Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) replaced traditional antivirus as the baseline endpoint protection for UK businesses about three years ago. Cyber Essentials Plus auditors now expect EDR-class controls. Cyber insurers list EDR as a precondition for cover. Most enterprise customers ask about EDR in supplier-onboarding due diligence.
The good news: pricing has compressed sharply, AI-native detection has become genuinely effective at catching threats antivirus missed, and most leading EDR products now run on Windows, macOS, Linux and Chromebook. The bad news: there are 30+ vendors selling broadly similar products under broadly similar marketing, and finding the right fit takes work. This guide compares the seven UK businesses encounter most often, with realistic 2026 pricing and the use-cases each one actually wins.
EDR vs antivirus — what’s actually different?
Traditional antivirus blocks known threats based on signatures — if a file matches a known malware hash or behavioural pattern, it’s quarantined. The technique works for the 60–70% of attacks that use known tooling. EDR adds three things antivirus doesn’t have:
- Behavioural detection: Identifies suspicious activity (e.g. PowerShell encoded commands, unusual process trees) regardless of whether the underlying file is on a signature list.
- Telemetry & investigation: Records what processes did, what files they touched, what network connections they made — available retrospectively for forensics.
- Response actions: Quarantine devices remotely, kill processes, roll back changes, isolate from the network. Antivirus can’t do any of this.
For a deeper comparison, see our antivirus vs EDR explainer and the broader EDR vs MDR vs XDR comparison.
The 7 best EDR products for UK businesses in 2026
| EDR Product | Best for | UK Pricing | MITRE ATT&CK detection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender for Business | SMBs already on Microsoft 365 | From £1.70/user/mo | Strong |
| CrowdStrike Falcon | Mid-market & enterprise; best-in-class detection | From £6/endpoint/mo | Excellent |
| SentinelOne Singularity | Mid-market; AI-native autonomous response | From £5/endpoint/mo | Excellent |
| Sophos Intercept X with XDR | UK MSP-managed deployments | From £4/endpoint/mo | Strong |
| Bitdefender GravityZone | Cost-conscious SMBs needing solid baseline | From £3/endpoint/mo | Good |
| Trend Vision One | Hybrid environments & OT-adjacent businesses | From £5/endpoint/mo | Strong |
| Cybereason Defense Platform | Enterprise; deep investigation tooling | From £7/endpoint/mo | Strong |
Pricing as of April 2026 from publicly listed rate cards or our own benchmarking; assumes managed deployment via a UK partner with 100–500 endpoints. Volume discounts apply above 1,000 endpoints. MITRE ATT&CK detection ratings reflect 2024–2025 evaluation rounds.
1. Microsoft Defender for Business — best value for M365 SMBs
Best for: UK SMBs (1–300 staff) already paying for Microsoft 365 Business Premium or Defender for Business.
What it includes: Behavioural EDR, automated investigation & remediation (AIR), threat & vulnerability management, attack surface reduction rules, web protection, USB device control, mobile threat defence on iOS/Android.
Pricing: £1.70–£2.10/user/month standalone (Defender for Business). Included free in Microsoft 365 Business Premium (£18.10/user/month).
What’s good: Genuinely strong detection now — Defender consistently scores in the top tier in MITRE ATT&CK evaluations. Free if you’re on Business Premium. Native integration with Entra ID, Intune, M365 Defender. No separate console to learn. Telemetry feeds Microsoft Sentinel cleanly.
What’s less good: Best results require correct configuration of the Microsoft Defender XDR portal — out-of-the-box default settings leave gaps. Limited macOS/Linux support compared to CrowdStrike or SentinelOne. Telemetry retention is 30 days unless you bolt on Microsoft Sentinel.
Verdict: If you’re on Microsoft 365 Business Premium (which most UK SMBs are), turning on Defender for Business properly is the highest-ROI cyber move you can make. Most UK businesses haven’t configured it past defaults — that’s the fix.
2. CrowdStrike Falcon — best-in-class detection
Best for: Mid-market and enterprise UK businesses (250+ endpoints) where detection efficacy is the primary criterion.
What it includes: Falcon Insight (EDR), Falcon Prevent (NGAV), Falcon OverWatch (24/7 threat hunting service), Falcon Discover (asset inventory), Falcon X (threat intelligence), Identity Threat Protection.
Pricing: £6–£9/endpoint/month for Falcon Insight + Prevent (Pro tier). £12–£15 for Enterprise tier with OverWatch threat hunting. Annual billing, minimum commitments typical.
What’s good: Consistently top-tier in MITRE ATT&CK evaluations. Tiny lightweight agent (single MB). Cloud-native, no on-prem infrastructure. OverWatch threat hunting service is best-in-class. Strong macOS and Linux support.
What’s less good: Premium pricing — usually 30–50% above Defender or Sophos. Some clients report aggressive renewal pricing. Falcon’s “sensor” deployment can stumble on bandwidth-constrained branch sites.
