Microsoft Defender for Business vs Symantec Endpoint Security comparison

Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Symantec Endpoint Security

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Helped 884,933 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:

ROI

Sentiment score

4.9

Cortex XDR reduces security incidents, personnel needs, and costs, offering quick ROI, enhanced performance, and competitive pricing.

Sentiment score

6.1

Microsoft Defender for Business improves security, enhances productivity, and reduces costs but may have delays in financial returns.

Sentiment score

5.4

Symantec Endpoint Security increases financial satisfaction by reducing downtime and enhancing threat response, offering competitive pricing and automation.

They appreciate the rich telemetry data from the solution, as it provides in-depth threat identification.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks report

Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks helps to reduce my total cost of ownership significantly.

MahmoudOsama Abdo

Detection and Response Consultant at Inovasys

In Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks, most of the remediation is automated and the accuracy is quite good.

Pasan Jayarathna

Network Security Engineer at Cyberwell Solution

Using Microsoft Defender for Business results in cost reductions as it consolidates various features under one product, saving around 20% to 30% of the budget.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Consultant at Dell Technologies

The value I see in Microsoft Defender for Business is in its ability to track and respond to application usage and security threats through its CASB and automation features, which are cost-beneficial.

Amit-Granot

Works

Symantec Endpoint Security filled gaps in our toolset, particularly with the ability to control network firewall on hosts remotely, which was greatly appreciated.

For more quotes and insights, download the Symantec Endpoint Security report

OT Technologist at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.0

Cortex XDR support is effective and fast but faces issues with language, delays, and high costs, yet generally satisfactory.

Sentiment score

5.2

Microsoft Defender for Business support is efficient but inconsistent, with variable responsiveness and differing opinions on staff knowledge and resolution times.

Sentiment score

6.0

Symantec Endpoint Security customer service is highly rated, but post-acquisition support quality fluctuates with some language and delay issues.

The technical support from Palo Alto deserves a mark of ten because they reach out within an hour whenever assistance is needed.

AmjadKhan1

Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees

There is no back and forth, and they know what we are asking for and come up with the best resolution for a solution.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks report

Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk

If any of these services are missed, it becomes a problem in terms of support tickets, follow-up, or special configuration that needs to be done in the system.

reviewer1412415

Chief of IT Architecture at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

It is rated ten out of ten for its quality and assistance.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The onboarding support is exceptional, ensuring seamless integration and implementation.

Anat Garty

Chief Cybersecurity Architect at cytek-security

Faster support is needed for endpoint security solutions.

Amit-Granot

Works

In some cases, it rates as high as ten out of ten, while in others, it can be as low as eight.

For more quotes and insights, download the Symantec Endpoint Security report

Head of Information System at EEC

There is no support in the German language, which is a problem for many public tenders.

Tobias Runge

Cyber Security Pre-Sales at SoftwareONE

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.5

Cortex XDR is scalable, supports diverse enterprises, integrates with endpoints, and enables easy expansion with cloud infrastructure.

Sentiment score

7.6

Microsoft Defender for Business offers scalable, cloud-driven security for diverse organizations, adaptable to various configurations and endpoint quantities.

Sentiment score

6.9

Symantec Endpoint Security is scalable, efficient for large deployments, and adaptable, with minor integration and support challenges noted.

You can onboard 10,000 endpoints in just hours, which demonstrates the excellent scalability of this product.

Ankit Pandagre

Assistant Security Architect at Cloudnomics

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks can be expanded anytime by purchasing another license without any issues related to scalability.

AmjadKhan1

Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees

I think scalability for Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is good.

reviewer2798475

Threat Analyst II at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks report

The cloud-based nature of the solution ensures high scalability.

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The scalability of Microsoft Defender for Business is rated as ten, indicating it is very scalable.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Consultant at Dell Technologies

In terms of scalability, I would rate Microsoft Defender for Business a ten.

Takayuki-Umehara

Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential

Symantec Endpoint Security is quite scalable, and it is very important for large clients.

Tobias Runge

Cyber Security Pre-Sales at SoftwareONE

The scalability of the servers is good, as it requires computational powers.

Kumbesh Rajagopal

Senior Security Delivery Analyst at Accenture

For more quotes and insights, download the Symantec Endpoint Security report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.0

Cortex XDR is highly regarded for stability, reliable performance, and well-received updates, despite minor occasional disruptions.

