Endpoint protection for small business buyers
Asked as “endpoint protection platform”, and as “business antivirus and endpoint security tool”, on behalf of a small B2B company. 60 first choices recorded across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, fourteen models each.
Standing · first-choice share
50%
Clear leader
50Microsoft Defender for Cloud10Huntress Managed EDR08Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security32others
50% of first choices, clear leader.
Since September 2026▼−4Since September 2026: 50% → 46%, −4 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.Microsoft Defender for Cloud held the lead, −4 points on 50%, inside the 11-point floor.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment; they sit side by side and are never added together.
Small business
Microsoft Defender for Cloud50%Clear leader▼−4Since September 2026: 50% → 46%, −4 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.This pageMid-market
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint22%Contested↗new leaderNew leader since September 2026: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (23%) replaces Microsoft Defender for Cloud (22% then, 17% now), 6 points clear, inside the 11-point floor.Standing →EnterpriseMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint44%Clear leader▼−5Since September 2026: 46% → 41%, −5 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.Standing →
Microsoft Defender for Cloud50%Clear leader▼−4Since September 2026: 50% → 46%, −4 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.This pageMid-marketMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint22%Contested↗new leaderNew leader since September 2026: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (23%) replaces Microsoft Defender for Cloud (22% then, 17% now), 6 points clear, inside the 11-point floor.Standing →EnterpriseMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint44%Clear leader▼−5Since September 2026: 46% → 41%, −5 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.Standing →The standing
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, over all fourteen models, for a small B2B company. Ordered by share.
ProductFirst-choice shareNegative rateLabelsQuadrantSince September 2026
01Microsoft Defender for Cloud50%2%53endorsed leader▼−4Since September 2026: 50% → 46%, −4 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.50% → 46%
Microsoft Defender for Cloud50%2%53endorsed leader▼−4Since September 2026: 50% → 46%, −4 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.50% → 46%02
Huntress Managed EDR10%0%31accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 11% → 11%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.11% → 11%
Huntress Managed EDR10%0%31accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 11% → 11%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.11% → 11%03
Bitdefender GravityZone7%9%32accepted challenger▲+1Since September 2026: 7% → 7%, +1 point. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.7% → 7%
Bitdefender GravityZone7%9%32accepted challenger▲+1Since September 2026: 7% → 7%, +1 point. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.7% → 7%04
Sophos Intercept X7%13%38accepted challenger▲+7Since September 2026: 0% → 7%, +7 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 7%
Sophos Intercept X7%13%38accepted challenger▲+7Since September 2026: 0% → 7%, +7 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 7%05
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security7%0%10accepted challenger▲+5Since September 2026: 2% → 7%, +5 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 7%
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security7%0%10accepted challenger▲+5Since September 2026: 2% → 7%, +5 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 7%06Microsoft Defender for Endpoint3%25%12criticized challenger▲+4Since September 2026: 0% → 4%, +4 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 4%
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint3%25%12criticized challenger▲+4Since September 2026: 0% → 4%, +4 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 4%07
SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint2%21%19accepted challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 0% → 2%, +2 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 2%
SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint2%21%19accepted challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 0% → 2%, +2 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 2%Show the five products at 0%, ordered by negative rate
12
CrowdStrike Falcon0%67%18criticized challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%
CrowdStrike Falcon0%67%18criticized challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%11
CrowdStrike0%42%12criticized challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%
CrowdStrike0%42%12criticized challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%10
SentinelOne Singularity0%19%21accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%
SentinelOne Singularity0%19%21accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%09
CrowdStrike Falcon Go0%6%18accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%
CrowdStrike Falcon Go0%6%18accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%08
ESET PROTECT0%0%23accepted challenger▼−2Since September 2026: 2% → 0%, −2 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 0%
ESET PROTECT0%0%23accepted challenger▼−2Since September 2026: 2% → 0%, −2 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 0%The floor is 11 points of share, measured: how far the models move a leader on their own when the same questions are asked twice with nothing changed. A larger change is movement; a smaller one is noise, and both are shown. Movement is read over the twelve models both editions asked; GPT-6 Luna, Muse Glimmer 30B joined this edition and are in the standing but not yet in the comparison. How the floor is measured
Bars are the share of first choices, 0 to 100Every product with at least 10 labels here. Every product name links to its product page.
