Endpoint detection and response (EDR) records what happens on your workstations and servers, detects suspicious behavior that signature-based antivirus misses, and can isolate a compromised machine before an attacker spreads. For a small business, the hard part is not picking a brand. It is deciding whether you are buying the tool alone or the tool plus a team to run it. This guide ranks six EDR solutions for small and mid-sized businesses in 2026, ordered for a buyer without a full in-house security team, with real per-endpoint pricing and an honest note on where each fits.
Disclosure: Unió Digital is a managed service provider that deploys several of the platforms below, Huntress in particular, as a managed layer for Arizona clients. We have ranked for small-business fit and named the pricing and watch-outs plainly so the list is useful even if you never talk to us.
Quick Comparison Table
| Solution | Best for | Typical price | 24/7 team included? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntress Managed EDR | SMBs with no in-house SOC | $8.99 / endpoint / mo | Yes (24/7 SOC) |
| Microsoft Defender for Business | Businesses already on M365 | Included in Business Premium; ~$3 / user / mo standalone | No |
| SentinelOne Singularity | Teams wanting autonomous response | ~$70 to $80 / endpoint / yr | No (MDR sold separately) |
| CrowdStrike Falcon Go | Lightweight cloud-native EDR | ~$60 / device / yr (max 100) | No (MDR sold separately) |
| Bitdefender GravityZone | Budget-conscious value | ~$27 to $77 / endpoint / yr | No (MDR sold separately) |
| Sophos Intercept X | All-in-one endpoint stack | Quote via partner; MDR add-on | Optional (Sophos MDR) |
Prices are published 2026 list rates as of this update; managed detection and response (a provider's 24/7 analysts) typically adds $5 to $20 per endpoint per month on top of any tool that does not already include it.
How we selected these solutions
This is not a pay-to-play list. Candidates were chosen on three signals, and we note which applies to each entry: presence in independent SMB EDR comparisons and analyst peer reviews; a published per-endpoint price a small business can actually hold the vendor to; and small-business fit, so a tool that bundles or easily adds a 24/7 team ranks above one that assumes you have your own analysts. Pricing is reported from each vendor's public rates and reputable 2026 pricing roundups, not from a quote we negotiated.
1. Huntress Managed EDR — Best for SMBs With No In-House SOC
Huntress is built for small and mid-sized businesses and the MSPs that serve them. Its Managed EDR includes a 24/7 Security Operations Center that triages every alert and remediates real threats, so you buy the tooling and the humans in one line. Published pricing is $8.99 per endpoint per month with the SOC and an 8-minute mean time to respond included at no extra charge.
Strengths: SOC included, not an add-on; low tuning burden; layers on top of Microsoft Defender rather than ripping it out; strong fit for businesses under 500 employees.
Watch-outs: It is a managed service, so you are trusting a provider's analysts rather than running the console yourself. That is the point, but confirm the SLA.
Best for: Any SMB that cannot staff round-the-clock alert triage. Compare it head to head against the enterprise names on our Huntress vs CrowdStrike and Huntress vs SentinelOne breakdowns.
2. Microsoft Defender for Business — Best If You Already Run Microsoft 365
Microsoft Defender for Business is an enterprise-grade EDR for organizations with up to 300 employees, and it is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium ($22 per user per month). As a standalone it runs about $3 per user per month. It delivers genuine endpoint detection and response, next-generation antivirus, attack-surface reduction, and vulnerability management.
Strengths: Effectively free if you already pay for Business Premium; deep integration with the Microsoft 365 identity and email stack; a solid baseline for most small businesses.
Watch-outs: Defender surfaces detections but does not staff a human response. It is a baseline, not a 24/7 service. The mature pattern is to keep Defender and add a managed layer on top; see Microsoft Defender vs Huntress.
Best for: Businesses standardized on Microsoft 365 that want a strong EDR baseline before adding managed response.
3. SentinelOne Singularity — Best for Autonomous Response
SentinelOne Singularity is a leading EDR platform known for autonomous, on-device response that can detect and roll back a threat without waiting for a cloud round-trip. Published list rates put Singularity Core at $69.99 per endpoint per year and Control at $79.99 per endpoint per year, so a 10-device fleet runs roughly $700 to $800 per year.
Strengths: Fast, autonomous response; strong independent detection scores; a capable console if you have someone to drive it.
Watch-outs: The base license is tooling, not a service. Adding SentinelOne's Vigilance MDR (or a third-party SOC) is an extra per-endpoint fee. Best when you have security staff or an MSP.
Best for: Businesses with an IT or security team that wants a powerful EDR engine. See Microsoft Defender vs SentinelOne for how it stacks against the Microsoft baseline.
4. CrowdStrike Falcon Go — Best Lightweight Cloud-Native EDR
CrowdStrike Falcon Go is the small-business tier of the enterprise Falcon platform, built to be lightweight and cloud-native with a single low-footprint agent. It runs about $60 per device per year (roughly $600 for a 10-device fleet) and is capped at 100 endpoints, which keeps it squarely in the SMB lane.
