The best endpoint protection (EPP) solutions secure endpoints such as PCs, laptops, servers, mobiles, and IoT devices from malware, phishing, malicious applications, zero-day attacks, and other cyber threats.
Endpoint security solutions monitor all devices and remediate security incidents automatically. They allow admins to manage all devices from a single admin console and investigate complex threats in-depth, with the ability to carry out remediation activities.
The endpoint security market today is extremely crowded. There are dozens of vendors on the market with different technologies and approaches designed to stop threats from reaching your corporate devices.
To help you cut through the noise, here is our curated shortlist of the best endpoint security and antivirus software. This list is based on our own independent technical analysis of the software, including key features, ease-of-deployment, speed, and response capabilities. Here are our top picks:
ESET Endpoint Security is a cloud-based solution that provides multi-layered protection against malware, ransomware, and fileless attacks. It leverages machine learning and crowdsourced threat intelligence to safeguard endpoints across various operating systems.
Why We Picked ESET Endpoint Security: We appreciate its multi-layered approach to endpoint protection and the ease of managing a diverse device fleet through a single admin console.
ESET Endpoint Security Best Features: Key features include machine learning-based malware detection, real-time monitoring of app behavior, and protection against fileless attacks. It supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, file servers, and virtual environments. The solution integrates with ESET’s PROTECT Enterprise platform, which offers file server security, disk encryption, a cloud sandbox, and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR).
What’s great:
Pricing: Pricing information is available from ESET upon request.
Who it’s for: ESET Endpoint Security is ideal for organizations of all sizes, particularly those with on-prem or remote teams managing a large number of BYOD devices.
Heimdal DNS Security Endpoint is an advanced endpoint security solution that leverages AI, machine learning, and threat intelligence to protect all network endpoints. It focuses on intelligent detection of sophisticated threats, offering a proactive approach to endpoint security.
Why We Picked Heimdal DNS Security Endpoint: We appreciate its AI-driven DNS filtering that goes beyond traditional antivirus capabilities, effectively blocking malware at the traffic level.
Heimdal DNS Security Endpoint Best Features: Key features include the DarkLayerGuard DNS threat hunting engine, predictive AI and ML engines for threat detection, real-time web traffic scanning, and customizable allowlisting/denylisting. The solution integrates seamlessly with other network security tools, VPNs, and Heimdal’s Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools.
What’s great:
Pricing: Pricing details are available from Heimdal on request.
Who it’s for: Heimdal DNS Security Endpoint is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses and enterprises seeking a proactive, AI-driven approach to endpoint security.
ThreatLocker Protect is a Zero Trust-based endpoint security solution that provides organizations with detailed control over endpoint content and applications. It is designed to offer full visibility and control over all installed applications using a deny-by-default approach.
Why We Picked ThreatLocker Protect: We appreciate ThreatLocker’s comprehensive visibility and control of network traffic, enhanced by its “Network Control” feature, which manages endpoints, remote users, IoT, and shadow IT devices.
ThreatLocker Protect Best Features: Key features include “Learning Mode” for analyzing apps and building custom threat protection policies, “Ringfencing” to monitor and limit app access, granular application policies, virtual desktop app testing, “Elevation Control” for specific app admin privileges, and “Storage Control” for auditing file and media access. It supports both Windows and macOS endpoints.
What’s great:
Pricing: Pricing information for ThreatLocker Protect is available from ThreatLocker on request.
Who it’s for: ThreatLocker Protect is best suited for mid-sized to enterprise organizations seeking comprehensive endpoint protection with a focus on detailed control and visibility over their network environment.
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security is a comprehensive and user-friendly security platform tailored for small businesses. It provides robust protection against phishing, ransomware, and file-less attacks, ensuring safety without requiring prior cybersecurity expertise.
Why We Picked Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security: We appreciate its ease of deployment and management, coupled with immediate threat response capabilities, making it an ideal solution for SMBs.
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security Best Features: Key features include automated threat response, ransomware mitigation with tamper-proof backups, protection against file-less and script-based attacks, and comprehensive content scanning. It supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, offering an easy-to-use admin console with an executive summary for all devices.
What’s great:
Pricing: Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security is available from $20.99 USD/device/year, covering up to 1 server (including Linux), with multi-year pricing options available.