Head to head
All twenty-eight head-to-head pages: the top eight products, each against each
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Sophos Intercept XMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint vs SentinelOne SingularityMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint vs SentinelOne Singularity EndpointMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint vs ESET PROTECTBitdefender GravityZone vs Microsoft Defender for CloudBitdefender GravityZone vs CrowdStrike FalconBitdefender GravityZone vs Sophos Intercept XBitdefender GravityZone vs SentinelOne SingularityBitdefender GravityZone vs SentinelOne Singularity EndpointBitdefender GravityZone vs ESET PROTECTMicrosoft Defender for Cloud vs CrowdStrike FalconMicrosoft Defender for Cloud vs Sophos Intercept XMicrosoft Defender for Cloud vs SentinelOne SingularityMicrosoft Defender for Cloud vs SentinelOne Singularity EndpointMicrosoft Defender for Cloud vs ESET PROTECTCrowdStrike Falcon vs Sophos Intercept XCrowdStrike Falcon vs SentinelOne SingularityCrowdStrike Falcon vs SentinelOne Singularity EndpointCrowdStrike Falcon vs ESET PROTECTSophos Intercept X vs SentinelOne SingularitySophos Intercept X vs SentinelOne Singularity EndpointSophos Intercept X vs ESET PROTECTSentinelOne Singularity vs SentinelOne Singularity EndpointSentinelOne Singularity vs ESET PROTECTSentinelOne Singularity Endpoint vs ESET PROTECT
Recommended versus criticized
Every product with at least 10 labels here, on both axes. The 30% line names a quadrant, not the verdict above: that one needs more than 40%.
Criticized challengerCriticized default
Negative label rate →
010203040506070809101112Accepted challengerEndorsed leader
0%First-choice share → · lines at 30% share and 25% negative70%
Key
01Microsoft Defender for Cloud50%
Microsoft Defender for Cloud50%02Huntress Managed EDR10%
Huntress Managed EDR10%03Bitdefender GravityZone7%
Bitdefender GravityZone7%04Sophos Intercept X7%
Sophos Intercept X7%05Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security7%
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security7%06Microsoft Defender for Endpoint3%
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint3%07SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint2%
SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint2%08ESET PROTECT0%
ESET PROTECT0%09CrowdStrike Falcon Go0%
CrowdStrike Falcon Go0%10SentinelOne Singularity0%
SentinelOne Singularity0%11CrowdStrike0%
CrowdStrike0%12CrowdStrike Falcon0%
CrowdStrike Falcon0%What they warned about
Two of fourteen models held their first choice under the paraphrase. Claude Haiku 4.5, Gemini 3.5 Flash, Perplexity Sonar, Grok 4.1 Fast, Mistral Small, DeepSeek V4 Flash, Llama 4 Maverick, Qwen 3.7 Flash, Kimi K2, GLM 4.7 FlashX, MiniMax M2.5 and Muse Glimmer 30B changed. A high negative share on a product with few labels is a warning. A low share on a product with many labels is salience, not sentiment.
CrowdStrike Falcon67%
12 of 18 labels negative · 7 of 14 models · 2 hard negative
“**Avoid** ... high‑end enterprise tools that are expensive, complex, and noisy (CrowdStrike without a dedicated SOC)” GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt
Avast Business62%
5 of 8 labels negative · 5 of 14 models · 4 hard negative
“Tools like Avast Free, AVG, or built-in Windows Defender alone (without proper management) give a false sense of security.” DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt
CrowdStrike42%
5 of 12 labels negative · 5 of 14 models · 2 hard negative
“described as a poor fit for SMBs because the **operational complexity and cost** are misaligned with small-business needs” Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt
Sophos Intercept X13%
5 of 38 labels negative · 5 of 14 models · 1 hard negative
“high CPU usage, slow performance ... Resource hog for SMBs with mixed/old fleets.” Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt
What they cite
Citations exist only for the models that return a source list: fourteen of the fourteen in this edition, and all six flagship models on the expanded tier.
