Endpoint detection and response · October 2026 Edition
Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Sophos Intercept X
Zero of fourteen models named Microsoft Defender for Cloud first on the direct prompt; three named Sophos Intercept X. Microsoft Defender for Cloud was named by eight of the fourteen models and Sophos Intercept X by fourteen and Microsoft Defender for Cloud carries 10 labels and Sophos Intercept X 39, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in fourteen categories this edition.
Named in six categories this edition.
First-choice share15%6%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate0%5%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#4#6A position in a field of 9; printed, not drawn.
Labels1039A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Microsoft Defender for Cloud reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Microsoft Defender for Endpoint was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud · Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Sophos Intercept X · CrowdStrike Falcon Insight vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the endpoint detection and response page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Microsoft Defender for CloudFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSophos Intercept X
Direct03
Paraphrase00
Comparative00
Budget-constrained80
Scale-constrained00
Negative002 against Sophos Intercept X
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Sophos Intercept X stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | |||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | ||||
| 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 | | | ||||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | ||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Sophos Intercept X first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Microsoft Defender for Cloud on the left and Sophos Intercept X on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Sophos Intercept X stood in it.
Sophos Intercept X first, Microsoft Defender for Cloud not the choice
3 of 14 modelsMicrosoft Defender for Cloud was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Sophos Intercept X alternatives: Bitdefender GravityZone EDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, SentinelOne Singularity
Perplexity SonarSophos Intercept X alternatives: Bitdefender GravityZone EDR, CrowdStrike Falcon Insight, Huntress Managed EDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Sophos MDR
Grok 4.1 FastSophos Intercept X alternatives: Bitdefender GravityZone EDR, Huntress Managed EDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, SentinelOne Singularity
Neither was the first choice, one was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Mistral SmallCrowdStrike Falcon Insight, SentinelOne Singularity alternatives: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Sophos Intercept X
Qwen 3.7 FlashCrowdStrike Falcon Insight alternatives: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept X
Kimi K2SentinelOne Singularity alternatives: CrowdStrike Falcon Insight, Huntress Managed EDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Sophos Intercept X
MiniMax M2.5CrowdStrike Falcon Insight, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint alternatives: Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR, SentinelOne Singularity, Sophos Intercept X
Muse Glimmer 30BCrowdStrike Falcon Insight, SentinelOne Singularity alternatives: Bitdefender GravityZone EDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Sophos Intercept X
Neither was named
6 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.GPT-5.4 miniCrowdStrike Falcon Insight alternatives: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, SentinelOne Singularity
Gemini 3.5 FlashSentinelOne Singularity alternatives: CrowdStrike Falcon Insight, Huntress Managed EDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
DeepSeek V4 FlashMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint alternatives: Bitdefender GravityZone EDR, CrowdStrike Falcon Insight, Cynet, SentinelOne Singularity
Llama 4 MaverickBitdefender GravityZone EDR alternatives: CrowdStrike Falcon Insight
GLM 4.7 FlashXMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint alternatives: CrowdStrike Falcon Insight, SentinelOne Singularity
GPT-6 LunaSophos Endpoint with MDR alternatives: CrowdStrike Falcon Insight, Microsoft Defender
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Microsoft Defender for Cloud leads by forty-seven points.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud47%#1 of 9Sophos Intercept X0%#7 of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
Microsoft Defender for Cloud leads by nine points.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud15%#4 of 9Sophos Intercept X6%#6 of 9Enterprise
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is not named for this buyer.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud—not namedSophos Intercept X0%#6 of 8What the models said about Microsoft Defender for Cloud
No label in this category carried a quote.
What the models said about Sophos Intercept X
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Two of two in this category shown.
“I would evaluate Carbon Black/Broadcom and Sophos carefully for fit rather than assuming they are best-in-class” Perplexity Sonar · negative prompt · soft negative
“My Pick for Most Mid-Market B2B: Sophos Intercept X edges out due to Gartner leadership, mid-market pricing, and simplicity with optional MDR.” Grok 4.1 Fast · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender for CloudMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint vs Sophos Intercept XCrowdStrike Falcon Insight vs Microsoft Defender for CloudCrowdStrike Falcon Insight vs Sophos Intercept XSentinelOne Singularity vs Microsoft Defender for CloudSentinelOne Singularity vs Sophos Intercept XMicrosoft Defender for Cloud vs Huntress Managed EDRMicrosoft Defender for Cloud vs Bitdefender GravityZone EDRHuntress Managed EDR vs Sophos Intercept XSophos Intercept X vs Bitdefender GravityZone EDRAll twenty-one head-to-head pages and the full EDR standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.