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Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs SonicWall Capture Client 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers significant ROI with cost savings, seamless integration, and real-time protection against ransomware attacks.
Sentiment score
1.0
SonicWall Capture Client offers cost savings, improved security, reduced manual work, lower infection rates, and easy deployment for better productivity.
Without detection and protection measures, organizations would face substantial payments and reputational damage, including the necessity to inform customers about data breaches, potentially leading to loss of business.
We have seen a return on investment when using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, as it saves labor by reducing the need for staff to focus on it.
The biggest return on investment for me when using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is the time saving.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Many users find Microsoft Defender for Endpoint reliable, but support experiences vary, with premium support offering quicker assistance.
Sentiment score
4.9
SonicWall Capture Client support is mixed, with some satisfied but many seeking faster response and improved escalation processes.
The level-one support seems disconnected from subject matter experts.
I rate Microsoft support 10 out of 10.
Due to our size, we don't have access to direct technical support, but the knowledge base, Microsoft Learn, and the articles available are really good.
Partners can purchase single endpoints at prices equivalent to 1,000-endpoint deals, providing an advantage for managed security service provider partners.
While their escalation process is understandable, it can be time-consuming as all logs need to be provided multiple times across different service levels.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable and integrates well with Microsoft’s ecosystem, despite needing improvements for handling massive data.
Sentiment score
8.5
SonicWall Capture Client delivers scalable licensing, easy installation, cloud management, and an accessible interface, favored by small to medium businesses.
We managed to scale it out in a short amount of time, with two months of planning and three months of implementation on 10,000 computers.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable enough to handle various devices across environments, whether they are laptops, Android devices, or operating in hybrid environments.
Compatibility is its main feature.
There are no restrictions on the scalability of SonicWall Capture Client.
SonicWall Capture Client is accessed via cloud-based management console.
The installation process is straightforward, requiring only five pilot installations to enable customers to complete the remaining installations independently.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is praised for its reliability and stability, with minor concerns about resource intensity and performance.
Sentiment score
8.6
SonicWall Capture Client's stability divides opinion, praised for threat prevention but critiqued for high resource consumption and slowdowns.
I haven't seen any outages with Microsoft.
I rate Defender 10 out of 10 for stability.
Defender for Endpoint is extremely stable.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint faces interface complexity, slow detection, high CPU usage, integration issues, and seeks improvements in multiple areas.
SonicWall Capture Client suffers from performance issues, outdated interface, high RAM use, and lacks robust threat detection and support.
Repeated interactions are necessary due to Level One's lack of tools and knowledge, hindering efficient problem-solving and negatively impacting our experience with Microsoft support.
In contrast, competing products offer reduced pricing for long-term commitments, which makes it difficult for us in that environment.
We use Microsoft partners to help govern the platform, and as part of an alliance, we want to gather data from each tenant and combine them for a complete view.
One of the drawbacks is that I cannot use Advanced and Premier licenses within a single tenant, which can be problematic when users need to deploy different licenses.
XDR cannot be used unless MDR services are purchased with SonicWall.
A significant limitation is that SonicWall Capture Client cannot be installed on smartphones, as there is no mobile version available.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers flexible pricing, making it competitive and cost-effective compared to standalone security products.
SonicWall Capture Client pricing receives mixed reviews for cost-effectiveness, varying by business size, region, and additional costs.
Given our extensive Microsoft licensing, transitioning to Defender for Endpoint did not affect licensing costs.
It costs $15 per VM for the P2 plan, which is seen as affordable for customers.
The pricing, setup, and licensing were very easy and simple.
SonicWall Capture Client offers a cost-effective solution that's cheaper compared to other vendors like CrowdStrike.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint excels with seamless integration, advanced threat intelligence, AI-driven protection, and continuous cloud-based security management.
SonicWall Capture Client provides robust protection features, including rollback, machine learning, and dual-agent real-time threat detection.
Defender for Endpoint's coverage across different platforms in our environment is pretty good. We have devices running Linux, Mac OS, Windows, iOS, and Android. It covers all of them.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides a unified management interface allowing customers to manage their on-premises and hybrid infrastructures from a single pane.
One of the best features of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is its database for identifying zero-day attacks or malware attacks.
Machine learning is particularly effective due to SonicWall sandboxing's threat intelligence database of approximately 7.1 billion entries.
One is that users can use the sandbox of SonicWall, which is called Capture ATP for free.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Endp...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
2nd
Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
3rd
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), Microsoft Security Suite (5th)
SonicWall Capture Client
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
45th
Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
43rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
11
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 SonicWall Capture Client is 0.6%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint9.9%
SonicWall Capture Client0.6%
Other89.5%
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

NaySan @ Suraj Verma - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
LUIZ FERNANDO MARIANO SILVA - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables faster updates and provides an easy-to-use user interface
I have an advanced license that includes all features. Though we have the license, we cannot use it completely because it is not enabled in the Microsoft tier. It does not make sense. We do not want to buy it separately because the price is different if we buy separate licenses.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Educational Organization
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business79
Midsize Enterprise34
Large Enterprise87
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise1
 

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall Capture Client?
SonicWall Capture Client offers a cost-effective solution that's cheaper compared to other vendors like CrowdStrike.
What needs improvement with SonicWall Capture Client?
It is not similar to other products. For XDR, users have to use another product. XDR cannot be used unless MDR services are purchased with SonicWall. If a user has SonicWall MDR services, then they...
What is your primary use case for SonicWall Capture Client?
I am a distributor, but I can be counted as a reseller. It does not differ anyway. Most of my clients are SMBs, and I inform them that they should protect their servers with this kind of product, n...
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Defender ATP, Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection, MS Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender Antivirus
No data available
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Petrofrac, Metro CSG, Christus Health
Luton College
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs. SonicWall Capture Client and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
870,701 professionals have used our research since 2012.