Sophos vs Microsoft Defender: EDR / XDR Comparison (2026)
An independent side-by-side comparison of Sophos and Microsoft Defender for edr / xdr buyers — pricing, features, integrations, and how often each is cited by major AI engines.
AI Citation Scorecard
How often each is cited by major AI engines when buyers ask edr / xdr questions. Last 90 days across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot.
Sophos leads overall — 53% cited vs Microsoft Defender 0% across 60 probes.
ChatGPT
SophosLeads
4 / 6 probes
67%
ExcellentMicrosoft Defender
0 / 6 probes
0%
InvisiblePerplexity
SophosLeads
4 / 6 probes
67%
ExcellentMicrosoft Defender
0 / 6 probes
0%
InvisibleGemini
Sophos
0 / 6 probes
0%
InvisibleMicrosoft Defender
0 / 6 probes
0%
InvisibleClaude
SophosLeads
5 / 6 probes
83%
ExcellentMicrosoft Defender
0 / 6 probes
0%
InvisibleCopilot
SophosLeads
3 / 6 probes
50%
ExcellentMicrosoft Defender
0 / 6 probes
0%
InvisibleScale:NoneLowFairStrongExcellent
Probes run hourly; each (engine × query) combo retests every ~3 days.
Pricing
Key Features
Sophos
Feature data is being indexed.
Microsoft Defender
Feature data is being 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.
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.