Malwarebytes vs Microsoft Defender for Business comparison

Malwarebytes and Microsoft are both solutions in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category. Malwarebytes is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.9, while Microsoft is ranked #33 with an average rating of 7.5. Malwarebytes holds a 1.7% mindshare in EPP, compared to Microsoft’s 1.9% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Malwarebytes users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Malwarebytes

Read 36 Malwarebytes reviews

4,339 Views
3,784 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Read 13 Microsoft Defender for Business reviews

4,211 Views
2,978 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Malwarebytes

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 5, 2025

Malwarebytes and Microsoft Defender for Business compete in cybersecurity threat detection and protection. Microsoft Defender seems to have the upper hand due to its seamless integration with Microsoft services and cost-effectiveness for existing Microsoft users.

Features: Malwarebytes offers comprehensive scanning, remote cloud management, and excellent exploit interception, providing robust endpoint protection and user-friendliness. Microsoft Defender provides strong integration with Microsoft tools, predictive analysis powered by AI, and effective real-time threat protection, making it ideal for businesses relying on Microsoft services.

Room for Improvement: Malwarebytes needs to improve deployment processes, reduce false positives, and enhance tool integration. It faces challenges with performance impacts and desires better AI and cloud management. Microsoft Defender needs better handling of false positives, improved URL filtering, and user interface enhancements. It could benefit from more intuitive threat detection and faster technical support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Malwarebytes supports versatile deployment across on-premises, public, and private cloud environments but requires more responsive enterprise-level support. Microsoft Defender is flexible with public and hybrid cloud deployment and generally receives positive support feedback, though it could improve clarity in product-related communication and responsiveness.

Pricing and ROI: Malwarebytes is priced mid-range, occasionally perceived as higher than competitors, yet provides good ROI due to its high detection rate. Microsoft Defender is included in Office 365 subscriptions, making it cost-effective for Microsoft users. While its standalone cost can seem high, it provides comprehensive security features that enhance productivity and management efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Malwarebytes vs. Microsoft Defender for Business Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Malwarebytes vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

January 2025

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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

Malwarebytes

Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

16th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

33rd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Microsoft Security Suite (18th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Malwarebytes is 1.7%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 1.9%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

Featured Reviews

Anas Anas

Solution Consultant at Creation for Smart Software Development

Effective threat predictions, simple to deploy, and light on resources

Malwarebytes's initial setup is simple. It is easy to deploy and configure the policies and the configuration. I deployed Malwarebytes for one customer and I did it in under two days. They had approximately 50 users, it took approximately an hour. The steps I took for the implementation were downloading the Malwarebytes management console from the site, installing it, then running the discovery tool, scanning my network, and checking all of the PCs on my network. It's already pre-configured, you don't need to configure anything. The only configuration that I did on the administration console was some of the exclusion from the scan. This is the only rule that I have created. I rate the initial setup of Malwarebytes a ten out of ten.

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Vincent Gagnon

Directeur Département Microsoft 365 at BGM Informatique

Better security with comprehensive features but has a high cost

I have a lot of clients and I use Microsoft Defender for Business when we have certain types of licenses. It comes with Microsoft Business Premium. However, it is not available for many of my clients due to the high license cost, which makes it difficult to sell. I have a couple of clients who use…

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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 most valuable feature is its ability to customize for different groups."

"Being able to cloud manage it from just a cloud login is valuable. We can get to it from anywhere, which is really helpful. The fact that we can remediate from the cloud console is one of our favorite features."

"The dashboard actually is good and it is simple."

"It is intuitive and easy to use. For the most part, it does a good job of catching things. It is good at stopping stuff. I did a couple of tests with a password cracker. I tried to load that on, and Malwarebytes didn't let me do that, which was pretty good. It has a rollback feature that I haven't seen with any other company. If one of your endpoints are hit with mass ransomware, you could actually roll it back. I watched a demo of them do that, and it was pretty sweet."

"The product keeps our company safe."

"Provides successful ransomware shut down operations."

"When it comes to frontend protections, it has some of the best definitions. In addition, they do traditional signature and heuristic detection a lot better than Microsoft and some other players in that space."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that I can use it wherever I want, be it at the office, at home, or even outside."

More Malwarebytes pros

"Microsoft Defender for Business stands out due to its ease of use, particularly due to the fact that many of my customers already use Microsoft and Azure."

"Microsoft Defender for Business is good for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers solid security flexibility and integration with tools like Microsoft Lighthouse and some other software. It takes some of the features of Defender for Endpoint EDR and provides those services for small and medium-sized business environments."

"The solution provides good scalability."

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

"Microsoft Defender for Business works well with the Microsoft Azure Security ecosystem, including Defender for Endpoint and Office 365 Cloud."

"It is scalable."

"The solution includes attack-savvy service and risk protection, part of data center management, and offers an effective single-dashboard view with Microsoft 365."

"I would recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to others, rating it as ten out of ten."

More Microsoft Defender for Business pros

Cons

"The product's stability needs improvement."

"The product update capability needs to be improved."

"I would like to see integration with other vendors going forward."

"This solution reports far too many false positives!"

"Overall, I haven't found any ways the solution lacks in features or usability."

"I would like to see a little more detail in the log. So, when an event occurs, I'd like to know not just when it happened and on what device, but what activity was taking place on the machine at the time so that we can drill down. If we get a false positive, we have to do a lot of research and go back and forth with our end-users to know why it was a false positive. So, having a little more detail around detections and events would probably be my most asked feature."

"Notifications are lacking."

"The product is a little bit more expensive than the other brands."

