# Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: how AI models rank it, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Named in 124 judge labels across 7 categories by 14 of 14 models. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/microsoft-defender-for-endpoint

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Endpoint detection and response](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/endpoint-detection-and-response/index.md) | 38% | 1 | 12% | 58 |
| [Endpoint protection](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/operations/endpoint-protection/index.md) | 23% | 2 | 8% | 50 |
| [Client-side protection](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/client-side-protection/index.md) | 10% | 5 | 0% | 7 |
| [Extended detection and response](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/extended-detection-and-response/index.md) | 2% | 12 | 20% | 5 |
| [Vulnerability management platforms](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/vulnerability-management-platforms/index.md) | 0% | 31 | 0% | 2 |
| [Microsoft 365 management](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/operations/microsoft-365-management/index.md) | 0% | 65 | 0% | 1 |
| [Network access control](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/network-access-control/index.md) | 0% | 76 | 0% | 1 |

## What the models said for it

- "If you're a Microsoft shop, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint may already be partially bundled with E5 or Business Premium licenses. At $3–$5/user/month it's often the most cost-effective starting point." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, EDR)
- "For most mid-market B2B companies with limited security teams, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or Seceon aiXDR-PMax would be the strongest starting points." (MiniMax M2.5, EDR)
- "Defender is usually the most natural choice because it connects closely with Intune, Entra ID, Microsoft Sentinel, and Microsoft 365 security workflows." (Perplexity Sonar, Endpoint protection)
- "Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Bitdefender GravityZone EDR are top choices due to their balance of cost, effectiveness, and ease of use" (Mistral Small, EDR)

## And against it

- "many companies depend on a single provider like CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender or SentinelOne, and that "banking on, or consolidating services with a single provider can create downstream risk"" (Muse Glimmer 30B, EDR)
- "While leading enterprise EDRs (CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, SentinelOne, Palo Alto Cortex XDR) are highly effective, you must evaluate vendor operational maturity." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, Endpoint protection)
- "Unmanaged Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or basic SentinelOne deployments: Strong tools can still fail if nobody monitors and responds to alerts." (Perplexity Sonar, EDR)
- "it's frequently called out in red team circles for bypasses using common LOLBins... Avoid as a standalone if your org has heavy custom tooling" (Grok 4.20, EDR)

## By model

| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Grok 4.20 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Mistral Small | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Kimi K2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 9 |

## Sources returned with these answers

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, from 264 of the 324 answers that named it (only the models that return a source list).

### Domains cited

- microsoft.com: 91 (its own site)
- g2.com: 84
- huntress.com: 74
- techrepublic.com: 59
- iru.com: 54
- crowdstrike.com: 53
- gane.ai/index: 47
- guideflow.com: 43
- sentinelone.com: 42
- av-comparatives.org: 39

### Pages cited

- https://microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/endpoint-security/microsoft-defender-endpoint: 59
- https://iru.com/endpoint/edr/best-edr-solutions: 39
- https://techrepublic.com/article/best-edr-software: 35
- https://deel.com/blog/best-endpoint-protection-for-business: 33
- https://huntress.com/edr-guide/best-edr-solutions: 32
- https://acronis.com/en/blog/posts/best-edr-endpoint-detection-and-response-solutions-in-2026: 27
- https://av-comparatives.org/tests/endpoint-prevention-response-epr-test-2024: 27
- https://huntress.com/enterprise-cybersecurity-guide/best-endpoint-protection-solutions-compared: 27

## In its own words

What Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's own pages state, read 2026-09-28. Stated by the vendor, not checked by the index.


## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, November 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/it.