Sentiment score

7.2

Microsoft Defender for Business is highly rated for stability, despite minor errors and complexity issues not significantly impacting confidence.

Sentiment score

7.6

Symantec Endpoint Security is praised for stability and reliability, despite occasional crashes and compatibility issues during updates.

Cortex remains fast and responsive, even with increasing data and alerts.

Surya Kumar Gedala

Final Year Student at Gitam University

The thresholds we've seen on our firewall boxes at some instances reached 80% to 85%, but even at that level of utilization, we don't observe any latency or any issues reported with respect to accessing the application.

Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk

Cortex XDR is stable, offering high quality and reliable performance.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks report

Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank

No customer complaints about its functionality or reliability.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

Although it generally works, there are occasional issues and errors that sometimes require a complete system format to rectify.

Amit-Granot

Works

I would rate the stability of Microsoft Defender for Business with a three out of ten, where one is very bad.

Takayuki-Umehara

Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential

I have encountered issues where I had to uninstall and reinstall the product on end users' computers to view the logs again.

For more quotes and insights, download the Symantec Endpoint Security report

OT Technologist at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees

Previously, we used to have multiple servers such as GUP servers and numerous servers for pushing updates, but we reduced it and transitioned almost 30,000 devices to CrowdStrike, which was easy to manage.

Kumbesh Rajagopal

Senior Security Delivery Analyst at Accenture

Room For Improvement

Cortex XDR requires enhancements in UI, integration, reporting, and pricing, while addressing false positives and improving automation and mobile support.

Microsoft Defender for Business needs improved reporting, threat protection, support, and integration, with attention to pricing and update communication.

Symantec Endpoint Security suffers from high resource usage, management complexity, outdated interface, and ineffective virus detection and support.

Improving reporting and dashboard customization, along with the addition of real-time and exportable reports, would help SOC teams greatly.

Surya Kumar Gedala

Final Year Student at Gitam University

The inclusion of this feature would allow the application of DLP policies alongside antivirus policies via a single agent and console, making it more competitive as other OEMs often offer DLP solutions as part of their antivirus products.

NiteshSharma

Pre Sales Architect at network techlab

If the per GB data could be provided at a certain level free of cost or at the same cost which the customer is taking for the entire bundle, that would be better.

Pratham K

Cyber Security Information Security Specialist at MHM Holding GmbH

For more quotes and insights, download the Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks report

Microsoft should provide batch management solutions with the application, integrating pass management with roles.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

Features related to Advanced Persistent Threat detection vectors and cyber kill chain integrations are not available out-of-the-box.

KiranKumar17

CISO at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees

There can be improvements in the user interface to make it more intuitive.

Wondimu Almu

Information Technology Security Consultant at Navaio IT Security

Device management is not very good and I am not enabling it in my organization due to security reasons.

Shaban Mohammad

System Administrator at Aljazera Market co

I would like to see improvements in the scanning part of the solution, specifically to enhance the CPU and hard disk usage during scanning and updates to prevent disruption during work hours.

Head of Information System at EEC

It is cumbersome to use, particularly in handling firewall management.

For more quotes and insights, download the Symantec Endpoint Security report

OT Technologist at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees

Setup Cost

Cortex XDR offers flexible pricing from $55 to $90 per endpoint annually, considered cost-effective for its advanced features.

Microsoft Defender for Business offers integrated security in Office 365, with competitive pricing but some note higher costs than competitors.

Symantec Endpoint Security's pricing is diverse, being both negotiable and adaptable for different budgets and organizations' needs.

The pricing on SentinelOne is far more reasonable and cheaper than Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks.

Olive Kusumbara

Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

I would say it is definitely not a cheap product, considering how mature it is and how scalable all Palo Alto products are together.

Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk

Cortex XDR is perceived as expensive by some customers, yet offers dynamic pricing.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks report

Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank

Single-year pricing remains good.

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The pricing is quite affordable at the enterprise level with no extra expenses noted.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Consultant at Dell Technologies

Although the cost can be slightly higher, it expedites deployment, which is beneficial, especially for startups.

KiranKumar17

CISO at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees

It seems to be half the cost or more affordable than other solutions.

OT Technologist at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees

The pricing is very low compared to other companies like SentinelOne and others.

