ESET PROTECT
7.9/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Reviews
- 4.6/5 (~800 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Deployment
- Cloud + on-prem
- Best for
- Teams wanting lightweight, reliable endpoint protection
Best Endpoint Security & EDR Software · 2026
ESET PROTECT vs 
Microsoft Defender for Business ESET PROTECT vs Microsoft Defender for Business: on our data-weighted scoring, ESET PROTECT edges ahead (7.9 vs 7.8/10). ESET PROTECT starts at Custom quote and is best for teams wanting lightweight, reliable endpoint protection; Microsoft Defender for Business starts at $3/user/mo and is best for SMBs already on Microsoft 365 wanting bundled EDR. Choose ESET PROTECT for the stronger overall track record; consider Microsoft Defender for Business if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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Microsoft Defender for Business
7.8/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $3/user/mo
- Reviews
- 4.4/5 (~300 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- Free trial
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- SMBs already on Microsoft 365 wanting bundled EDR
Strengths at a glance
Six criteria, each scored 0–10 on the same scale from real review data, public pricing and feature coverage. See our methodology →
| Criterion | ESET PROTECT | Microsoft Defender for Business |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 7.9 | 7.8 |
| User reviews | 9.2 | 8.8 |
| Adoption | 7.7 | 6.6 |
| Affordability | 5.0 | 7.6 |
| Feature breadth | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Ease of trial | 6.0 | 6.0 |
ESET PROTECT vs Microsoft Defender for Business: head-to-head
| ESET PROTECT | Microsoft Defender for Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Custom quote | $3/user/mo |
| Pricing model | per device | per user |
| Free trial / tier | 30 days | Free trial |
| Best for | Teams wanting lightweight, reliable endpoint protection | SMBs already on Microsoft 365 wanting bundled EDR |
| Deployment | Cloud + on-prem | Cloud |
| G2 rating | 4.6/5 (800) | 4.4/5 (300) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 7.9 | 7.8 |
Choose ESET PROTECT if…
You need teams wanting lightweight, reliable endpoint protection.
✓ Pros
- Very light agent
- Reliable detection
- Flexible deployment
✕ Cons
- EDR is higher tier
- Quote pricing
- Smaller US channel
Choose Microsoft Defender for Business if…
You need smbs already on microsoft 365 wanting bundled edr.
✓ Pros
- Cheap if you have M365
- Solid detection
- Per-user (covers multiple devices)
✕ Cons
- Best within Microsoft ecosystem
- Licensing nuances
- Tuning needed
In depth
In Depth
Pricing
| Aspect | ESET PROTECT | Microsoft Defender for Business |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Per-device | Per-user (covers multiple devices) |
| Starting Price | Quote-based | $3/user/month (annual billing) |
| Free Tier | No | No |
| Trial | 30 days | Yes |
| Best Value | Mid-market with mixed OS | SMBs already in M365 ecosystem |
ESET PROTECT requires custom quotes, making budget predictability harder. Defender for Business wins on transparency at $3/user/month, though actual costs rise if you add standalone licenses outside M365 Business Premium. The per-user model is friendlier for device mobility; ESET’s per-device approach suits fixed deployments.
Features & Deployment
ESET PROTECT emphasizes lightweight efficiency with hybrid deployment (cloud + on-prem). Core offerings include next-gen antivirus, EDR via “Inspect” (available at higher tiers), full-disk encryption, and a cloud console. The agent footprint is notably small—critical for resource-constrained environments.
Microsoft Defender for Business bundles EDR natively at the SMB tier, plus threat & vulnerability management and auto-investigation. It’s cloud-native with tight Microsoft 365 integration. However, its value compounds only within the ecosystem; standalone deployments incur licensing complexity.
Deployment winner: Defender for Business if you’re all-in on Microsoft 365; ESET if you need flexibility across heterogeneous environments or lighter agents.
Ratings & Verdict
| Rating Source | ESET PROTECT | Defender for Business |
|---|---|---|
| G2 Score | 4.6/5 (800 reviews) | 4.4/5 (300 reviews) |
| Our Score | 7.9 | 7.8 |
ESET edges ahead in raw user satisfaction (800 vs. 300 reviews, +0.2 score), reflecting consistent reliability and low friction. Defender for Business lags slightly, likely due to tuning friction and licensing confusion in non-Microsoft-native setups.
Verdict: Choose ESET PROTECT for lightweight, vendor-agnostic protection with proven detection rates and hybrid flexibility. Choose Microsoft Defender for Business if you’re a Microsoft-first SMB seeking bundled EDR at commodity pricing. ESET is the more universal choice; Defender is the more economical choice within Microsoft 365.
Frequently asked questions
- ESET PROTECT vs Microsoft Defender for Business: which is better?
- ESET PROTECT vs Microsoft Defender for Business: on our data-weighted scoring, ESET PROTECT edges ahead (7.9 vs 7.8/10). ESET PROTECT starts at Custom quote and is best for teams wanting lightweight, reliable endpoint protection; Microsoft Defender for Business starts at $3/user/mo and is best for SMBs already on Microsoft 365 wanting bundled EDR.
- Is ESET PROTECT cheaper than Microsoft Defender for Business?
- ESET PROTECT starts at Custom quote and Microsoft Defender for Business starts at $3/user/mo (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 17, 2026. Sources: eset.com, microsoft.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.