CrowdStrike vs Microsoft Defender vs SentinelOne for UK Businesses
Choosing the wrong endpoint security platform costs more than a licence fee. It costs breach response time, staff productivity, and – for regulated Edinburgh firms – potentially your compliance standing. Yet most UK SMEs pick their EDR based on a vendor demo rather than real-world detection data.
In MITRE Engenuity’s ATT&CK Evaluations (2024), CrowdStrike and SentinelOne both achieved near-perfect detection coverage, while Microsoft Defender for Endpoint showed marked improvement over previous rounds. The differences between these three aren’t about whether they “work” – they all detect threats effectively. The real differences are in pricing, deployment complexity, UK-based support, and how well they fit into your existing technology stack.
This comparison is written for UK businesses with 25-500 endpoints. We’ve stripped out the marketing language and focused on what actually matters when you’re signing a 12-month contract.
TL;DR: For Microsoft 365 E5 customers, Defender for Endpoint is included at no extra cost and delivers strong detection rates. CrowdStrike offers best-in-class protection at £8-15 per endpoint per month. SentinelOne sits between the two on price at £6-12 per endpoint and offers excellent automation. Your existing stack determines the right choice more than any feature comparison.
How Do Detection Rates Actually Compare?
All three platforms scored above 95% analytic detection coverage in MITRE Engenuity’s ATT&CK Evaluations Round 6 (MITRE Engenuity, 2024). CrowdStrike detected 100% of attack steps with zero detection delays. SentinelOne achieved 100% detection (80/80 technique detections) in the 2024 MITRE ATT&CK Round 6 evaluation with its Singularity XDR platform. Defender for Endpoint detected 98% of attack steps – a significant jump from earlier rounds.
But detection rate alone doesn’t tell the full story. What matters equally is how each platform surfaces those detections to your team. CrowdStrike groups related alerts into incidents automatically, reducing alert fatigue. SentinelOne’s Storyline technology maps the full attack chain visually. Defender integrates alerts directly into the Microsoft 365 security portal, which is convenient if your team already lives there.
The practical question for most Edinburgh SMEs isn’t “which detects more?” – it’s “which gives my team the clearest picture with the least noise?”
In MITRE Engenuity’s 2024 ATT&CK Evaluations, CrowdStrike Falcon achieved 100% analytic detection coverage with zero delays, SentinelOne Singularity matched that breadth, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint reached ~95% – making all three viable for UK SME endpoint protection.
Independent Test Results Worth Checking
AV-Comparatives and SE Labs provide additional independent validation. SE Labs awarded AAA ratings to all three platforms in their 2024 enterprise endpoint protection tests. AV-Comparatives noted CrowdStrike and SentinelOne achieved 99.8% and 99.6% malware protection rates respectively in real-world testing (AV-Comparatives, 2024).
Don’t rely on any single test. MITRE evaluations don’t measure false positive rates. AV-Comparatives tests include false positive scoring but use different threat samples. Look at the trend across multiple tests rather than fixating on a single percentage.
What Does Each Platform Actually Cost for UK Businesses?
Pricing is where these three platforms diverge sharply. According to publicly available and channel pricing data, CrowdStrike Falcon Pro starts at approximately £8-15 per endpoint per month for UK SMEs (CrowdStrike, 2025). SentinelOne Singularity Core sits at £6-12 per endpoint per month. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is included with Microsoft 365 E5 at £49.20 per user per month (Microsoft, 2025).
That Microsoft price deserves scrutiny. If you’re already on M365 E5, Defender is effectively free. If you’re on Business Premium or E3, adding Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 as a standalone licence costs approximately £4.50 per user per month. That makes it the cheapest option by far – but only if you’re already committed to the Microsoft ecosystem.
Hidden Costs to Watch
CrowdStrike’s headline pricing doesn’t include Falcon Complete (their managed service) or Falcon Insight XDR (the full XDR suite). Adding those pushes the per-endpoint cost above £20/month. SentinelOne’s Singularity Complete tier – which adds threat hunting and deeper forensics – typically runs £10-15 per endpoint per month.
Deployment costs matter too. CrowdStrike and SentinelOne are cloud-native and typically deploy in hours. Defender’s full capability set requires proper configuration of Microsoft Intune, Conditional Access policies, and the Microsoft 365 Defender portal. For a 100-seat Edinburgh business without in-house expertise, that configuration work could add £2,000-5,000 in consultancy fees.
What we’ve seen: Edinburgh businesses on M365 E3 often assume upgrading to E5 “just for Defender” is cost-effective. Run the numbers carefully. The E3-to-E5 uplift is roughly £15 per user per month. For 100 users, that’s £18,000 per year. CrowdStrike Falcon Pro for the same 100 endpoints might cost £12,000-15,000. The E5 licence includes much more than just Defender, but if you don’t need those extras, standalone EDR can be cheaper.
