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Bitdefender GravityZone EDR vs Microsoft Defender XDR comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 9, 2024

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

Bitdefender GravityZone EDR
Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
12th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Defender XDR
Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
101
Ranking in other categories
Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (4th), Microsoft Security Suite (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category, the mindshare of Bitdefender GravityZone EDR is 2.6%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender XDR is 3.2%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
 

Featured Reviews

AMBARISH PATKAR - PeerSpot reviewer
Centralized control effectively manages devices while updates require powered-on systems
I use Bitdefender GravityZone EDR for the grooming industry. It is primarily utilized for the office environment The features I find most effective for threat detection include centralized control policy distribution and the control of independent devices, such as printers, laptops, and desktops…
Gabor Nyerd - PeerSpot reviewer
Includes four services and four products, which can help organizations a lot
We found that sometimes integrations work, but testing them can take some time. Sometimes, configurations take much longer than expected. We have a configuration in place that needs to be synchronized with another server. However, the servers are four hours apart, so this can cause delays. In general, I believe that the time it takes to configure and test a service should be shorter. Sometimes, it can take a couple of hours to test a single configuration setting. Other times, it is only ten or fifteen minutes, which is normal. However, sometimes, even immediate actions can be triggered by configuration changes, and some settings can take up to eight hours to complete. I believe that this time can be improved. Microsoft is making a lot of improvements to its services in a short period of time. This is a good thing, as it means that the services are constantly being updated and improved. However, it can be challenging for customers to keep up with the changes. For example, a customer may read about an update, understand it, and share it with their colleagues and boss. However, it may take days or weeks to test the update and get the necessary approvals. This can be especially challenging for large customers with many users or machines. In some cases, Microsoft may change a service before the customer has had a chance to implement the previous update. This can be frustrating for customers, as it means that they have to constantly learn new things and adjust their workflows. On the one hand, it is important for Microsoft to keep updating and improving its services. This helps to ensure that the services are meeting the customers' needs and that they are staying ahead of the competition. Microsoft should also be mindful of the challenges that these changes can create for customers. One way to address this challenge is to provide customers with more time to implement changes. Microsoft could also provide more information about upcoming changes so that customers can plan ahead. Ultimately, Microsoft needs to strike a balance between keeping its services up-to-date and providing customers with a smooth transition to new features.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra is the ETX and ETM endpoint protection."
"The nice thing about Bitdefender is that it has modules and layers that you can add as the requirement becomes more sophisticated and dangerous or threatening."
"Bitdefender GravityZone EDR's installation is straightforward."
"Go for Bitdefender GravityZone EDR without any second thought."
"We have clients who are also migrating from other anti-virus solutions to GravityZone because of the ease of use, ease of installation and the fact that it can be deployed in the cloud and the same software; you can actually install on other server or workstation. It automatically knows what it's protecting."
"The advantage of the solution is that it has a console on the cloud and you can update the clients."
"It has the ability to remotely control user PCs and execute specific commands to ensure their security. However, this capability could also pose some concerns."
"It is easy to scale and it is suitable for organizations from small businesses to enterprise."
"Microsoft Defender XDR is scalable."
"Among the most valuable features are the alert timeline, the alert story, which is pretty detailed. It gives us complete insight into what exactly happened on the endpoint. It doesn't just say, "Malware detected." It tells us what caused that malware to be detected and how it was detected. It gives us a complete timeline from beginning to end."
"It has been great for us. Previously, we didn't have a solution to protect us, especially from malware, whereas now, we are getting protection up front, especially from the malware attacks coming through emails or endpoints."
"We can use Defender to block and monitor for security purposes without needing multiple other products to do different tasks."
"Defender XDR can stop advanced attacks, like ransomware or business email compromise."
"The most valuable features are spam filtering, attachment filtering, and antivirus protection."
"The email protection feature is the most valuable because our risks primarily lie there, and it seems to be the most popular target."
"The 'Incidents and Alerts' tab is a valuable feature where we can find triggered alerts."
 

