Microsoft Defender vs Sophos: EDR / XDR Comparison (2026)

An independent side-by-side comparison of Microsoft Defender and Sophos for edr / xdr buyers — pricing, features, integrations, and how often each is cited by major AI engines.

AI Citation Scorecard

How often each vendor is cited by major AI engines when real buyers ask edr / xdr questions. Tracked across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude over the last 90 days. Methodology.

ChatGPT
Microsoft Defender: tracking…
Sophos: tracking…
Perplexity
Microsoft Defender: tracking…
Sophos: tracking…
Gemini
Microsoft Defender: tracking…
Sophos: tracking…
Claude
Microsoft Defender: tracking…
Sophos: tracking…

Probes run hourly; each (engine × query) combo retests every ~3 days. Fresh categories may show "tracking…" until probes complete.

Pricing

Microsoft Defender
Starting price
Free tier
microsoft.com
Sophos
Starting price
Free tier
sophos.com

Key Features

Microsoft Defender

Feature data is being indexed.

Sophos

Feature data is being indexed.

When to choose Microsoft Defender

Choose Microsoft Defender if your team prioritizes its strengths over Sophos's. Full guidance populates as Microsoft Defender's feature data is indexed.

When to choose Sophos

Choose Sophos if your team prioritizes its strengths over Microsoft Defender's. Full guidance populates as Sophos's feature data is indexed.

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