More Malwarebytes cons

"The threat detection capabilities require significant customization for multistage threat detection."

"Customer service is not bad, yet not great either, and I would rate it maybe five or six out of ten."

"The security could always be improved."

"Defender's threat protection should be fine-tuned to reduce false positives. It could be more targeted, reflecting a continuous evolution in detecting. Also, it could be easier to integrate into other environments."

"The solution's AI is notorious for false positives, and the time you have to spend training it is ridiculous."

"I am not satisfied with Microsoft's technical support. There are challenges with the knowledge and experience of the support staff, frequent redirection between departments, and slow response times."

"Technical support could be faster to respond."

"Additionally, the pricing policy poses a challenge, particularly in multi-year contracts, where other solutions like Trend Micro offer more affordable options."

More Microsoft Defender for Business cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost may be something in the ballpark of $20-25 a year per computer."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price and ten is a high price, I rate the product's pricing a seven."

"Malwarebytes is a cost-effective product."

"It is really expensive. We've got between 30 and 40 licenses every year, and for the number of licenses that we have, we're finding that Malwarebytes on average costs between $900 and $1,000 more per year than comparable options. We're paying about $3,300 per year for these licenses. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee."

"The licensing is per seat, with clients being a little less expensive than servers. If we need more licenses, we can accomplish that within a day. As Malwarebytes adds new features to their product, such as DNS filtering and a patching module, they want to charge us more even though we're a premium user, which isn't ideal."

"Its cost is around $60 a machine. The cost of the total solution for 250 people is about $8,500 a year. If we add EDR to it, it will bring that cost up to about $15,000. The cost for Carbon Black is about $25,000, which is $10,000 more, but you get all AI functions with it."

"The price of Malwarebytes is in the middle range compared to other vendors."

"I believe the retail price is between $40 and $50 per copy."

More Malwarebytes pricing and cost advice

"Since we're a nonprofit, we get pretty good discounts on the tool."

"It has to get more competitive because we are starting to see some of the competitors providing better pricing, and some of it, of course, is to gain market share. The Defender product pricing is probably a little higher than the competitors."

"Defender for Business is included by default with an Office 365 premium subscription."

"The tool's cost has been a little high, but I do not think it was terrible."

"The tool is cheap, while some other solutions are more expensive. I remember the tool cost about five euros for a workstation or for a user on a monthly basis."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

University

11%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

17%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Malwarebytes?

Ten times a day, improved signatures will be downloaded, so it is very up-to-date in terms of malware experience.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Malwarebytes?

Malwarebytes is a bit pricey for some regions, such as Ukraine, since it's priced in US dollars. I prefer to use the paid version, and I am a pay-to-play person.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Malwarebytes?

There are no built-in backups or integrated backup options, which could be an opportunity. The free version is effective, however, the paid version is pricey compared to it. Other customers have me...

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What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Business?

A few things are valuable. One is the alerting we see when any kind of intrusion is happening, any kind of malware is being deployed across the endpoints, or any kind of suspicious activity is goin...

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

The package with Business Premium is good for what you get for the price. The standalone license's cost is a bit higher, and I would rate it as an eight out of ten for pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?

It is not quick to make exclusions or specific configurations compared to other antiviruses on the market. It is less quick than Microsoft Defender or other antivirus solutions.

See all answers

Comparisons

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Malwarebytes

Compared 24% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Malwarebytes

Compared 12% of the time

HP Wolf Security vs Malwarebytes

Compared 10% of the time

Huntress Managed EDR vs Malwarebytes

Compared 6% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Complete vs Malwarebytes

Compared 6% of the time

More Malwarebytes Competitors

HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 27% of the time

Trend Micro Worry-Free Services Suites vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 7% of the time

Norton Small Business vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Malwarebytes

February 2025

Download Malwarebytes product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Business

February 2025

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Overview

Malwarebytes is used for malware detection, endpoint protection, ransomware prevention, and behavior monitoring on Windows and Mac, serving as an EDR for detecting usage behaviors and providing comprehensive security features.

Primarily deployed for compliance scanning, real-time threat monitoring, and as a supplementary antivirus, Malwarebytes is favored for security assessments, cloud management, and endpoint protection for both personal and company use. Featuring robust scanning, ease of use, and a user-friendly interface, it effectively prevents and removes malware, detects unwanted programs, and provides real-time updates. The management interface and dashboard offer strong endpoint protection, automated updates, detailed reporting, and quick remediation, minimizing downtime. Comprehensive protection, extensive visibility, and efficient performance are highly valued.

What are the key features of Malwarebytes?

Robust Scanning and Threat Detection: Efficiently identifies and removes malware.
Ease of Use: Simple and straightforward interface for users.
User-Friendly Interface: Easy navigation and management dashboards.
Cloud Management: Manage endpoints through cloud-based solutions.
Automated Updates: Ensures protection with regular updates.
Detailed Reporting: Provides comprehensive and detailed security reports.
Quick Remediation: Minimizes downtime with fast threat removal.

What benefits or ROI should users look for in reviews?

Comprehensive Protection: Ensures security against diverse threats.
Effective Performance: Maintains system performance while protecting.
Minimized Downtime: Quick threat removal ensures business continuity.
Extensive Visibility: Detailed logs and reports for better oversight.

Industries implementing Malwarebytes benefit from enhanced endpoint protection, compliance scanning, and security assessments. It is frequently utilized in IT departments for real-time threat monitoring, automated remediation, and cloud management, providing organizations with reliable security for both personal and company endpoints.

Malwarebytes

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

Sample Customers

Knutson Construction

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Malwarebytes vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

January 2025

Free Report: Malwarebytes vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

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