Microsoft Defender VS Microsoft Defender XDR_
As of 4 November 2026, Microsoft Defender XDR is named by 251 companies and Microsoft Defender by 1,329; Microsoft Defender skews to companies under 200 people (33% vs 26%), Microsoft Defender XDR to companies over 1,000 (41% vs 36%).
As of 4 November 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: Microsoft Defender's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, Microsoft Defender XDR rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- Microsoft Defender: 2–200 employees
- 33%
- Microsoft Defender XDR: 2–200 employees
- 26%
- Microsoft Defender: 1,000+ employees
- 36%
- Microsoft Defender XDR: 1,000+ employees
- 41%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.1 · 2.5
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | Microsoft Defender | share | Microsoft Defender XDR | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 17 | 1% | 4 | 2% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 56 | 4% | 12 | 5% | even |
| 11-50 employees | 123 | 9% | 16 | 6% | Microsoft Defender |
| 51-200 employees | 253 | 19% | 37 | 15% | Microsoft Defender |
| 201-500 employees | 231 | 17% | 49 | 20% | Microsoft Defender XDR |
| 501-1000 employees | 176 | 13% | 29 | 12% | even |
| 1001-5000 employees | 253 | 19% | 60 | 24% | Microsoft Defender XDR |
| 5001-10000 employees | 70 | 5% | 12 | 5% | even |
| 10,001+ employees | 150 | 11% | 32 | 13% | even |
| Segment | Microsoft Defender | share | Microsoft Defender XDR | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 466 | 35% | 104 | 41% | Microsoft Defender XDR |
| Business & finance services | 304 | 23% | 63 | 25% | Microsoft Defender XDR |
| Manufacturing & industry | 189 | 14% | 27 | 11% | Microsoft Defender |
| Public, community & associations | 53 | 4% | 10 | 4% | even |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 51 | 4% | 11 | 4% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 49 | 4% | 9 | 4% | even |
| Property & construction | 44 | 3% | 7 | 3% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 40 | 3% | 6 | 2% | even |
| Health care | 38 | 3% | 3 | 1% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 34 | 3% | 3 | 1% | even |
| Media & content | 26 | 2% | 3 | 1% | even |
| Automotive | 19 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Hospitality & travel | – | – | 4 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Microsoft Defender | share | Microsoft Defender XDR | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 714 | 54% | 127 | 51% | Microsoft Defender |
| United Kingdom | 114 | 9% | 29 | 12% | Microsoft Defender XDR |
| Germany | 87 | 7% | 19 | 8% | even |
| Canada | 54 | 4% | 7 | 3% | even |
| Australia | 42 | 3% | 4 | 2% | even |
| Netherlands | 38 | 3% | 10 | 4% | even |
| France | 34 | 3% | 6 | 2% | even |
| Belgium | 18 | 1% | 6 | 2% | even |
| India | 17 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Denmark | 16 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Sweden | 16 | 1% | 5 | 2% | even |
| Switzerland | 14 | 1% | 4 | 2% | even |
| Poland | – | – | 4 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Spain | – | – | 3 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Microsoft Defender | share | Microsoft Defender XDR | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT operations & business systems | 2,611 | 77% | 597 | 82% | Microsoft Defender XDR |
| Software engineering | 98 | 3% | 6 | 1% | Microsoft Defender |
| Sales | 79 | 2% | 16 | 2% | even |
| Engineering (non-software) | 46 | 1% | 4 | 1% | even |
| Product, program & project management | 46 | 1% | 7 | 1% | even |
| Customer service & success | 36 | 1% | 13 | 2% | even |
| General management & consulting | 25 | 1% | 2 | 0% | even |
| Data & AI | 23 | 1% | 2 | 0% | even |
| facilities cleaning and security | 18 | 1% | 4 | 1% | even |
| Legal, compliance & risk | 17 | 1% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Marketing & communications | 11 | 0% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Unclassified | 6 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Business development & strategy | 5 | 0% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Administration & office | 3 | 0% | 2 | 0% | even |
| construction and civil | 3 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Education & training | 3 | 0% | 1 | 0% | even |
| skilled trades and field service | 3 | 0% | 2 | 0% | even |
| Finance & accounting | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| logistics warehouse and transport | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Quality, safety & environment | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using Microsoft Defender →
Companies using Microsoft Defender XDR →
endpoint protection edr ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
Microsoft Defender XDR is named by 251 companies in job postings and Microsoft Defender by 1,329; 139 name both. (Breaknorm, 4 November 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/microsoft-defender-vs-microsoft-defender-xdr)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
Microsoft Defender vs Microsoft Defender XDR: questions
Which is more used, Microsoft Defender or Microsoft Defender XDR?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Microsoft Defender (1,329) over Microsoft Defender XDR (251). By website-and-DNS footprint, Microsoft Defender XDR (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses Microsoft Defender?
33% of Microsoft Defender companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 26% for Microsoft Defender XDR. 36% of Microsoft Defender companies have over 1,000 employees, against 41% for Microsoft Defender XDR.
Do companies run both?
139 companies name both in their postings, usually Microsoft Defender in marketing and Microsoft Defender XDR in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
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