Cons

"This solution would be improved if it included antivirus functionality. You currently need to install a plug-in to Outlook for each email to be scanned."
"In terms of improvement of the solution, it could have better features. For example, having a firewall within. This way we would only need one solution."
"Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra should include more advanced features than their competitors in the market for the auto-detection of viruses and threats within the environment."
"The one thing that we are missing and want to see is user analytics. So, that is what I'm really interested in: behavior analytics and end user behavior."
"They need to improve the dashboard by adding a dedicated executive view. This view should provide executives with a clear overview of what's happening."
"Their ransomware remediation doesn't respond as fast as BullWall does...Ransomware control needs to be improved."
"The product fails to provide guides to its users...I want the tool to offer some guides and hands-on training that can guide users who want to learn more about the product without the vendor's help."
"The areas of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) could benefit from improvement in terms of how problems are reported and displayed. The way the problems are presented and the information provided could be improved."
"I'd like to see a wider solution that includes not only desktop devices but also other devices, such as servers, storage cabinets, switching equipment, et cetera."
"There's still some more work to be done there. Additionally, the limited terminal live access an analyst has is very restricted."
"Generally, antivirus products provide a central control to manage every device in terms of who is installing it or who is trying to disable it, but Microsoft doesn't have such a control center for the antivirus product it provides."
"The support from Microsoft could improve. There are times I have to wait for a response from a qualified specialist."
"This solution could be improved if it included features such as those offered by Malwarebytes."
"The onboarding and offboarding need improvement. I work with other vendors as well, and they have an option to add a device or remove a device from the portal, whereas with Microsoft 365 Defender, we need to do that manually. However, once you do that, everything can be controlled through the portal, but getting the device onboarded and offboarded is currently manual. If we have an option to simply remove a device from the portal or get a device added from the portal, it would be more convenient. The rest of the features are similar. This is the only area where I found it different from others. I would also like to be able to simply filter with a few of the queries that are already there."
"The patching capability should be there. Patching is something that you cannot do even though you see the vulnerabilities present in your environment. For patching, you have to depend on another solution."
"Since all of our databases are updated and located in the cloud, I would like additional support for this."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is not expensive but there are cheaper options in the market. In terms of competitiveness, the price is reasonable with no other additional costs besides the licensing fees."
"The solution's price is mid-ranged."
"Bitdefender GravityZone EDR is cheaper than Kaspersky. There are no additional costs apart from licensing ones."
"There are different packages available that vary in terms of licensing fees."
"It is not that expensive. Compared to its competitors, it is well-priced and well-placed."
"When I first started using this solution I was paying $80 annually. I did not pay any additional fees. There are other solutions that are cheaper on the market."
"Price-wise, we have a better licensing agreement with Bitdefender than we did with competing vendors."
"Each endpoint device we purchased came with its own license."
"All I can say again is the E5 gives you all the capabilities that it offers. It also gives Office 365 and one terabyte of storage. All in all, the E5 license model makes sense. There are some people who say it's quite costly, but rather than paying different vendors, it makes sense to go all in with Microsoft if you've got that licensing. From that perspective, it's cost-effective, but I can't comment much on that."
"Microsoft purposely makes its license combinations complex and includes combinations like Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5, Office 365 E3, Office 365 E5, and Office 365 E1, so you get confused. Microsoft tries to sell you a bundle of a lot of things together."
"While the standalone price of Defender XDR might seem high, its value becomes clear when considering the ease of implementation and smooth integration with our existing Microsoft infrastructure, especially when bundled with other Microsoft products."
"It is 15 dollars per server per month. It is worth it, but it can be costly. It depends on the company's size."
"Understanding the subscription model has been a bit challenging, as every feature or requirement comes with an additional cost."
"365 Defender is billed per account. I don't know the exact price, but my supervisor told me that Microsoft Defender is cheaper than the alternatives. It's bundled, so you get all the features in one place."
"Sometimes 365 Defender is expensive, but it can be moderate, depending on the organization's size and the license type. We're satisfied with the cost because it gives us a product that protects our entire environment with DLP. To compromise some cost, of course, we are to complete the most secure environment."
"I believe the pricing is fair and acceptable. I consider it to be reasonable and satisfactory."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Government
6%
University
5%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra?
The cost is reasonable, with the license costing approximately six to eight dollars per user.
What needs improvement with Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra?
When patching devices for updates, if a device is not switched on, it does not provide information dynamically.
What do you like most about Microsoft 365 Defender?
Microsoft Defender XDR provides strong identity protection with comprehensive insights into risky user behavior and potential indicators of compromise.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft 365 Defender?
Licensing is somewhat confusing, particularly when presenting our pitch decks to stakeholders and leveraging key features in premium SKUs, but we managed with some assistance from Microsoft.
What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Defender?
There is nothing I can think of at the moment that needs improvement. I am a contractor and finishing up soon, so I haven't encountered any issues requiring enhancements.
 

Also Known As

Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra, Bitdefender GravityZone
Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Threat Protection, MS 365 Defender
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mentor Graphics, Rudersdal Kommune
Accenture, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, General Electric, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and many others.
Find out what your peers are saying about Bitdefender GravityZone EDR vs. Microsoft Defender XDR and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.