Microsoft Defender for Business Review (2026)
- Starting price
- $3/user/mo
- Free trial
- Free trial
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- SMBs already on Microsoft 365 wanting bundled EDR
Verdict: 7.8/10
Microsoft Defender for Business earns 7.8/10 in our review, weighted from 4.4/5 (~300 G2 reviews) and its feature/pricing profile. Best for smbs already on microsoft 365 wanting bundled edr. Starting price: $3/user/mo.
Based on aggregated third-party ratings (4.4/5 (~300 G2 reviews)) and Microsoft Defender for Business's published feature and pricing data. Hands-on testing notes are added as we trial each tool — see how we test.
Pros
- Cheap if you have M365
- Solid detection
- Per-user (covers multiple devices)
Cons
- Best within Microsoft ecosystem
- Licensing nuances
- Tuning needed
Features
- EDR for SMB
- Next-gen AV
- Threat & vulnerability mgmt
- Auto-investigation
- M365 integration
How it compares
| Microsoft Defender for Business | SentinelOne Singularity | CrowdStrike Falcon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $3/user/mo | $69.99/endpoint/yr | $59.99/device/yr |
| Pricing model | per user | per endpoint | per endpoint |
| Free trial / tier | Free trial | Free trial | 15 days |
| Best for | SMBs already on Microsoft 365 wanting bundled EDR | Teams wanting autonomous AI-driven EDR/XDR | Organizations wanting best-in-class cloud-native EDR + threat intel |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud | Cloud |
| G2 rating | 4.4/5 (300) | 4.7/5 (2000) | 4.7/5 (290) |
| Capterra rating | — | — | — |
| Our score | 7.8 | 8.4 | 8.3 |
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Full review
Microsoft Defender for Business review — 7.8/10
Microsoft Defender for Business is a endpoint security tool we score on verified pricing, ratings and features. Our score weights 4.4/5 (~300 G2 reviews) against feature breadth and pricing value.
Core features
- EDR for SMB
- Next-gen AV
- Threat & vulnerability mgmt
- Auto-investigation
- M365 integration
Pricing value
Microsoft Defender for Business starts at $3/user/mo on a per user model after a free trial. See the full pricing breakdown.
Pros & cons
Pros: Cheap if you have M365; Solid detection; Per-user (covers multiple devices).
Cons: Best within Microsoft ecosystem; Licensing nuances; Tuning needed.
Who should buy Microsoft Defender for Business
Best for smbs already on microsoft 365 wanting bundled edr. If that is not you, weigh the alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Microsoft Defender for Business worth it?
- Microsoft Defender for Business earns 7.8/10 in our review, weighted from 4.4/5 (~300 G2 reviews) and its feature/pricing profile. Best for smbs already on microsoft 365 wanting bundled edr. Starting price: $3/user/mo.
- What does Microsoft Defender for Business cost?
- From $3/user/mo — see the pricing page.