Sites the answers cite
76 of 84 answers in this category came back with a source list, from 14 of 14 models: citations where the model returns them, or the search results it consulted. 1011 links across 216 sites, every framing counted. Ranked by the number of answers carrying the site or page. 1 of the 252 answers across every segment cited this index's own page for the category; the method page measures whether that reading tilts an answer.
vendor site · Guideflow43 answers · 44 citations · 11 models
vendor site · Huntress40 answers · 58 citations · 13 models
36 answers · 47 citations · 11 models
36 answers · 38 citations · 10 models
26 answers · 35 citations · 9 models
26 answers · 31 citations · 9 models
vendor site · SentinelOne23 answers · 34 citations · 9 models
vendor site · G222 answers · 27 citations · 9 models
22 answers · 22 citations · 10 models
21 answers · 21 citations · 8 models
20 answers · 20 citations · 7 models
vendor site · Microsoft19 answers · 37 citations · 9 models
Pages the answers cite
The ten pages named in the most answers, by full address. A page here is one the models returned with a recommendation, not one the index endorses.
43 answers · 11 models
35 answers · 10 models
34 answers · 11 models
34 answers · 12 models
24 answers · 9 models
20 answers · 9 models
19 answers · 10 models
19 answers · 7 models
17 answers · 7 models
15 answers · 6 models
Search against answers
Each company's standing in the answers beside its site's footprint in Google search, one row a site: the products the models named on it with their shares, and the share they add up to; monthly searches on Google, and DataForSEO's estimate of AI search demand (modeled from search signals, directional, not a count of queries to any assistant), for the most-searched of the company's and its products' names (the name is in each row's hover text); estimated monthly organic visits to the site; and its best position in Google's top ten for “best endpoint protection platform”, “endpoint protection platform”, “endpoint protection platforms”. US estimates from DataForSEO and Google's Ads Transparency Center. A small company's site, or a mid-sized company's site for its flagship, is marked company; a product on a large parent's site (Google, Microsoft) has no site figures. A column with no figures for this category is left out, and an empty cell means none were seen, not none exist. Two measurements side by side: neither is read as the cause of the other.
| Company and products | Share | Own site cited | Name searches, Google | AI search demand, est. | Organic visits | Paid search a month, est. | Google ads, last 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender microsoft.com Microsoft Defender for Cloud 50% | 50% | 569 | 18,100 | 3,525 | 145,358,109 company | $12,455 | 103 |
| Bitdefender parent site Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security 8%, Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security 7%, Bitdefender Ultimate Small Business Security 2% | 17% | 22 | 90,500 | 3,261 | |||
| Huntress huntress.com Huntress Managed EDR 10% | 10% | 290 | 33,100 | 4,338 | 352,368 company | $15,522 | 120 |
| Bitdefender bitdefender.com Bitdefender GravityZone 7% | 7% | 99 | 90,500 | 3,261 | 649,861 company | 93 | |
| Sophos sophos.com Sophos Intercept X 7% | 7% | 252 | 18,100 | 2,046 | 186,716 company | $1,427 | 65 |
| Microsoft Defender parent site Microsoft Defender for Endpoint 3%, Microsoft Defender for Business / Endpoint 0% | 3% | 268 | 18,100 | 3,525 | |||
| SentinelOne parent site SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint 2% | 2% | 67 | 33,100 | 1,675 | |||
| Malwarebytes for Business malwarebytes.com | 2% | 22 | 90 | 4 | 2,387,578 | $62 | 99 |
| Norton Small Business norton.com | 2% | 11 | 1,715,290 | 86 | |||
| Avast Premium Business Security | 2% |
Google's top ten for the three searches hold 21 sites; 2 of them are among the sites the models cited here (g2.com, sentinelone.com). The first result for “best endpoint protection platform” is gartner.com.