Who it’s for: Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security is best suited for small businesses seeking an easy-to-deploy and manage security solution that offers powerful protection against evolving threats.
Check Point Harmony Endpoint is a comprehensive endpoint security platform that forms part of the Check Point Harmony suite, offering a unified security solution. It integrates antivirus, EDR, and XDR capabilities into a single agent to protect against a wide range of cyber threats.
Why We Picked Check Point Harmony Endpoint: We appreciate its use of over 60 AI engines for zero-day threat protection and its seamless integration into a broader security ecosystem that includes SASE, SWG, and email security.
Check Point Harmony Endpoint Best Features: Key capabilities include anti-phishing, URL filtering, risk assessments, patch management, ransomware detection, and zero-day detection. It also offers customizable DLP policies, including GenAI governance, managed via a single admin console. The platform supports Windows, macOS, Linux, servers, VDI, browsers, and mobile devices. Integrations include API-based connections with third-party security tools.
What’s great:
Pricing: Available upon request from Check Point.
Who it’s for: Check Point Harmony Endpoint is ideal for organizations seeking a consolidated security stack with advanced endpoint protection. It suits businesses of all sizes and MSPs looking for enterprise-level security capabilities.
Crowdstrike Falcon Endpoint Protection Pro is a next-generation solution that delivers comprehensive endpoint security through a single agent, protecting against advanced and known threats. It leverages AI-powered antivirus and machine learning to offer high-performance threat prevention and detection.
Why We Picked Crowdstrike Falcon Endpoint Protection Pro: We appreciate its AI-driven next-gen antivirus and the platform’s ability to provide high-performance threat prevention, including protection against malware, ransomware, and file-less attacks.
Crowdstrike Falcon Endpoint Protection Pro Best Features: Key features include AI-powered next-gen antivirus, high-performance memory scanning, automated remediation, customizable alerting, and integrated risk intelligence. Additional modules available include XDR, EDR, MDR, and Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR). The solution supports MacOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS.
What’s great:
Pricing: Crowdstrike Falcon Pro is available for $99.99 USD/device/year, which includes next-gen antivirus, device management, and firewall management.
Who it’s for: Crowdstrike Falcon Endpoint Protection Pro is ideal for mid-market organizations and larger enterprises seeking a comprehensive platform for endpoint security, threat hunting, and response capabilities.
Trellix Endpoint Security is a comprehensive security solution that protects against advanced and emerging threats. It leverages proactive threat intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI to prevent, detect, and investigate threats across all connected endpoint devices.
Why We Picked Trellix Endpoint Security: We appreciate its powerful protection against advanced threats and its ability to deliver a comprehensive suite of endpoint security tools, including XDR, EDR, and MDR services.
Trellix Endpoint Security Best Features: The platform offers advanced threat detection and response, AI-powered investigations, centralized management, and a single view admin console for building workflows, device security controls, and policies. It integrates with other security platforms and supports Windows, MacOS, and Linux operating systems.
What’s great:
Pricing: Pricing for Trellix Endpoint Security is available upon request from Trellix.
Who it’s for: Trellix Endpoint Security is best suited for large enterprises with hundreds of remote or on-prem endpoints, offering scalable and automated threat prevention, detection, and investigation capabilities.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-based enterprise endpoint security solution that provides comprehensive protection against endpoint threats. It integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem, making it an ideal choice for organizations already using Microsoft products.
Why We Picked Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: We appreciate its easy integration with the Microsoft ecosystem and its robust next-generation antivirus capabilities, which stop malware and device compromise effectively.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Best Features: Key features include vulnerability and misconfiguration management, network and web protection, endpoint detection and response (EDR), threat intelligence, and automated investigation and remediation. It automatically blocks attacks early, preventing lateral movement and remote encryption across all devices. The platform offers a modern admin interface with comprehensive alerting, device security scores, a learning hub, and API-based integrations. It integrates with other M365 security platforms such as Defender for Cloud, Defender for Cloud Apps, and Defender XDR, and supports Microsoft Copilot for prioritizing alerts and responding to incidents. The endpoint agent supports Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and IoT devices.