Strengths: Enterprise-grade detection in an SMB package; minimal endpoint performance impact; fast deployment.
Watch-outs: Falcon Go is the tool; 24/7 managed response (Falcon Complete or a partner SOC) is a separate, higher-cost tier. The 100-endpoint cap means growing firms eventually move up the Falcon ladder.
Best for: Small businesses that want a name-brand cloud-native EDR and have someone to act on alerts. Compare on our Huntress vs CrowdStrike page.
5. Bitdefender GravityZone — Best Budget Value
Bitdefender GravityZone is consistently one of the lowest-cost EDR options with strong independent detection results. Small-business EDR pricing starts around $27 to $39 per device per year on promotional rates, with GravityZone Business Security Premium (EDR included) commonly landing near $77 per endpoint per year at list.
Strengths: Excellent price-to-protection ratio; well-regarded detection engine; a sensible choice when budget is the constraint.
Watch-outs: As with the others, the base tier is tooling. GravityZone MDR is a separate add-on if you want a 24/7 team. Tiering can be confusing, so confirm EDR is actually in the SKU you buy.
Best for: Cost-sensitive small businesses that still want real EDR, not just antivirus.
6. Sophos Intercept X — Best All-in-One Endpoint Stack
Sophos Intercept X pairs EDR and XDR with a broad endpoint-protection suite (anti-ransomware, exploit prevention, and web/device control) and an optional 24/7 Sophos MDR service. Pricing is quote-based through partners rather than a public flat rate, so get a per-endpoint number in writing before you compare.
Strengths: One vendor across endpoint, EDR/XDR, and managed response; strong anti-ransomware; a single console for firms that want to consolidate.
Watch-outs: No public list price, so pricing transparency is lower than the others. Confirm whether you are buying Intercept X alone or with Sophos MDR. See Huntress vs Sophos MDR for the managed-service angle.
Best for: Businesses that want one vendor for the whole endpoint stack including optional MDR.
EDR or MDR: Which Does a Small Business Actually Need?
The most common mistake is buying raw EDR tooling with nobody watching it. EDR is the tooling; MDR (Managed Detection and Response) is that tooling plus a 24/7 team who investigate and remediate for you. For a business under 500 employees with no in-house SOC, the honest answer is usually MDR, either bundled (Huntress) or added on top of a tool like Defender, SentinelOne, or CrowdStrike. For the full category breakdown, read EDR vs MDR vs XDR, and for the build-versus-buy math see SOC-as-a-Service vs in-house SOC. If you are weighing MDR against a log platform, our MDR vs SIEM breakdown covers the difference.
How Unió Digital Fits
Unió Digital delivers human-led managed detection and response with 24/7/365 monitoring, an 8-minute mean response time, and EDR on every workstation and server included. As an operator-led MSP, we deploy and run the endpoint stack for Arizona small and mid-sized businesses, and we can also license and stand up a platform for internal IT teams who want to keep the console. Start with our managed cybersecurity service, the broader cybersecurity overview, or the security services hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best EDR for a small business in 2026?
For most small businesses, the best setup is Microsoft Defender for Business as the baseline (included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium) plus a managed EDR layer such as Huntress at $8.99 per endpoint per month that includes a 24/7 SOC. If you have an in-house security team, SentinelOne Singularity or CrowdStrike Falcon Go are strong standalone EDR tools.
How much does EDR cost per endpoint?
EDR tooling typically runs $3 to $10 per endpoint per month, or roughly $27 to $80 per endpoint per year, depending on vendor and tier. Bitdefender GravityZone starts near $27 to $77 per endpoint per year, CrowdStrike Falcon Go about $60 per device per year, and SentinelOne $70 to $80 per endpoint per year. Adding a 24/7 managed team (MDR) usually adds $5 to $20 per endpoint per month unless it is already included.
Is Microsoft Defender for Business a real EDR?
Yes. Microsoft Defender for Business, included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, provides genuine endpoint detection and response, next-generation antivirus, attack-surface reduction, and vulnerability management for organizations up to 300 employees. What it does not include is a staffed 24/7 human response, which is why many businesses add a managed layer on top.
Do I need EDR if I already have antivirus?
Yes. Traditional antivirus blocks known malware by signature. EDR records endpoint behavior, catches suspicious activity that has no known signature, and enables investigation and response such as isolating a machine. Modern EDR includes next-generation antivirus, so it is a superset of AV rather than a competing purchase.
Can my MSP manage EDR for me?
Yes, and for most small businesses that is the right model. An MSP deploys the EDR agent, tunes policy, and either runs a 24/7 SOC or manages a bundled managed-EDR product so alerts get worked around the clock. That removes the biggest failure mode of small-business EDR: buying the tool but having nobody watching it after hours.
Sources & References
- Microsoft Defender for Business: Microsoft, Defender for Business and Microsoft 365 Security pricing for SMB
- CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Bitdefender SMB pricing: iFeeltech, CrowdStrike vs SentinelOne vs Bitdefender: The SMB Guide (2026)
- Huntress Managed EDR: Huntress, Managed EDR
- Sophos Intercept X: Sophos, Intercept X endpoint protection
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