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.ShowHide
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.
ShowHideModelDirect“What is the best endpoint protection platform for a small B2B company?”Paraphrase“Which business antivirus and endpoint security tool would you recommend to a small business that sells to other businesses?”Comparative“What are the top endpoint protection platforms for a small team and how do they differ?”Budget-constrained“What is the best endpoint protection platform for a small company with a tight budget?”Scale-constrained“We are a 30 person company evaluating an endpoint protection platform. What should we look at?”Negative“Which endpoint protection platforms should a small business avoid or be cautious about?”
Claude Haiku 4.5Microsoft Defender for CloudBitdefender GravityZone, Sophos Intercept XChangedHuntress Managed EDRBitdefender GravityZone, Microsoft Defender for Cloudno first choiceagainst: Avast Business, CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint, Sophos Intercept X, ThreatDown, Trend Micro Apex One, VIPRE Endpoint Security
Three alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon, Huntress Managed EDRTwo alternatives
ESET PROTECT, Microsoft Defender for CloudFour alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon Go, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, SentinelOne SingularityOne alternative
Malwarebytes ThreatDownGPT-5.4 miniBitdefender GravityZone Business Security, Microsoft Defender for Cloudagainst: CrowdStrike FalconBitdefender GravityZone Business Security, Microsoft Defender for CloudHeldagainst: CrowdStrike Falcon, Sophos Intercept XMicrosoft Defender for Cloudagainst: CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne SingularityMicrosoft Defender for Cloudno first choiceagainst: CrowdStrike, Elastic, K7, ManageEngine, Trellix Endpoint Security Suite
Two alternatives
SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept XTwo alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business / Business Security, ESET PROTECTThree alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, ESET PROTECT, Microsoft 365Gemini 3.5 FlashHuntress Managed EDRMicrosoft Defender for CloudChangedHuntress Managed EDRMicrosoft Defender for CloudHuntress Managed EDR, Microsoft Defender for Cloudagainst: CrowdStrike Falconagainst: Avast Business, Broadcom, CrowdStrike Falcon, McAfee, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Norton, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR, Panda Security, Symantec Endpoint Security, Trellix Endpoint Security Suite
Four alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon Go, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, SentinelOne SingularityFour alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon Go, Huntress Managed EDR, SentinelOne SingularityFour alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept XTwo alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, Huntress Managed EDROne alternative
SentinelOne Singularity EndpointPerplexity SonarMicrosoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Defender for EndpointBitdefender GravityZone Business SecurityChangedHuntress Managed EDRMicrosoft Defender for Cloudno first choiceagainst: Cisco-oriented deployments, CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
Four alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, Huntress Managed EDR, SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint, Sophos Intercept XThree alternatives
CrowdStrike, SentinelOne Singularity, Webroot Business Endpoint ProtectionTwo alternatives
ESET PROTECT, Sophos Intercept XTwo alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security, Trend Micro Worry-Free ServicesGrok 4.1 FastSophos Intercept Xagainst: CrowdStrikeBitdefender GravityZone Small Business SecurityChangedMicrosoft Defender for CloudMicrosoft Defender for Cloudagainst: Avast BusinessHuntress Managed EDR, Sophos Intercept Xagainst: Cisco Secure Endpoint, CrowdStrike Falcon, McAfee Endpoint Security, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept X, Symantec Endpoint Security, Trend Micro Apex One or Vision One
Four alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security, ESET PROTECT, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, SentinelOne SingularityFive alternatives