What’s great:
Pricing: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is available via two packages: P1 is included with Microsoft 365 E3, and P2, which includes additional EDR capabilities, is included with Microsoft 365 E5. Pricing information is available from Microsoft on request.
Who it’s for: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is best suited for organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, particularly those using Microsoft 365, looking for a comprehensive and easily manageable endpoint security solution.
SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint is an intelligent platform designed for endpoint threat protection, detection, and response across endpoints, servers, and mobile devices. It is part of SentinelOne’s Singularity suite, which encompasses a wide range of security tools covering endpoint, identity, cloud, risk management, and managed services.
Why We Picked SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint: We appreciate its ability to automatically identify and protect unmanaged endpoints on the network. Its autonomous AI and combined static and behavioral detections provide comprehensive threat mitigation.
SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint Best Features: Key features include autonomous AI-driven threat protection, static and behavioral detection, automatic remediation, full incident analysis, and comprehensive threat reporting. It also offers device policy configuration, such as network, USB, and Bluetooth control, and the discovery of unmanaged devices. The platform integrates with the broader Singularity suite, which includes identity, cloud, and risk management, all underpinned by SentinelOne’s Purple AI platform. It supports Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome device servers, Linux, certain container platforms, and virtual environments.
What’s great:
Pricing: Endpoint protection (EPP) is available as part of SentinelOne’s five packages, starting from $69.99 USD/device. Advanced EPP controls are available from $79.99 USD/device, and XDR capabilities are available from $159.99 USD/device, for 5-100 workstations.
Who it’s for: SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint is best suited for businesses of all sizes, from SMBs to large enterprises, seeking a scalable and comprehensive endpoint security solution with integrated management capabilities.
Broadcom’s Symantec Endpoint Security is a comprehensive endpoint protection suite that safeguards all endpoints, servers, operational technology, cloud workloads, containers, and cloud storage. It is designed to provide autonomous security management and breach prevention through a single agent.
Why We Picked Symantec Endpoint Security: We like its extensive coverage across all endpoints and its flexible deployment options, supporting cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments.
Symantec Endpoint Security Best Features: Key features include endpoint protection, EDR capabilities, app control, threat hunting, threat detection and response, and breach prevention. It offers real-time visibility into all devices and workloads, granular admin policies backed by AI, and leverages Symantec’s Global Threat Intelligence Network for effective threat detection. The solution supports Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, and various server and cloud environments.
What’s great:
Pricing: Pricing information is available from Broadcom’s partners and distributors upon request.
Who it’s for: Symantec Endpoint Security is best suited for mid-size to large enterprises, particularly those in public services and financial sectors, seeking robust threat protection, granular policy controls, and comprehensive network visibility.
We researched lots of endpoint security solutions while we were making this guide. Here are a few other tools worth your consideration:
Protects organizations against malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, and zero-day exploits.
Detects and removes up to 99% of known and unknown malware, ransomware, and other endpoint threats.
ML, behavioral analysis, and app controls that remediate binary and scripted threats, phishing, and security incidents.
Powerful protection for Windows, macOS, and Linux devices with high detection rates against script-based exploits.
A threat detection engine that identifies and blocks known and unknown threats in real-time.
Ideal for SMBs, Norton offers protection against malware and zero-day exploits against PCs, Macs, iOS, and Android.
Top Endpoint Protection: Shortlist FAQs
The Best Endpoint Protection Solutions For Business: Shortlist FAQs
Why should you trust this Shortlist?
This list has been edited and reviewed by Expert Insights CEO and Founder, Craig McAlpine. Craig has over 25 years’ experience in the cybersecurity industry. In 2003, he founded EPA Cloud, an email security company which was acquired in 2013 by Global (now Ziff Davies Inc).
Craig is an experienced endpoint security practitioner who has worked in cybersecurity management, in an MSP environment, as an email security supplier, and as a vendor in the course of his career.
This article was written by Content Director at Expert Insights Joel Witts, who has been covering the cybersecurity market as a journalist for 6+ years.
This guide is updated at least every 3 months to review the vendors included and ensure features listed are up to date.
How was the Shortlist picked?
When considering endpoint security solutions, we evaluated providers based on the following criterion.
Product Performance: We considered the capabilities, device performance and threat hunting effectiveness of all vendors as part of the inclusion process. This included first hand technical tests where possible, but also referencing independent third-party AV tests, and considering customer feedback.
