Endpoint products are one of the few software categories with independent laboratory testing, so this ranking leans on AV-Comparatives and AV-TEST results rather than vendor claims. We also weight what the console costs in analyst time, whether detection and response is included or an upsell, and how the product behaves on an underpowered laptop.
Positions one to six in this ranking are commercially available. Paid placement moves the order and nothing else: it never decides whether a product is listed, and it never changes a word of what its entry says. How that works · full disclosure.
Top lab scores with a light footprint
#1 of 8 in Endpoint security
Consistently at or near the top of independent detection tests while staying light on the machine, and small-business pricing is published. The console rewards learning rather than being obvious.
Low overhead, long detection track record
#2 of 8 in Endpoint security
The one to pick when the fleet includes machines that cannot spare the resources, with a detection record going back decades. Its detection and response tier is less mature than the specialists.
Already in the licence you are paying for
#3 of 8 in Endpoint security
If you hold Microsoft 365 E5 you already own a capable EDR with telemetry no third party can match on Windows. Cross-platform coverage is weaker, and the licensing maze is its own project.
The reference EDR, and the reference price
#4 of 8 in Endpoint security
The benchmark for detection and response, with threat intelligence and managed hunting most teams cannot staff themselves. Expensive, and the July 2024 update outage is a reminder that agent deployment is itself a risk.
Autonomous response and one-click rollback
#5 of 8 in Endpoint security
The ransomware rollback is a genuine differentiator, and the agent keeps deciding when disconnected. Tuning is required or the automation acts on things you would rather it did not.
Managed detection for teams without a SOC
#6 of 8 in Endpoint security
The managed detection service is the reason to buy it: a competent outsourced analyst layer for organisations that will never hire one. The product alone is good rather than leading.
European hosting and data residency by default
#7 of 8 in Endpoint security
The clearest answer when data residency in Europe is a hard requirement, with vulnerability management in the same console. Smaller research operation than the global leaders.
Remediation-first, easy for small IT teams
#8 of 8 in Endpoint security
Formerly Malwarebytes for business, and still the best at cleaning up a machine that is already infected. Preventive detection scores trail the leaders in independent testing.
| Rank | Tool | Country | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Bitdefender GravityZone | Romania | Per endpoint per year, published for small business |
| #2 | ESET PROTECT | Slovakia | Per endpoint per year, published |
| #3 | Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | United States | Per user per month, published; included in E5 |
| #4 | CrowdStrike Falcon | United States | Per endpoint per year, published for small business |
| #5 | SentinelOne Singularity | United States | Per endpoint per year, quoted |
| #6 | Sophos Intercept X | United Kingdom | Per endpoint per year, quoted |
| #7 | WithSecure Elements | Finland | Per endpoint per year, quoted |
| #8 | ThreatDown | United States | Per endpoint per year, published |
Country is where the vendor is headquartered or contracts from, which is a different question from where your data is hosted. Where the two tell different stories, the entry says so.
From our report ICT Security Measures in European Enterprises,
built on Eurostat dataset isoc_cisce_ra,
reference period 2024.
Bitdefender GravityZone leads our ranking of 8 endpoint security tools. Consistently at or near the top of independent detection tests while staying light on the machine, and small-business pricing is published. The console rewards learning rather than being obvious.
We rank on what separates products after the demo: setup effort, what the price becomes with the modules most buyers need, and how hard it is to get your data back out. Paid placement can move a listed tool up the order and never changes what its entry says. Our method is on the editorial process page.
Bitdefender GravityZone, ESET PROTECT, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, CrowdStrike Falcon, ThreatDown