ESET PROTECT vs CrowdStrike Falcon

Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: 11 Best Endpoint Protection Software 2026. Last verified July 4, 2026.

The short answer

CrowdStrike Falcon ranks higher on Top 11 (#1 vs #8) for IT and security leaders. One lightweight agent, leading detection and managed hunting.

At a glance

ESET PROTECTCrowdStrike Falcon
Top 11 rank#8 / CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: 11 Best Endpoint Protection Software 2026#1 / CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: 11 Best Endpoint Protection Software 2026
Score (out of 9.4)8.49.3
Best forBest for light footprint and flexible hostingBest overall for EDR and threat hunting
Pricing$$ (roughly $40 to $85 per endpoint per year)$$$ (roughly $60 to $185 per endpoint per year by tier)
HQBratislava, SlovakiaAustin, USA
Founded19922011

Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.