Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection comparison

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs. WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection

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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

Microsoft Defender for Endp...

Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

198

Ranking in other categories

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (3rd), Anti-Malware Tools (1st), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (3rd), Microsoft Security Suite (5th)

WithSecure Elements Endpoin...

Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

46th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is 9.9%, down from 12.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection is 0.8%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint	9.9%
WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection	0.8%
Other	89.3%

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

Featured Reviews

NaySan @ Suraj Verma

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

Has effectively blocked sophisticated attacks and malicious activities while providing excellent support

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is very good, but one suggestion is that in some products, we may need to configure security-related settings, whereas Microsoft Defender for Endpoint works completely differently, providing automatic recommendations and actions that we may need to perform ourselves. Regarding the pricing of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, during the last three years, we set up the product and sold it, but we faced difficulties because Microsoft pricing is always the same. For example, whether I purchase Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for one year or for the next three years, the pricing remains constant with no discounts available. In contrast, competing products offer reduced pricing for long-term commitments, which makes it difficult for us in that environment. Microsoft should consider this option to remain competitive, but otherwise, everything else is fine.

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Mark Feldman

IT-Manager at MKF-Schimanski-ERGIS GmbH

Central console streamlines patch monitoring and device management effortlessly

WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection is good and easy to set up. I provide an installation file for every client through my domain controller and GPO, and it works properly. We have faced no incidents with viruses or network breaches, and it's easy to monitor patches. I can use remote desktop from the central console. The solution also saves my time because, being the only one handling it, I can monitor all devices easily.

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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 installation is straightforward."

"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is free and part of the licensing stack of other Microsoft products."

"Stable endpoint manager, antivirus, and antimalware, with fast technical support and a straightforward setup."

"The primary advantage is that you don't need to install it. It's included in the Windows 10 delivery."

"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's most valuable feature is its ease of use."

"We found that because the endpoint devices are based on Microsoft Windows devices and Windows Defender is integrated with the foundation and the core layer, it makes it more integrated and more agile in terms of responding to any security threats or changes or development"

"Integration between Microsoft products is very easy."

"The best thing I like about it is its interaction with the other Defender products. It provides the ability to push telemetry up. It gives me endpoint visibility and allows me to take automated actions."

More Microsoft Defender for Endpoint pros

"We use the product for detecting network vulnerabilities and for software update purposes."

"The most valuable features of WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection are the clear useful portal and overall company protection."

"F-Secure is useful for keeping user machines up-to-date by pushing out security and critical updates."

"WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection is good and easy to set up."

"The notifications and patch management features are valuable."

"On the cloud management page, the solution scales up very highly."

"Both incoming and outgoing traffic is protected."

"There is a layer of security to prevent a malicious agent (malware) from interrupting or stopping services, deleting or modifying registry entries or even stopping the antivirus from acting, ensuring that there will be no interruption of protection."

Cons

"In terms of improvement, they update the platform it seems quite a bit. Every month something is in a new spot or something changed somewhere. There should be less of that."

"The log searches for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint are pretty difficult to navigate. It needs a better UI or more intuitive search and filter mechanisms to make it easy to get through and filter through all the data logs."

"It is currently more suitable for end-users rather than enterprises with lots of other processes and third-party tools. It needs improvement on that front. We had many issues while integrating it with our enterprise solutions, such as Splunk, and third-party tools. It provides everything via APIs. Other vendors provide integration with third-party tools, but Microsoft doesn't do that. It is also logging too much and is not serialized from the process aspect. It has all the data, but it is not in a proper format or not properly indexed, which doesn't make it easier for enterprises to use this data. Other vendors provide troubleshooting information that can be used to troubleshoot issues, but Microsoft doesn't provide anything like that."

"I'm not too sure of its current capabilities, but I'm pretty sure they are doing a good job on Windows and Mac. However, I'm not sure whether they covered Linux. If I remember correctly, Microsoft Defender didn't have anything proper on Linux back then, but if they have improved it from that aspect, it would already be ticking all the boxes."

"If the solution could be integrated more with Defender for Cloud, to be more unified, that would help. It is good now, but even more integration could be done with Defender for Cloud. We see two different portals. If Defender for Endpoint could be ported to the CSPM, Defender for Cloud, that would make things even easier for us."

"There could be an increase in security for the solution."

"It can be more secure."

"The scalability could be improved - I would rate it between a seven and an eight."

More Microsoft Defender for Endpoint cons

"The program and cloud service management is in English. It's not a problem for me, however, it might be for users who don't speak English or use it regularly."

"Resource consumption is suboptimal and could be improved."