Avast Business, ESET PROTECT, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Norton Small Business, Trend Micro Worry-Free ServicesFive alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security, CrowdStrike Falcon Go, Huntress Managed EDR, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept XFour alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Biz, Huntress Managed EDR, Sophos Intercept X, ThreatDownThree alternatives
CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, SentinelOne Singularity EndpointMistral SmallBitdefender GravityZone Small Business SecurityAvast Premium Business Security, Bitdefender Ultimate Small Business SecurityChangedESET Endpoint SecurityMalwarebytes for Business, Norton Small Businessno first choiceagainst: Kaspersky Endpoint Security, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Sophos Intercept X, Symantec Endpoint Protection, Trend Micro Apex One
Two alternatives
Avast Business Antivirus, Microsoft Defender for CloudThree alternatives
ESET Small Business Security, Malwarebytes for Business, Norton Small Business PremiumThree alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept XTwo alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security, Microsoft Defender for CloudDeepSeek V4 FlashMicrosoft Defender for Cloudagainst: Bitdefender GravityZone, SentinelOne SingularityBitdefender GravityZoneChangedHuntress Managed EDRMicrosoft Defender for CloudHuntress Managed EDR, Microsoft Defender for Cloudagainst: AVG, Avast Business, CrowdStrike Falcon, McAfee, Norton Small Business, Symantec, Trellix Endpoint Security Suite, Trend Micro Apex One
Two alternatives
CrowdStrike Falcon Go, Huntress Managed EDROne alternative
Microsoft Defender for CloudFour alternatives
CrowdStrike Falcon, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint, Sophos Intercept XTwo alternatives
CrowdStrike Falcon Go, ESET PROTECTFour alternatives
CrowdStrike, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept X, Sophos MDRLlama 4 MaverickBitdefender GravityZone Small Business SecurityBitdefender GravityZoneChangedno first choiceno first choiceHuntress Managed EDRagainst: CrowdStrike, SentinelOne Singularity Endpointnothing named
Two alternatives
Avast Business, Microsoft DefenderOne alternative
Avast BusinessOne alternative
Huntress Managed EDROne alternative
CynetQwen 3.7 FlashMicrosoft Defender for EndpointMicrosoft Defender for Cloud, SentinelOne Singularity EndpointChangedagainst: McAfee, NortonMicrosoft Defender for CloudMicrosoft Defender for Cloudagainst: CrowdStrike, SentinelOne Singularity Endpointno first choiceagainst: Carbon Black, McAfee Multi-Personality, Microsoft Defender ATP, Norton Internet Security, Symantec
Four alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, Huntress Managed EDR, SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint, Sophos Intercept XTwo alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, Sophos Intercept XFour alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon Go, ESET PROTECT, Sophos Intercept XTwo alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, ESET PROTECTKimi K2Microsoft Defender for CloudBitdefender GravityZone Business Security, Microsoft Defender for CloudChangedMicrosoft Defender for Business / EndpointMicrosoft Defender for CloudHuntress Managed EDR, Microsoft Defender for Cloudagainst: Basic Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection, Bitdefender versions pre-7.9.4, Kaspersky Endpoint Security, Older ESET products, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) 12.x, Symantec Endpoint Security
Four alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security, CrowdStrike Falcon, Huntress Managed EDR, SentinelOne SingularityTwo alternatives
CrowdStrike Falcon Go, SentinelOne SingularityFour alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept XThree alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon Go, Malwarebytes ThreatDownTwo alternatives
CrowdStrike Falcon Go, SentinelOne SingularityGLM 4.7 FlashXMicrosoft Defender for Cloud, Sophos Intercept XMicrosoft Defender for CloudChangedagainst: Kaspersky Endpoint SecurityMicrosoft Defender for EndpointMicrosoft Defender for Cloudagainst: Acronis Cyber Protectno first choiceagainst: Microsoft Defender for Endpointagainst: Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon, Malwarebytes, SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint, Sophos Intercept X, Webroot Business Endpoint Protection
Three alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security, CrowdStrike Falcon Go, SentinelOne SingularityTwo alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, Sophos Intercept XSix alternatives
