Microsoft Defender for Business vs Bitdefender GravityZone vs CrowdStrike Falcon Go: Endpoint Protection for a Small Business
Securing a small-business Wi-Fi network and pfSense vs OPNsense both cover network-level defenses. This article is about the layer those don’t reach: the laptop that gets a phishing attachment opened on it anyway, or the USB drive plugged into a front-desk PC. Once a small business grows past “everyone runs whatever consumer antivirus came with their laptop,” Microsoft Defender for Business, Bitdefender GravityZone, and CrowdStrike Falcon Go are the three names that come up for managed, centrally-visible endpoint protection.
Quick take
- Already on (or considering) Microsoft 365 Business Premium: Microsoft Defender for Business — it’s bundled in, so standalone cost may be $0 extra
- Want the deepest console/reporting without full EDR complexity, and can size a quote to device count: Bitdefender GravityZone
- Want the strongest name-brand threat-detection reputation and don’t mind the highest per-device price: CrowdStrike Falcon Go
The three options
Microsoft Defender for Business is Microsoft’s small-business-tier endpoint protection, built on the same detection engine as its enterprise Defender for Endpoint product but with a simplified console aimed at organizations without a dedicated security team. Standalone, it lists at $3/user/month (annual commitment). It’s also bundled into Microsoft 365 Business Premium — one Microsoft product page during research for this article listed Business Premium at $22/user/month, while Microsoft’s own compare-plans page listed $32/user/month for a newer Copilot-bundled SKU (see the Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 vs Zoho article for that discrepancy in full) — so the effective “extra” cost of Defender for Business depends entirely on which Microsoft 365 SKU a team is already quoted. If a business is already committed to Business Premium, Defender for Business likely costs nothing incremental; if not, $3/user/month standalone is the number to compare against the other two.
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security covers up to 100 devices and includes Advanced Threat Control, ransomware mitigation, and fileless-attack protection, with add-on modules (web access/device control, network attack defense) available on top. Bitdefender doesn’t publish a flat list price — the official pricing page is a calculator keyed to device count and subscription length (1-3 years), with pricing not exposed until a plan is configured. Third-party pricing trackers estimate promotional rates around $23-33/device/year for small-tier device counts, rising toward $57-96/device/year at other GravityZone tiers, but none of these figures are confirmed directly from Bitdefender — run the actual device count through Bitdefender’s own calculator before quoting a number to a client or in a budget request.
CrowdStrike Falcon Go is CrowdStrike’s small-business entry point, capped at 100 devices, and is confirmed directly against CrowdStrike’s own pricing page at $7.99/device/month billed monthly, or $59.99/device/year billed annually (a meaningful discount for committing annually). It includes next-gen AI-powered antivirus, device control (USB visibility/management), mobile device protection for Android/iOS, and “Express Support” for setup help. It’s the most expensive of the three per device at list price, trading on CrowdStrike’s threat-intelligence reputation, but it’s also the only one of the three offering a real, unconditional per-device number without a sales call or calculator.
Cost and fit compared (2026)
| Microsoft Defender for Business | Bitdefender GravityZone SBS | CrowdStrike Falcon Go | |
|---|---|---|---|
| List price | $3/device/month standalone (confirmed) | Calculator-only, no public flat rate | $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr per device (confirmed) |
| Device cap | No stated cap on standalone tier | Up to 100 devices | Up to 100 devices |
| Bundled option | Included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium | N/A | N/A |
| Console complexity | Simplified, small-business-focused | Mid-weight, module-based | Simple, small-business-focused |
| Best fit | Already buying/considering Business Premium | Wants a quote sized exactly to device count | Wants the strongest brand-name detection engine, budget allows top price |
Which one should you actually pick?
- Already paying for (or seriously evaluating) Microsoft 365 Business Premium: check whether Defender for Business is already bundled before buying anything else — it likely is, making this the cheapest real option by a wide margin.
- Not on Microsoft 365, want the console/reporting depth without CrowdStrike’s price tag: Bitdefender GravityZone — but get the actual calculator quote for your device count before budgeting, since no public flat rate exists.
- Budget allows the premium option and brand-name threat-detection reputation matters (e.g., cyber-insurance requirements, client contracts that name a specific vendor): CrowdStrike Falcon Go.
- Haven’t set up basic MFA/hardware keys yet: that’s a more foundational gap than endpoint AV — see 2FA/SSO on a budget and YubiKey vs Google Titan vs SoloKeys first.
- Managing a growing fleet of devices generally, not just AV: Tactical RMM vs NinjaOne vs Fleet covers device management/RMM, which typically runs alongside endpoint protection rather than replacing it.
- Network-level defenses aren’t locked down yet: pfSense vs OPNsense and the Wi-Fi security checklist are the layer below this one.
Microsoft Defender for Business signup · Bitdefender GravityZone quote · CrowdStrike Falcon Go signup — swap for real referral/reseller links once a security-vendor affiliate program is confirmed.
Bottom line
Microsoft Defender for Business is the cheapest confirmed option and likely free-in-practice for teams already on Microsoft 365 Business Premium. CrowdStrike Falcon Go is the most expensive but the only one of the three with a fully transparent, no-calculator per-device price and the strongest brand recognition. Bitdefender GravityZone sits in between on reputation but requires running an actual quote before any price comparison here can be trusted precisely.