CrowdStrike vs Microsoft Defender 2026: EDR Cost per Device

For a company under 300 users that already runs Microsoft 365, Microsoft Defender for Business is the better buy: it includes endpoint detection and response (EDR) for $3 per user a month, paid yearly. CrowdStrike Falcon is the pick when you want detection that does not depend on the Microsoft stack and a vendor that adds threat hunting, but its cheapest bundle with EDR, Falcon Enterprise, costs $184.99 per device a year.

The trap in this comparison is the unit. Microsoft prices per user, and one license covers up to five devices. CrowdStrike prices per device, and its two cheaper bundles, Falcon Go and Falcon Pro, do not include EDR at all. Prices were read on 19 October 2026 on CrowdStrike's pricing page and Microsoft's Defender for Business page, both in US dollars.

Toolradar data: Toolradar, the software directory we run, tracks 725 security tools as of 18 October 2026 on its security statistics page, and 49% of them offer a free tier. Endpoint detection is rarely in that free half, which is why the real choice here is between two paid models, not between paying and not paying.

CrowdStrike vs Microsoft Defender at a glance

Source: vendor pricing pages linked above, read 19 October 2026.

What each plan actually detects

Defender for Business puts EDR in its only tier. Microsoft lists next-generation antivirus, AI-powered EDR with automatic attack disruption, and vulnerability management, across Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Setup is wizard-based and the plan ships monthly security summary reports. For a small IT team, that means the detection layer arrives with the license, not as an upsell.

CrowdStrike splits prevention and detection across three bundles. Falcon Go covers next-gen antivirus, USB and removable media control, mobile device protection and Express Support. Falcon Pro adds host firewall management. Only Falcon Enterprise adds endpoint detection and response and CrowdStrike's threat hunting team. Identity protection, IT hygiene and Next-Gen SIEM are add-ons outside all three.

That split is the most common buying mistake in this matchup. A team that compares Falcon Go's device price with Defender's user price is comparing antivirus with EDR. If detection and investigation are the reason you are shopping, the comparable CrowdStrike line is Falcon Enterprise, and our CrowdStrike Falcon pricing page breaks down every bundle.

The steelman for CrowdStrike is what Enterprise adds on top of detection. Threat hunting means CrowdStrike analysts search your telemetry for intrusions your rules missed, something Defender for Business does not include. Microsoft's own FAQ says advanced hunting is a Defender for Endpoint feature, built for larger organizations, and recommends Defender for Endpoint above 300 users.

How much does each cost per year?

Billing terms differ, so compare like with like. Defender for Business is sold as an annual subscription that auto-renews. CrowdStrike prints both a monthly and an annual rate per device, and the annual rate is cheaper: Falcon Enterprise works out to $239.88 a year on monthly billing, our multiplication, so a team that can commit for a year saves about a fifth by paying annually.

Cyberpresso calculation: a 50-person company with 75 devices (laptops plus phones), all on annual billing.

Our arithmetic from the vendors' printed annual rates. Microsoft's licenses cover up to 5 devices per user, so the 75 devices fit inside 50 Defender licenses.

For EDR on this fleet, Defender for Business costs about one eighth of Falcon Enterprise. The gap is large enough that even Microsoft 365 Business Premium, which adds Office apps, Intune device management, Defender for Office 365 email protection and Entra ID, costs less than Falcon Enterprise alone. That is the strongest argument for Defender in a Microsoft shop: the EDR is close to a rounding error inside a bundle many companies already pay for.

The per-user model also rewards device-heavy teams. A company where every employee carries a laptop and a phone pays nothing extra on Defender for Business, while every additional device adds a full seat on Falcon. The reverse case, shared machines or kiosks with few named users, narrows the gap. For the wider price picture across vendors, see how much EDR costs.

Microsoft Defender strengths and weaknesses

Strengths. EDR, next-gen antivirus and vulnerability management in one user license. Up to 5 devices per user across four operating systems. Included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, so many small businesses already own it. Wizard-based onboarding suits an IT team of one.

Weaknesses. The plan stops at 300 users; above that Microsoft points to Defender for Endpoint, a separate product. No threat hunting or managed detection in the plan. Detection lives in the same vendor as your email, identity and productivity suite, which concentrates risk if a Microsoft account is compromised. Our Microsoft Defender for Business review and Defender for Business pricing page cover the plan in depth.

CrowdStrike Falcon strengths and weaknesses

Strengths. Falcon Enterprise includes CrowdStrike's threat hunting team, and Falcon Complete adds 24/7 managed detection and response with CrowdStrike's breach prevention warranty. Monthly per-device billing lets a company start small without an annual commitment. The 15-day trial needs no credit card.