Acronis Cyber Protect, CrowdStrike Falcon, ESET PROTECT, Huntress Managed EDR, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept XFour alternatives
ESET PROTECT, Huntress Managed EDR, Malwarebytes for Business, ThreatDownOne alternative
Sophos Intercept XMiniMax M2.5Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business SecurityMicrosoft Defender for CloudChangedBitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon GoMicrosoft Defender for Cloudno first choicenothing named
Two alternatives
ESET PROTECT, Trend Micro Worry-Free ServicesThree alternatives
CrowdStrike Falcon Go, ESET PROTECT, Sophos Intercept XThree alternatives
Microsoft Defender for Cloud, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept XFour alternatives
Avira Antivirus for Business, ESET PROTECT, Malwarebytes for Business, Norton Small BusinessGPT-6 LunaMicrosoft Defender for CloudMicrosoft Defender for CloudHeldMicrosoft Defender for CloudMicrosoft Defender for Cloudagainst: Microsoft 365no first choiceagainst: Kaspersky Endpoint Security
Two alternatives
Microsoft 365, Sophos MDRTwo alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security, Microsoft 365Three alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security, Huntress Managed EDR, Sophos Endpoint, optionally with Sophos MDRMuse Glimmer 30BMicrosoft Defender for Cloudagainst: CrowdStrike FalconBitdefender GravityZone Small Business SecurityChangedagainst: CrowdStrike Falcon GoHuntress Managed EDRagainst: CrowdStrike FalconMicrosoft Defender for Cloudno first choiceagainst: Avast Business, Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon, Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection, SentinelOne Singularity, ThreatDown
Two alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security, Huntress Managed EDRThree alternatives
Huntress Managed EDR, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Defender for EndpointFive alternatives
Bitdefender GravityZone, Cynet, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint, Sophos Intercept XTwo alternatives
CrowdStrike Falcon Go, Huntress Managed EDRBold is the first choiceAlternatives are counted; the count opens them.What the answer argued against
The record
One row per call: the version string exactly as returned, whether the model searched, sources cited, and latency. Full answer text is in the free responses file. Download the record
Eighty-four rows: every prompt, every model, every answer.
| Prompt | Model | Version string | Time (UTC) | Searched | Sources | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct recommendation | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-10-01 10:00 | yes | 9 | 8 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-10-01 07:58 | yes | 3 | 6 s |
| Direct recommendation | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-10-01 13:47 | yes | 12 | 20 s |
| Direct recommendation | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-10-01 08:57 | yes | 21 | 2 s |
| Direct recommendation | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-10-01 09:43 | yes | 21 | 10 s |
| Direct recommendation | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-10-01 11:27 | yes | 5 | 3 s |
| Direct recommendation | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via deepinfra | 2026-10-01 11:01 | yes | 23 | 22 s |
| Direct recommendation | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-10-01 10:16 | yes | 5 | 2 s |
| Direct recommendation | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-10-01 13:29 | no | 0 | 35 s |
| Direct recommendation | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-10-01 10:59 | yes | 14 | 24 s |
| Direct recommendation | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-10-01 13:29 | yes | 19 | 58 s |
| Direct recommendation | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-10-01 11:49 | yes | 5 | 13 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-6 Luna | gpt-6-luna | 2026-10-01 08:41 | yes | 3 | 20 s |
| Direct recommendation | Muse Glimmer 30B | meta/muse-glimmer-30b via togetherai | 2026-10-01 10:47 | yes | 15 | 25 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-10-01 09:11 | yes | 9 | 7 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-10-01 08:15 | no | 0 | 4 s |
| Paraphrase | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-10-01 11:27 | yes | 17 | 25 s |
| Paraphrase | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-10-01 08:04 | yes | 24 | 4 s |
| Paraphrase | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-10-01 09:46 | yes | 22 | 8 s |