Shaban Mohammad

System Administrator at Aljazera Market co

I rate the pricing, setup cost, and licensing around nine out of ten.

For more quotes and insights, download the Symantec Endpoint Security report

Head of Information System at EEC

Valuable Features

Cortex XDR provides advanced threat detection with AI analytics, real-time blocking, and seamless integration for enhanced security.

Microsoft Defender for Business provides robust, scalable security with seamless Azure integration and effective threat management at a cost-effective price.

Symantec Endpoint Security provides integrated, user-friendly protection for multiple platforms with advanced malware detection and comprehensive endpoint management.

It incorporates AI for normal behavior detection, distinguishing unusual operations.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks report

Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank

The product provides automation responses in case of a threat attack, severity assessments, centralized manageability, and comprehensive compliance features, resulting in reduced costs.

NiteshSharma

Pre Sales Architect at network techlab

It includes machine learning to easily analyze data and detect complex threats across endpoints, networks, or clouds.

Surya Kumar Gedala

Final Year Student at Gitam University

The threat detection capabilities are robust, with a dedicated research team and a continuously updated threat feed.

Wondimu Almu

Information Technology Security Consultant at Navaio IT Security

Its vulnerability management is regarded as one of the best in the industry.

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The most effective features of Microsoft Defender for Business include its threat detection and response capabilities in managing vulnerabilities and ransomware attacks.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Consultant at Dell Technologies

Symantec Endpoint Security offers great features such as reporting capabilities with a customized dashboard that pulls in EDR timelines, threat maps, and compliance metrics into one view.

Abhimanyu Das

Senior Associate at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Symantec Endpoint Security offers many valuable features, such as file explosion, application learning, DLP, injection detection, and EDR solutions for traffic control.

Shaban Mohammad

System Administrator at Aljazera Market co

The incident response capabilities allow me to resolve authentication and support issues promptly, ensuring the system operates without downtime.

For more quotes and insights, download the Symantec Endpoint Security report

Head of Information System at EEC

Categories and Ranking

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Net...

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 3.5%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 1.9%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Security is 3.3%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks	3.5%
Microsoft Defender for Business	1.9%
Symantec Endpoint Security	3.3%
Other	91.3%

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

Featured Reviews

Gained full visibility and streamlined threat detection through behavior-based insights and AI integration

Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk

Initially, we got to have a lot of false positives when we onboarded, but nowadays it's quite smooth. We have fine-tuned our security policies and allowed different levels of policies to get rid of those false positives. Currently, we are getting a fairly good amount of incidents that are not false positives or benign, but actionable items. The process is streamlined. In the initial days, the operations used to get involved in a lot of benign and other activities, but now the process is streamlined. We are leveraging the auto-detection and remediation plans. The operations teams are now more involved in other business roles as well, not just looking into the logs and fetching out what's happening there. They have fixed a lot of things. Initially, they didn't have IAC code drift detection, cloud posture management, or security posture management, but they have those now. They purchased different vendors and did a merger with that. They have now Prisma Cloud that gets integrated and now they are working with Cortex Cloud. Everything that was negative has now been addressed, and the product altogether looks to be in a very better and mature shape now. Currently, it's more or less detecting the workloads with AI-based best practices. Since most organizations are consuming AI agents and other things, we are looking forward to seeing what other feature enhancements Palo Alto can support in that.

Read full review

Takayuki-Umehara

Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential

Product deployment protects assets but needs improvement in system support

I am doing maintenance for Microsoft Defender for Business, and I'm currently working with it. We don't need to use the latest version of Microsoft Defender for Business. We still use the latest virus definition file that Microsoft Defender for Business has automatically updated. We implement a basic update mechanism. Our compliance division manages how many servers and PCs we have and whether those servers have antivirus solutions. I am not certain about how Microsoft Defender for Business helps with AI-driven security strategies. I just use it normally and don't know if it uses AI technology. I rate Microsoft Defender for Business a six out of ten.

Read full review

Kumbesh Rajagopal

Senior Security Delivery Analyst at Accenture

Management becomes easier with minimal complications, but improvement in support tools needed

Regarding areas of improvement for Symantec Endpoint Security, there are many changes, and the support portal tool is complicated compared to other tools. When trying to get service from Symantec, the process is complex. I'm not sure whether it's because of my project or something else. Though it is easy to manage, easy to get, easy to install, and works efficiently for managing policies, we faced a significant disadvantage. We wanted to add multiple hashes because of numerous new alerts coming, but we could only add them one by one, which is a considerable disadvantage in Symantec.