Market Perception: We reviewed each vendor included on the Shortlist to ensure they are reliable, trusted providers in the market. We reviewed their documentation, third-party analyst reports, and where possible we have interviewed executives directly.
Customer Usage: We use market share as a metric when comparing vendors and aim to represent high market share vendors and challenger brands with innovative capabilities. We have spoken to end-customers, and reviewed customer case studies, testimonials, and end user reviews.
Product Heritage: Finally, we have looked at where a product has come from in the market. We have looked at when companies were founded, their leadership team, their mission statements, and their successes. We have also considered product updates and how regularly new features are added. We have ensured all vendors are credible leaders with a solution we would be happy to use ourselves.
Based on our experience in the identity and broader cybersecurity and security software market we have also considered several other factors, such as extended capabilities and offerings in adjacent product categories (MDR, XDR, EDR), ease of use and deployment, and integrations on offer.
There are over 400 vendors in the endpoint security software market. This list is designed to be a selection of the best providers. Many leading solutions have not been included in this list, with no criticism intended.
Any physical device connected to your network is described as an ‘endpoint’ in cybersecurity. This can include PCs, laptops, cell devices, virtual machines, servers, and routers. Internet-of-things (IoT) devices are also endpoints – this includes cameras, smart speakers, lights, security hardware, smart refrigerators, toys, and even smart televisions.
Essentially, any device that can connect to your network and transfer or receive data is considered an endpoint device. Any of these devices has the potential to become compromised and pose a risk to the wider network. However, most security solutions for the enterprise focus on protecting endpoints and user devices, such as laptops, PCs, and smartphones, rather than IoT devices. This is because these web browsing workstations are the most targeted vectors in most organizations when it comes to malware and ransomware.
Endpoint protection (EPP) software is a cybersecurity solution that protects your endpoint devices (PCs, mobiles, laptops, tablets, routers, etc.,) against malware, phishing, harmful files, and suspicious activity.
EPP solutions are typically deployed via a software agent, which is installed directly onto the end user’s device and managed by admins from a central dashboard. From here the admins can configure policies, respond to incidents, and track endpoints connected to the network.
These solutions are deployed directly onto every individual endpoint on the network. This enables them to scan the device locally for malware, suspicious activity, and other cyber threats. They can also encrypt files and ensure that only approved applications are installed on the device.
Traditionally, endpoint security tools would use a signature-based system to detect malware and prevent it from being installed. Signature-based detection systems compare files and URLs with known malware examples to prevent users from downloading malicious documents or visiting harmful web pages. While this provides fast and effective protection against known risks, there is the risk that unknown and emerging malware strains can slip through, leaving you vulnerable to new security incidents.
For this reason, many leading endpoint security tools today use a heuristic system based on ML engines, alongside (or in place of) signature-based detection. Heuristic endpoint protection platforms use a confidence-based philosophy to assess files and judge whether it is likely to be malicious, even if the code has never been seen before. As many cybersecurity companies operate massive threat intelligence platforms with hundreds of millions of data points collected every day, week, or month, it does not take long for these AI systems to become effective at catching highly advanced malware strains, with very low false positive rates.
Many endpoint security vendors now combine endpoint security with endpoint detection and response (EDR) and extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities. These services provide greater remediation and investigation features, often utilizing machine learning to enable faster identification and resolution of detected threats. They also often integrate with third-party tools for more in-depth reporting across your security stack. You can view our guide to the top XDR solutions here.
EDR solutions are an evolution of endpoint security that continuously monitors end-user devices to detect and respond to advanced threats. While endpoint protection platforms traditionally scan user devices periodically (as well as scanning new files and web downloads), EDR solutions continuously scan for suspicious activity, recording, and analyzing endpoint behaviors at the system level. EDR solutions can automatically block malicious endpoint activity and provide high levels of contextual data and remediation actions for IT admins.
Many endpoint security vendors now offer EDR capabilities built into their core endpoint solutions, or offer these features as additional, tightly integrated products. We’ve put together a separate list of the top endpoint detection and response solutions here.
XDR tools are an evolution of EDR solutions. They are SaaS-based solutions that provide threat detection and incident response across the entire network, not just your endpoints. This improves your overall security posture.