Verdict: If detection efficacy is the deciding factor and budget allows, CrowdStrike is the safe choice. Most UK mid-market RFPs end up shortlisting Falcon and SentinelOne head-to-head.
3. SentinelOne Singularity — AI-native autonomous response
Best for: Mid-market UK businesses wanting strong detection plus autonomous remediation without paying CrowdStrike enterprise prices.
What it includes: Singularity Core (EDR), Singularity Control (system management), Singularity Complete (full XDR + threat hunting), Identity Threat Protection.
Pricing: £5–£8/endpoint/month for Singularity Core. £9–£12 for Complete tier. Often available on monthly billing via UK MSPs.
What’s good: Autonomous AI-driven response (kills processes and rolls back changes without analyst intervention). Strong MITRE ATT&CK results. Slightly more permissive licensing than CrowdStrike. Storyline view (visual attack chain reconstruction) is excellent for forensics.
What’s less good: The autonomous-response default can cause false-positive impact — needs careful tuning. Slightly heavier agent than Falcon. Console UI is busy compared to Defender.
Verdict: Strong second choice if Falcon is over-budget. Genuinely competitive on detection in the most recent MITRE rounds.
4. Sophos Intercept X with XDR — best for UK MSP-managed deployments
Best for: UK SMBs and mid-market businesses managed by an MSP, particularly those wanting the cyber stack and the firewall on the same console.
What it includes: Endpoint EDR, server EDR, Sophos XDR (cross-product correlation), exploit prevention, anti-ransomware (CryptoGuard), web filtering, peripheral control. Integrates natively with Sophos Firewall (XGS series).
Pricing: £4–£7/endpoint/month for Intercept X Advanced with XDR via UK MSPs. Direct-from-Sophos pricing similar.
What’s good: Strong UK MSP partner ecosystem — many UK MSPs already operate Sophos Central as their primary management plane. CryptoGuard ransomware-rollback feature is genuinely effective. UK-friendly pricing structure. Good fit for Sophos Firewall sites already.
What’s less good: Detection results are good but not market-leading. Console can feel dated compared to Defender or SentinelOne. Some customers report agent stability issues on macOS.
Verdict: If your MSP already runs Sophos Central, sticking with Intercept X is the operationally simpler choice and the price is sensible.
5. Bitdefender GravityZone — best value for cost-conscious SMBs
Best for: UK SMBs (10–100 staff) wanting solid endpoint protection at the lowest credible price.
What it includes: GravityZone Business Security Premium adds full EDR, advanced anti-exploit, integrated risk analytics, ransomware mitigation, network attack defence.
Pricing: £3–£5/endpoint/month managed. Direct annual subscription cheaper still.
What’s good: Consistently strong in independent AV-Comparatives and AV-TEST testing. Lightweight agent. Direct purchase available without enterprise sales cycle. Cheap enough that you can afford to buy it across servers + workstations + mobiles without difficult conversations.
What’s less good: EDR features in the console feel less polished than CrowdStrike or SentinelOne. Threat-hunting tooling is basic. UK partner ecosystem smaller than Sophos or Microsoft.
Verdict: The right choice for under-50-staff UK businesses where Microsoft Defender for Business isn’t available or appropriate, and budget is the binding constraint.
6. Trend Vision One — best for hybrid & OT-adjacent environments
Best for: UK businesses with a mix of cloud workloads, on-prem servers, and adjacent industrial/OT environments (manufacturing, utilities, logistics).
What it includes: Endpoint EDR, server & cloud workload protection, email security, network detection, OT detection (separately licensed), Vision One XDR data lake.
Pricing: £5–£8/endpoint/month for the endpoint suite. OT and network modules priced separately.
What’s good: Best in market for hybrid (Windows + Linux + cloud + container) environments. Strong cloud-workload protection. Specific OT extensions for manufacturing and utilities. UK enterprise sales presence.
What’s less good: Pricing complexity — the modular licensing model means the “all-in” quote can balloon. UI is functional rather than polished. Endpoint detection efficacy is good but not the leader.
Verdict: The right choice if your environment skews server- and cloud-heavy rather than laptop-heavy.
7. Cybereason Defense Platform — best for deep investigation
Best for: Enterprise UK businesses (1,000+ endpoints) with a mature SOC team who use the EDR for deep forensic investigation rather than autonomous response.
What it includes: Cybereason EDR, NGAV, Mobile Threat Defense, MalOp (malicious-operation) graph view for attack-chain investigation.
Pricing: £7–£11/endpoint/month. Enterprise sales cycle, annual billing.
What’s good: Best-in-class MalOp visualisation — investigators can see the full attack chain across hosts in a single view. Strong threat-hunting tooling. Deep behavioural detection.
What’s less good: Resource-heavy agent compared to Falcon or Defender. UK partner ecosystem narrower. Pricing skewed to enterprise.
Verdict: Strong choice for enterprise SOC teams; over-engineered for most UK SMBs.
How to choose the right EDR for your business
A simple decision tree based on the conversations we have most often with UK businesses:
- On Microsoft 365 Business Premium? Start with Defender for Business and configure it properly. Costs you nothing extra, and the detection results are now genuinely strong.