Read full review

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) solutions are best for your needs.

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884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	47

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	69
Midsize Enterprise	32
Large Enterprise	63

Questions from the Community

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. Sentinel One

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. SentinelOne SentinelOne offers very detailed specifics with regard to risks or attacks. ...

Comparing CrowdStrike Falcon to Cortex XDR (Palo Alto)

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. CrowdStrike Falcon Both Cortex XDR and Crowd Strike Falcon offer cloud-based solutions th...

How is Cortex XDR compared with Microsoft Defender?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security solution. The tool reduces the attack surface,...

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

Our thoughts on the pricing for Microsoft Defender for Business are that we wish it could be better. If the pricing w...

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?

I see room for improvement in Microsoft Defender for Business, particularly regarding the consolidation of all securi...

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender for Business?

I would rate this product an eight out of ten.

Which is better - Cortex XDR or Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?

Aqua Security is easy to use and very manageable. Its main focus is on Kubernetes and Docker. Security is a very valu...

Which offers better endpoint security - Symantec or Microsoft Defender?

We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior sol...

What do you like most about Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?

Symantec have everything – documentation, videos, data sheets.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Comparisons

Compared 9% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Complete vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 6% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

Cortex XSIAM vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

Trellix Endpoint Security Platform vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 3% of the time

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks Competitors

HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

Norton Small Business vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 17% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 8% of the time

Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 5% of the time

Trellix Endpoint Security Platform vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 4% of the time

Check Point Harmony Endpoint vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 4% of the time

More Symantec Endpoint Security Competitors

Product Reports

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Download Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks product report

Microsoft Defender for Business

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Symantec Endpoint Security

February 2026

Download Symantec Endpoint Security product report

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps

No data available

Symantec EPP, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP)

Overview

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks provides advanced threat detection with AI-driven endpoint protection and seamless integration, ensuring multi-layered security and automatic threat response.

Cortex XDR is designed to safeguard endpoints against malware and suspicious activities. It offers advanced threat detection and response capabilities using behavioral analysis, AI, and machine learning. It seamlessly integrates with security infrastructures, providing endpoint security, firewall integration, and enhanced visibility in both cloud-based and on-premises environments.

What are the key features of Cortex XDR?

Advanced Threat Detection: Uses AI and machine learning for proactive threat identification.
Multi-layered Security: Combines various security measures for comprehensive protection.
Endpoint Protection: Safeguards against malware and exploits.
Behavioral Analysis: Monitors suspicious activity for early detection.
Automatic Threat Response: Automates responses to neutralize threats.

What benefits should users expect?

Ease of Use: Simplifies security management with intuitive design.
Resource Efficiency: Minimizes impact on system resources.
Integration Capabilities: Works well with existing security setups.
Reduced Analyst Workload: Automates processes to decrease manual intervention.

Organizations in diverse sectors deploy Cortex XDR to protect against malware, leveraging its advanced threat detection capabilities. Its integration with existing security infrastructures appeals to those seeking comprehensive protection in both cloud and on-premises environments, providing enhanced visibility and threat intelligence.

Palo Alto Networks

Microsoft Defender for Business is a new endpoint security solution that was designed especially for the small and medium-sized business (up to 300 employees). With this endpoint security solution, your company's devices are better protected from ransomware, malware, phishing, and other threats.

Microsoft

Symantec Endpoint Security is a robust and reliable product that provides complete protection against viruses, malware, Trojans, and malicious files. It offers application and device control, ease of use in deploying and updating, a central control console, stability, scalability, auto-discovery capabilities, patch management, endpoint detection and response capabilities, intrusion detection module.

The Symantec Global Intelligence Network (GIN) provides threat intelligence and detection across endpoints, email, and web traffic. It has helped organizations reduce downtime, increase productivity, and improve security posture. Symantec Endpoint Security is easy to use, has a flexible administration, and offers more value than expected.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank

Information Not Available

Audio Visual Dynamics, Red Deer Advocate, Asia Pacific Telecom Co. Ltd., Kibbutz Ein Gedi, and AMETEK, Inc.

Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Symantec Endpoint Security