We’ve put together a separate guide to choosing the best XDR solutions here.
MDR refers to EDR solutions that are managed by a security vendor directly on behalf of the organization. Tasks such as incident investigation, alert triaging, threat hunting, and remediation are outsourced to the vendor, saving valuable time for IT admins and SOC teams. This can make security more accessible to SMBs with a lack of internal resources, and can bolster the efforts of larger security teams with external expertise. You can read our guide to the top 10 managed detection and response solutions here.
Endpoint security is typically deployed as a software agent which is downloaded to end user-devices. These work on the device locally, so scanning and threat assessments can take place even when the device is offline.
A key component of endpoint security is the management console, which allows admins to monitor, control, and track all the endpoint devices with the software agent installed. This admin console can be deployed in the cloud, on-premises, or a hybrid approach, depending on your organization’s preferences.
There are many considerations to make when choosing a solution, such factors include price, features, and compatibility with the devices your workforce uses. Some important factors to consider when choosing the right solution include:
Planning out your organization’s requirements around these questions can be a strong way to identify the best endpoint protection solution for your organization.
To protect endpoint devices against malware, there are many key features enterprise that solutions should provide for teams. This includes:
The endpoint security market can be very complex, making it tricky to identify the best solution for your needs. This is made all the more difficult for small businesses who may not have the expertise to decide. For small businesses, there are several factors to be considered, not least your organizations budget, the type of endpoint devices you are running (Mac vs PC), your industry, the level of security you need, and the number of users.
There are a wealth of endpoint security providers that offer powerful, easy-to-install, and cost-effective endpoint security solutions for small-and-midsized organizations. ESET, Avast, and Bitdefender, for example, are all known for their small-business and consumer focused endpoint security solutions. There is more detail on each of these providers featured on our list of the top endpoint security solutions for business.
For more information from Expert Insights on the endpoint security market, read our guide to the Top 10 Antivirus Software For Small Businesses.
There has been an increase in devices needed for an employee to do their work in recent years. It was estimated by TechJury that by the end of 2021, there would be 46 billion IoT devices connected around the world. That’s a lot of devices. Each device connected to a company network is a gateway to said company network. Traditional security measures simply aren’t sufficient to defend organizations against these security threats.
With so many devices in circulation and so many of them potentially attached to your company network, it opens up a lot of unsecure gateways for threat actors to take advantage of. While endpoint security also serves for on-prem devices within the data center, it becomes especially important when these devices reside outside of it, which has become the norm since COVID-19 and the rapid rise of remote work and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). These devices are all endpoints and potential attack vectors which need to be secured.
Potential risk can come from all angles. Malware, ransomware, and security breaches can occur from an employee clicking a malicious link on their mobile device, or from someone downloading an attachment from a dubious source, as well as other avenues. A rise in hybrid and remote working has also seen end-users connecting to work networks at home or through public Wi-Fi networks. This, twinned with an increase in edge devices (devices that reside outside of a centralized data center) and BYOD, has led to an increasingly flexible network perimeter.
Comprehensive endpoint protection aims to eliminate these risks (cybersecurity threats, complex attack patterns, and advanced persistent threats) by securing an organization’s endpoints through playing a central role in a modern cybersecurity strategy. In practice, this involves defending against external threats through unifying security measures and integrating behavioral analysis, enabling security teams to gain full visibility.
Joel Witts is the Content Director at Expert Insights, meaning he oversees all articles published and topics covered. He is an experienced journalist and writer, specialising in identity and access management, Zero Trust, cloud business technologies, and cybersecurity. Joel is a co-host of the Expert Insights Podcast and conducts regular interviews with leading B2B tech industry experts, including directors at Microsoft and Google. Joel holds a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from Cardiff University.
Craig MacAlpine is CEO and founder of Expert Insights. Before founding Expert Insights in August 2018, Craig spent 10 years as CEO of EPA cloud, an email security provider acquired by Ziff Davies, formerly J2Global (NASQAQ: ZD) in 2013, which has now been rebranded as VIPRE Email Security. Craig has extensive experience in the email security industry, with 20+ years of experience helping organizations to stay secure with innovative information security and cyber security solutions.