Weaknesses. EDR starts only at the Enterprise bundle, so the visible $59.99 entry price is antivirus, not detection. Falcon Go is capped at 100 devices. Identity protection and SIEM cost extra on every bundle, and Falcon Complete publishes no price. The CrowdStrike review and the CrowdStrike alternatives list cover where it fits, and CrowdStrike vs SentinelOne compares it with its closest EDR rival.

What to check before you sign

Four questions settle most of these decisions, and each one changes the bill more than the sticker price does.

• How many devices per person? Count laptops, phones and tablets separately. On Defender for Business a second or third device per user is free up to the five-device limit; on Falcon each one is a full seat, so a phone-heavy workforce widens the gap in Microsoft's favor.
• Do you already pay for Business Premium? Check your Microsoft 365 admin center before buying anything. If Business Premium is on the invoice, Defender for Business is already licensed, and the real question becomes whether Falcon's hunting is worth a second detection bill.
• Who reads the alerts? EDR produces detections that someone has to triage. If nobody on staff can do that within hours, the cheaper EDR license is not the saving it looks like, and a managed service such as Falcon Complete or an MDR provider belongs in the comparison.
• Will you pass 300 users? Defender for Business stops there. A company planning to grow past it should price Defender for Endpoint at the same time, so the cheap option today does not force a second migration later.

Should you use CrowdStrike or Microsoft Defender?

Choose Microsoft Defender for Business if you run Microsoft 365, have fewer than 300 users and want EDR without a second vendor. On the 75-device fleet above it saves roughly $12,000 a year against Falcon Enterprise, and if you already pay for Business Premium, it costs nothing extra. Our is Windows Defender enough guide explains where the free built-in antivirus stops and the paid plan starts.

Choose CrowdStrike Falcon Enterprise if your fleet mixes operating systems outside Microsoft management, if you want an EDR vendor separate from your identity and email provider, or if you need threat hunting. Choose Falcon Complete if nobody on staff watches alerts at night, though you will need a sales quote. Small teams weighing managed options against both should also read the MDR services ranking and the EDR for small business ranking.

Methodology

Prices, plan contents, trials and limits were read on 19 October 2026 on CrowdStrike's US pricing page, including its bundle comparison table, and on Microsoft's Defender for Business page, including its plan cards, FAQ and footnotes, both in US dollars. The 50-user, 75-device scenario applies each vendor's printed annual rate; yearly figures are our multiplication. Toolradar figures come from its security statistics page on 18 October 2026. Cyberpresso has no test lab and ran no detection tests for this page; the comparison is of published plans and prices.

FAQ

Is Microsoft Defender as good as CrowdStrike?

For a business under 300 users, Defender for Business covers the same core layers as Falcon Enterprise, next-gen antivirus and EDR, at a fraction of Falcon Enterprise's per-device price. Falcon Enterprise adds CrowdStrike's threat hunting team, and Falcon Complete adds 24/7 managed detection, neither of which is in Defender for Business.

How much does CrowdStrike cost per device?

Falcon Go costs $59.99, Falcon Pro $99.99 and Falcon Enterprise $184.99 per device a year billed annually, or $7.99, $14.99 and $19.99 per device a month, per CrowdStrike's pricing page on 19 October 2026. Only Enterprise includes EDR; Falcon Complete is quote only.

How much does Microsoft Defender for Business cost?

$3 per user a month, paid yearly, as an annual subscription that auto-renews, per Microsoft's page on 19 October 2026. Each license covers up to five devices, and the plan supports up to 300 users. It is also included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium at $22 per user a month.

Does CrowdStrike Falcon Go include EDR?

No. Falcon Go includes next-gen antivirus, device control, mobile protection and Express Support, and Falcon Pro adds firewall management. Endpoint detection and response starts at Falcon Enterprise.

Can you run CrowdStrike and Microsoft Defender together?

Licensing both is possible, for example Defender for Business through Business Premium plus Falcon on the same devices, but you then pay for two detection layers. Confirm with each vendor how their agents run side by side before deploying, and decide which one is the active antivirus.

Which is cheaper for a small business?

Defender for Business. For 50 users with 75 devices, it costs $1,800 a year against $13,874.25 for Falcon Enterprise, the CrowdStrike bundle that includes EDR, both on annual billing.

Cite this: Cyberpresso, "CrowdStrike vs Microsoft Defender 2026: EDR Cost per Device", November 2026.

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