| Paraphrase | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-10-01 10:07 | yes | 5 | 4 s |
| Paraphrase | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via deepinfra | 2026-10-01 11:54 | yes | 24 | 23 s |
| Paraphrase | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-10-01 10:47 | yes | 5 | 3 s |
| Paraphrase | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-10-01 13:26 | yes | 14 | 37 s |
| Paraphrase | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-10-01 11:57 | yes | 17 | 20 s |
| Paraphrase | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-10-01 11:04 | yes | 21 | 103 s |
| Paraphrase | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-10-01 09:21 | yes | 9 | 21 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-6 Luna | gpt-6-luna | 2026-10-01 09:03 | yes | 3 | 15 s |
| Paraphrase | Muse Glimmer 30B | meta/muse-glimmer-30b via togetherai | 2026-10-01 08:27 | yes | 14 | 23 s |
| Comparative | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-10-01 11:26 | yes | 11 | 11 s |
| Comparative | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-10-01 11:57 | yes | 2 | 9 s |
| Comparative | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-10-01 08:12 | yes | 15 | 30 s |
| Comparative | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-10-01 13:18 | yes | 18 | 4 s |
| Comparative | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-10-01 13:51 | yes | 22 | 11 s |
| Comparative | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-10-01 11:44 | yes | 10 | 7 s |
| Comparative | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via deepinfra | 2026-10-01 12:10 | yes | 22 | 44 s |
| Comparative | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-10-01 09:57 | yes | 5 | 2 s |
| Comparative | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-10-01 09:58 | yes | 5 | 36 s |
| Comparative | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-10-01 12:57 | yes | 14 | 29 s |
| Comparative | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-10-01 12:39 | yes | 13 | 36 s |
| Comparative | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-10-01 07:41 | yes | 17 | 28 s |
| Comparative | GPT-6 Luna | gpt-6-luna | 2026-10-01 12:11 | yes | 6 | 21 s |
| Comparative | Muse Glimmer 30B | meta/muse-glimmer-30b via togetherai | 2026-10-01 10:31 | yes | 15 | 45 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-10-01 09:24 | yes | 9 | 8 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-10-01 13:20 | yes | 6 | 4 s |
| Budget constrained | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-10-01 09:39 | yes | 19 | 20 s |
| Budget constrained | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-10-01 07:42 | yes | 18 | 3 s |
| Budget constrained | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-10-01 10:01 | yes | 22 | 7 s |
| Budget constrained | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-10-01 13:25 | yes | 5 | 3 s |
| Budget constrained | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via deepinfra | 2026-10-01 07:58 | yes | 25 | 25 s |
| Budget constrained | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-10-01 10:46 | yes | 5 | 1 s |
| Budget constrained | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-10-01 09:38 | yes | 5 | 20 s |
| Budget constrained | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-10-01 11:16 | yes | 15 | 18 s |
| Budget constrained | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-10-01 10:48 | yes | 17 | 49 s |
| Budget constrained | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-10-01 12:26 | yes | 13 | 24 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-6 Luna | gpt-6-luna | 2026-10-01 12:44 | yes | 2 | 15 s |
| Budget constrained | Muse Glimmer 30B | meta/muse-glimmer-30b via togetherai | 2026-10-01 08:25 | yes | 12 | 20 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-10-01 08:04 | no | 0 | 6 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-10-01 08:25 | no | 0 | 7 s |
| Scale constrained | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-10-01 12:40 | yes | 8 | 23 s |
| Scale constrained | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-10-01 13:13 | yes | 15 | 5 s |
| Scale constrained | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-10-01 09:40 | yes | 25 | 10 s |
| Scale constrained | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-10-01 12:32 | no | 0 | 6 s |
| Scale constrained | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via deepinfra | 2026-10-01 12:27 | yes | 22 | 39 s |