- Under 50 staff, not on M365 Business Premium? Bitdefender GravityZone or Sophos Intercept X via a UK MSP at £3–£5/endpoint/month.
- 50–250 staff with B2B customers asking about EDR in due diligence? SentinelOne Singularity Complete or CrowdStrike Falcon Pro — both will satisfy enterprise procurement and your UK insurer’s requirements.
- 250+ staff with a mature SOC? CrowdStrike Falcon Enterprise + OverWatch, or Cybereason if forensic investigation is the dominant use case.
- OT, manufacturing, utilities, hybrid cloud? Trend Vision One for the unified data lake across endpoint + cloud + OT.
What an EDR rollout looks like in practice
A typical UK SMB EDR rollout takes 3–6 weeks managed by a UK MSP:
- Week 1: Inventory endpoints (laptops, desktops, servers, mobiles). Decide which existing AV is being replaced. Choose deployment method (Intune / Group Policy / RMM agent push).
- Week 2: Deploy to a pilot group of 5–10 users. Tune detection sensitivity. Resolve agent conflicts with legacy AV.
- Weeks 3–4: Phased rollout to remaining endpoints. Configure alert routing to your UK SOC or in-house team.
- Weeks 5–6: Decommission old AV. Update Cyber Essentials documentation. Add to insurer’s control register.
If you’re moving from Microsoft Defender Antivirus (the free one) to Defender for Business or another EDR, the rollout is faster — usually 2–3 weeks because the agent is largely the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
For UK SMBs already on Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft Defender for Business is included free and now offers genuinely strong detection — turn it on and configure it properly before paying for anything else. For SMBs not on M365 Business Premium, Bitdefender GravityZone (£3–£5/endpoint/month) or Sophos Intercept X via a UK MSP (£4–£7) offer solid value. Save the CrowdStrike or SentinelOne premium for when you have B2B customers asking about EDR in supplier due diligence.
For most UK SMBs in 2026, yes — significantly better than five years ago. Microsoft has invested heavily and Defender now performs in the top tier of MITRE ATT&CK evaluations. The catch: out-of-the-box defaults leave detection gaps. You need to enable attack-surface-reduction rules, tamper protection, automated investigation & response (AIR), and the Microsoft Defender XDR portal. Most UK SMBs we audit haven’t done this configuration work — that’s the fix, not buying a new product.
Both are excellent and trade blows in MITRE ATT&CK evaluation rounds. Pick CrowdStrike Falcon if detection-efficacy is the primary criterion and OverWatch threat hunting is valuable to you (the human-led service is genuinely best-in-class). Pick SentinelOne if you want autonomous AI-driven response that kills threats without analyst intervention, or if CrowdStrike’s pricing is over budget. Most UK mid-market RFPs end up shortlisting both and choosing on price plus UK partner relationships.
Realistic 2026 UK pricing: Microsoft Defender for Business £1.70/user/month (free with M365 Business Premium); Bitdefender GravityZone £3–£5/endpoint/month; Sophos Intercept X £4–£7; SentinelOne Singularity £5–£8; CrowdStrike Falcon £6–£9. Pricing is per endpoint — servers count separately from laptops. Add 20–40% if you need 24/7 managed detection & response (MDR) on top, where a UK SOC triages the alerts the EDR generates.
Yes for some products, no for others. CrowdStrike, SentinelOne and Sophos can co-exist with Microsoft Defender Antivirus running in passive mode — the third-party EDR becomes the active engine and Defender provides a fallback. This is actually Microsoft’s documented best practice. Bitdefender and Trend prefer Defender to be fully disabled. Always check vendor co-existence guidance before deployment, and never run two active EDR/AV engines simultaneously — you’ll get false positives, performance issues and unpredictable detection behaviour.
Cyber Essentials (basic) requires “malware protection” but doesn’t mandate EDR specifically — traditional antivirus can technically pass. However, Cyber Essentials Plus auditors increasingly expect EDR-class controls, and from 2026 most UK cyber insurers require EDR as a precondition for cover regardless of whether you’re certified. So yes — EDR is now effectively required, even if the certification itself doesn’t explicitly demand it. Treat EDR as a baseline and Cyber Essentials as the documentation overlay on top.
EDR is the software platform that detects and records threats on endpoints — you (or an in-house team) review alerts and respond. MDR adds a UK Security Operations Centre staffed by analysts who triage and respond to alerts on your behalf, 24/7. Most UK SMBs don’t have analysts watching alerts at 3am, which is when most ransomware deploys, so MDR is what actually catches incidents in time. UK MDR pricing runs £15–£35/endpoint/month vs £4–£8 for EDR alone.
Need help choosing the right EDR or rolling it out properly? Request a free EDR scoping call — we’ll review your existing endpoint estate, your M365 entitlements, and recommend the right product for your size and risk profile. Or compare full-stack UK cyber providers in our best cyber security companies UK 2026 guide.
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