet published but Microsoft has visibility into."
"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."
"Easy to use is what my customers say is the biggest benefit of Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting for them."
"The solution helps to detect some suspicious items for us and our clients."
 

Cons

"I am anxiously watching to see how they evolve their MDR for Office 365. If anything, I would like more automated remediation capabilities in their MDR for Office 365."
"Huntress' Process Insights feature could benefit from more robust search and filtering capabilities."
"Their EDR can have increased coverage for Macintosh. They do not fully secure Macintosh computers."
"Improvements for Huntress Managed EDR really come down to the user interface online, which is less polished than I would like."
"Ultimately, the clarity of their alerts is paramount for effective threat communication and could benefit from clearer remediation steps."
"One sucky part about that is that they don't have a prorate. They don't reduce it for the exact number of days used. They charge you for the whole month."
"Installing Huntress on a Mac presents a challenge for end users due to the operating system's security features, which require administrator privileges for installation."
"One thing they could improve is evolving from an EDR to an MDR, like Blackpoint."
"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."
"The solution’s user interface could be improved."
"There is a lot of change in a small period. This might not be helpful for IT administrators and users."
"As a partner, Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting could be improved by getting earlier threat detection signals so we could proactively research on our own end and help support a campaign to raise awareness as well as proactive response."
"There is a lot of change in a small period. This might not be helpful for IT administrators and users."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"It works well for an MSP."
"We haven't had any problems with Huntress' pricing. We're at 250 workstations, and we've grown considerably this year. They've been able to handle everything that we've thrown at them within that time frame. They're also reducing the price based on how many endpoints we add."
"The pricing is competitive, in line with Huntress's offerings, and aligns well with our business model."
"Huntress is an easy sell to clients because it does all the heavy lifting. Sometimes, they will buck a little at the price because they want a free antivirus or EDR. We tell them that we use Huntress on all our machines. That is our standard process for all the machines we roll out. When we give that advice, people are pretty willing to say okay."
"I believe Huntress Managed EDR is fairly priced. The value I get from it in terms of peace of mind justifies the expense. You can justify it as a business expense."
"The pricing model for Huntress is similar to competitors and is charged per endpoint."
"The Huntress pricing is an excellent value for what the product provides."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
24%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business57
Midsize Enterprise4
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Huntress?
There isn't anything that comes to mind regarding areas that have room for improvement.
What is your primary use case for Huntress?
I use Huntress Managed EDR for threat hunting and incident response as well as endpoint detection and response.
What advice do you have for others considering Huntress?
Using Huntress Managed EDR has helped reduce the need for expensive security tools or hiring additional security analysts since I can use that as the first port of call versus trying to get an exte...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
As a partner, Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting could be improved by getting earlier threat detection signals so we could proactively research on our own end and help support a campaign to rai...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
As a working security partner, my main use case for Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is that many of our customers also have Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting and really find a lot of va...
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
As a partner, there can be some concern that Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is taking away some of our business because they're providing a solution that we also provide. However, the team ...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Huntress Managed EDR vs. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.