| Scale constrained | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-10-01 12:05 | yes | 5 | 3 s |
| Scale constrained | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-10-01 08:47 | no | 0 | 30 s |
| Scale constrained | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-10-01 13:16 | yes | 19 | 25 s |
| Scale constrained | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-10-01 07:49 | yes | 18 | 35 s |
| Scale constrained | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-10-01 12:47 | no | 0 | 10 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-6 Luna | gpt-6-luna | 2026-10-01 12:43 | yes | 1 | 12 s |
| Scale constrained | Muse Glimmer 30B | meta/muse-glimmer-30b via togetherai | 2026-10-01 12:38 | no | 0 | 4 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Haiku 4.5 | claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 | 2026-10-01 10:45 | yes | 17 | 10 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17 | 2026-10-01 10:57 | yes | 3 | 4 s |
| Negative framing | Gemini 3.5 Flash | gemini-3.5-flash | 2026-10-01 10:27 | yes | 14 | 24 s |
| Negative framing | Perplexity Sonar | sonar | 2026-10-01 13:47 | yes | 19 | 5 s |
| Negative framing | Grok 4.1 Fast | spacexai/grok-4.1-fast-non-reasoning via vertex | 2026-10-01 11:51 | yes | 25 | 12 s |
| Negative framing | Mistral Small | mistral/mistral-small via mistral | 2026-10-01 08:59 | yes | 11 | 11 s |
| Negative framing | DeepSeek V4 Flash | deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via deepinfra | 2026-10-01 07:43 | yes | 25 | 63 s |
| Negative framing | Llama 4 Maverick | meta/llama-4-maverick via bedrock | 2026-10-01 08:51 | yes | 5 | 2 s |
| Negative framing | Qwen 3.7 Flash | alibaba/qwen3.7-flash via alibaba | 2026-10-01 08:53 | yes | 10 | 49 s |
| Negative framing | Kimi K2 | moonshotai/kimi-k2 via novita | 2026-10-01 08:10 | yes | 24 | 33 s |
| Negative framing | GLM 4.7 FlashX | zai/glm-4.7-flashx via zai | 2026-10-01 08:33 | yes | 22 | 43 s |
| Negative framing | MiniMax M2.5 | minimax/minimax-m2.5 via minimax | 2026-10-01 10:09 | yes | 15 | 38 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-6 Luna | gpt-6-luna | 2026-10-01 12:58 | yes | 3 | 15 s |
| Negative framing | Muse Glimmer 30B | meta/muse-glimmer-30b via togetherai | 2026-10-01 07:51 | yes | 18 | 59 s |
Normalization in this category
Every judgment call made between the raw labels and the numbers above, listed so it is visible and reversible.
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Category-scoped readings
Avast Business Security read as Avast Business
Bitdefender read as Bitdefender GravityZone
ESET read as ESET PROTECT
ESET PROTECT Entry read as ESET PROTECT
Huntress read as Huntress Managed EDR
Huntress (Managed EDR) read as Huntress Managed EDR
Kaspersky read as Kaspersky Endpoint Security
Palo Alto read as Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
Palo Alto Networks read as Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
SentinelOne read as SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint
SentinelOne (Singularity Core) read as SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint
SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint Security read as SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint
Sophos read as Sophos Intercept X
Sophos Endpoint read as Sophos Intercept X
Sophos Endpoint (Intercept X) read as Sophos Intercept X
Sophos Endpoint (formerly Intercept X) read as Sophos Intercept X
Sophos Endpoint / Intercept X read as Sophos Intercept X
Trellix read as Trellix Endpoint Security Suite
Trellix (formerly McAfee Enterprise & FireEye) read as Trellix Endpoint Security Suite
Trend Micro read as Trend Micro Apex One
Webroot read as Webroot Business Endpoint Protection
Unresolved, counted raw
AVG
Avast Premium Business Security
Avira Antivirus for Business
Basic Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Biz
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business / Business Security
Bitdefender versions pre-7.9.4
Cisco-oriented deployments
ESET Small Business Security
Emsisoft
GravityZone Small Business Security
K7
McAfee Multi-Personality
Norton Internet Security
Norton Small Business Premium
Older ESET products
Panda Security (WatchGuard)
Sophos Endpoint, optionally with Sophos MDR
Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) 12.x
Trend Micro Apex One or Vision One
VIPRE Endpoint Security
WatchGuard Endpoint Security
Discontinued, still offered
No shut-down product was recommended here.