"There could be a dedicated security partner with essential knowledge."

"There is no technical support available in the Middle East."

"I would like the part of Hash Analysis by external sources to be improved."

"One problem is that the solution takes too much RAM from the client."

"But the biggest one for us is patch management because this has been our top priority when looking at alternatives. Every solution needs to have patch management, if that's possible. It would cut costs on our side if that feature were included, so we don't need to pay for two separate pieces of software."

"The solution could improve by having more real-time responses. For example, when a license gets removed from a computer it does not update the records of the change. Additionally, when I installed Microsoft Windows Defender I was not able to send licenses through email to our tenants. The integration with other solutions could improve."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This solution is part of an enterprise license we have."

"The pricing is competitive."

"Pricing for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is competitive. Out of the bundle, you will get a lot of security, if I talk about Microsoft E5, for example, and get a lot of benefits. If the customer goes and purchases a different solution, it will cost more, so pricing for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is quite reasonable at the moment. There isn't any challenge in terms of pricing, for example, I didn't see a customer who pulled back because of the price. Some prices could be negotiable, and sometimes, as a sales point, the two become negotiable, but they don't bill one and pull back because of the pricing. If you have an E5 license, you get everything."

"Everybody would like to see a lower price on everything. The Slovenian market is basically an SME market with clients having up to 100 seat licenses, comprising 90% of the company. They're very price sensitive. So, the price could be cheaper."

"We pay a yearly license for Microsoft Defender. We also have a support contract with them."

"It is so expensive. It isn't cheaper than McAfee or other solutions."

"There are different licenses, such as E3 and E5."

"The price is higher than others because it is doing more than what the others are doing."

More Microsoft Defender for Endpoint pricing and cost advice

"If you purchase licenses in bulk the price of the licenses can decrease."

"The price is comparable."

"We pay a yearly licensing fee of about €20 per computer."

"The product has average pricing."

"The cost of the solution depends on the size of the company and where the licenses are being ordered from."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

20%

Computer Software Company

17%

University

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	79
Midsize Enterprise	34
Large Enterprise	87

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	1

Questions from the Community

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, applies behavioral-based endpoint protection and response, and includes risk-ba...

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 solution. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security s...

How does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint compare with Crowdstrike Falcon?

The CrowdStrike solution delivers a lot of information about incidents. It has a very light sensor that will never push your machine hardware to "test", you don't have the usual "scan now" feature ...

What do you like most about F-Secure Protection Service for Business?

The notifications and patch management features are valuable.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F-Secure Protection Service for Business?

The pricing is scalable. We can purchase more licenses if needed. It's a more cost-effective solution compared to Darktrace, which requires a special device purchase.

What needs improvement with F-Secure Protection Service for Business?

One problem is that the solution takes too much RAM from the client. It would help if it used less RAM in future versions.

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Product Reports

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Download Microsoft Defender for Endpoint product report

WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection

Download WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection product report

WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection report

Also Known As

Microsoft Defender ATP, Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection, MS Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender Antivirus

F-Secure Elements Endpoint Protection, F-Secure Protection Service for Business

Interactive Demo

Microsoft

Demo not available

WithSecure

Overview

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a comprehensive security solution that provides advanced threat protection for organizations. It offers real-time protection against various types of cyber threats, including malware, viruses, ransomware, and phishing attacks.

With its powerful machine-learning capabilities, it can detect and block sophisticated attacks before they can cause any harm. The solution also includes endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities, allowing organizations to quickly investigate and respond to security incidents. It provides detailed insights into the attack timeline, enabling security teams to understand the scope and impact of an incident.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint also offers proactive threat hunting, allowing organizations to proactively search for and identify potential threats within their network. It integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft security solutions, such as Microsoft Defender XDR, to provide a unified and holistic security approach. With its centralized management console, organizations can easily deploy, configure, and monitor the security solution across their entire network.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a robust and scalable security solution that helps organizations protect their endpoints and data from evolving cyber threats.

Microsoft

WithSecure (formerly F-Secure) Elements Endpoint Protection is cloud-native, AI-powered endpoint protection that you can deploy instantly from your browser and manage easily from a single console. It integrates across all your endpoints, keeping your organization fenced in from attacks. WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection is a module of the Elements cyber security platform. The cloud-based platform provides effective protection against ransomware and advanced attacks. Elements brings together vulnerability management, automated patch management, dynamic threat intelligence and continuous behavioral analytics. Use individual solutions for specific needs or combine them all seamlessly for maximum defense.

WithSecure

Sample Customers

Petrofrac, Metro CSG, Christus Health

Information Not Available

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs. WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection