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CrowdStrike vs Microsoft Defender for Business: a fair comparison.

We sell CrowdStrike, so read this knowing that. Microsoft Defender for Business is a good product and, for some businesses, it is enough. Here is how they differ, and how to decide.

See Falcon plansRead the full guide

The short answer

Both products protect Windows and Mac devices with modern antivirus and endpoint detection and response (EDR). Both are named Leaders in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms.[1][2] On the technology alone, a small business is well served by either.

The real difference is who is watching. Defender for Business gives you strong tools and automation, and leaves the investigating and responding to you or your IT provider. CrowdStrike Falcon on Defend Plus adds CrowdStrike's threat hunters, and on Complete, CrowdStrike's own 24/7 team investigates and deals with threats for you.

Side by side

Defender for BusinessCrowdStrike Falcon from Coffee Cyber
How you get itIncluded in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, for businesses up to 300 users[3]Per device, per month, alongside any Microsoft licence
Next-generation antivirusYesYes, on every plan
Endpoint detection and responseYes, with automated investigation and remediationYes, on every plan
Isolate a device from the networkYesYes, on every plan
People proactively hunting for attackersNot includedFalcon OverWatch on Defend Plus and Complete
A 24/7 team that investigates and responds for youNot included: Microsoft points you to partnersFalcon Complete, run by CrowdStrike, on the Complete plan
Management consoleMicrosoft Defender portal, alongside the rest of Microsoft 365Your own Falcon console, plus the Coffee Cyber control panel for plan, billing and support
Independent recognitionGartner Magic Quadrant Leader, 2025[2]Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader, 2026, seventh time running[1]; Forrester Wave Leader for MDR in Europe[4]

Where Defender is the sensible choice

  • You already pay for Business Premium and have someone, in house or at your IT provider, who checks the Defender portal every working day and acts on what they find.
  • Your IT provider runs a security service on top of Defender, with people watching it out of hours.
  • Budget is the deciding factor and you accept that alerts outside office hours may wait until the morning.

If that is you, Defender is a capable product and we would not push you to change.

Where Falcon earns its place

  • Nobody watches the alerts. This is the most common gap we see. An EDR alert at two in the morning is only useful if someone acts on it. On Complete, CrowdStrike's team does.
  • You want people looking for quiet attackers. Many intrusions do not trigger an obvious alert. OverWatch hunters look for the signs on Defend Plus and Complete, and write up what they find.
  • Your insurer or clients ask who responds. "CrowdStrike's 24/7 team" is a straightforward answer to a questionnaire. See cyber insurance.
  • You are not on Business Premium. Falcon works alongside any Microsoft 365 licence, or none.

Running them together

You do not have to choose between Falcon and the rest of Microsoft 365 security. When Falcon is installed, Defender antivirus moves into passive mode, and the rest of your Microsoft 365 security carries on as before: email filtering, Entra ID sign-in protection, Intune policies and so on. You can deploy Falcon with Intune using the package in your control panel.

Do not run two active antivirus products. Remove third-party antivirus before installing Falcon. Microsoft Defender does not need removing. Our switch plan guide walks through it.

What about the July 2024 outage?

On 19 July 2024 a faulty CrowdStrike content update crashed Windows computers running Falcon. Microsoft estimated around 8.5 million devices were affected.[5] CrowdStrike published a root cause analysis and changed how content updates are tested and released, including staged rollouts.[6] It is a fair thing to weigh up, and we cover it openly.

How to decide

  1. Ask who, by name, looks at security alerts in your business today, and when.
  2. If the answer is "nobody" or "only in office hours", look at Complete.
  3. If someone does watch, and you want extra eyes for hidden attackers, look at Defend Plus.
  4. If someone watches and Business Premium is already paid for, Defender may well be enough.
Can I run CrowdStrike Falcon and Microsoft Defender together?

Yes. When Falcon is installed, Defender antivirus moves into passive mode and the rest of your Microsoft 365 security carries on as before. Do not run a second third-party antivirus alongside Falcon.

Is Defender for Business included in Microsoft 365?

It is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, for businesses with up to 300 users. Other Microsoft 365 business plans do not include it.

Which is better for a business with no IT team?

The product matters less than who acts on alerts. If nobody will, a service where a team responds for you, such as Falcon Complete, closes that gap. Defender on its own relies on you or your IT provider.

Sources
  1. CrowdStrike, Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms. ir.crowdstrike.com
  2. Microsoft, Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms. www.microsoft.com
  3. Microsoft Learn, Defender for Business FAQ. learn.microsoft.com
  4. CrowdStrike, Leader in The Forrester Wave: MDR Services in Europe, Q3 2025. www.crowdstrike.com
  5. TechCrunch, Microsoft says 8.5M Windows devices were affected (July 2024). techcrunch.com
  6. CrowdStrike, Channel File 291 root cause analysis. www.crowdstrike.com