How Complex Is Deployment for Each Platform?
Deployment speed varies dramatically between these three platforms. Gartner’s 2024 Peer Insights reviews report average deployment times of 2-4 weeks for CrowdStrike, 1-3 weeks for SentinelOne, and 4-8 weeks for a full Microsoft Defender for Endpoint rollout with proper policy configuration (Gartner Peer Insights, 2024).
CrowdStrike’s single lightweight agent installs in minutes per endpoint. The Falcon console is intuitive enough that a competent IT administrator can manage it without specialist training. SentinelOne follows a similar model – one agent, cloud console, minimal infrastructure requirements.
Defender is the outlier. The agent itself is built into Windows 10/11, so there’s nothing to install. But configuring it properly requires Intune for policy management, Azure AD for identity integration, and careful tuning of attack surface reduction rules. Misconfigure those rules and you’ll block legitimate business applications.
What About Mac and Linux Coverage?
All three support macOS and Linux. CrowdStrike has the most mature cross-platform agent – their Linux support covers 20+ distributions. SentinelOne supports major distributions and macOS with near feature parity. Defender’s macOS and Linux agents are functional but historically lag behind the Windows agent in feature depth.
For Edinburgh businesses running a mixed estate – Windows desktops, a few Macs for the design team, Linux servers – CrowdStrike or SentinelOne offer a more consistent cross-platform experience.
Which Platform Has the Best UK Support?
Support quality matters more than vendors admit, especially during an active incident. CrowdStrike operates a UK-based support team and has a dedicated UK sales presence. SentinelOne expanded its UK operations significantly in 2024, with support available from their European centres. Microsoft’s UK support depends on your licence tier – E5 customers get priority, while smaller plans route through standard Microsoft support channels (Microsoft UK, 2025).
During an incident, response speed is everything. CrowdStrike’s Falcon Complete customers get a 1-hour response SLA for critical threats. SentinelOne’s Vigilance service offers similar response commitments. Microsoft’s fastest incident response comes through their Security Experts service, which is priced separately and primarily aimed at enterprise customers.
For Edinburgh SMEs, the practical question is whether you’ll interact with UK-based engineers who understand your regulatory context – FCA, SRA, ICO – or a global queue. CrowdStrike and SentinelOne’s dedicated UK presence gives them an edge here.
CrowdStrike’s Falcon Complete service offers a 1-hour critical incident response SLA with UK-based support staff. SentinelOne’s Vigilance managed service provides comparable response commitments from European centres. Microsoft’s fastest security response requires the separately priced Security Experts service, primarily aimed at enterprise customers.
How Well Does Each Integrate with Microsoft 365?
For Edinburgh businesses running Microsoft 365, integration depth varies significantly. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint integrates natively with the entire Microsoft security stack – Intune, Azure AD, Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Cloud Apps, and Purview (Microsoft Learn, 2025). That native integration is its strongest competitive advantage.
CrowdStrike integrates with M365 through its Falcon platform APIs. It can ingest Azure AD identity signals and correlate them with endpoint telemetry. The integration works well but requires configuration. It doesn’t match the seamless, out-of-the-box experience of keeping everything within Microsoft’s ecosystem.
SentinelOne offers M365 integration through its Singularity Marketplace. It connects to Azure AD for identity context and can ingest Microsoft 365 audit logs. Like CrowdStrike, it’s functional but requires deliberate setup.
The Ecosystem Lock-in Question
There’s a strategic consideration here that goes beyond features. Choosing Defender deepens your dependency on Microsoft’s security ecosystem. If Microsoft raises E5 pricing – and they’ve increased it twice in three years – your security platform cost rises with it. CrowdStrike and SentinelOne give you portability. You can switch cloud providers, change your productivity suite, or adjust your Microsoft licensing without affecting your endpoint security.
Is that portability worth the price premium? For a 50-person Edinburgh accountancy firm locked into M365, probably not. For a 200-person financial services company with regulatory requirements around vendor diversification, it might be essential.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | CrowdStrike Falcon | Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | SentinelOne Singularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| MITRE ATT&CK Detection (2024) | 100% | ~95% | 100% |
| UK Pricing (per endpoint/month) | £8-15 | Included with E5; £4.50 standalone | £6-12 |
| Deployment Time | 2-4 weeks | 4-8 weeks (full config) | 1-3 weeks |
| Agent Weight | Lightweight, single agent | Built into Windows; separate for Mac/Linux | Lightweight, single agent |
| M365 Integration | Good (API-based) | Native (seamless) | Good (Marketplace connectors) |
| XDR Capability | Falcon Insight XDR | Microsoft 365 Defender | Singularity XDR |
| Automated Response | Yes – network containment, process kill | Yes – automated investigation and remediation | Yes – Storyline Active Response (STAR) |
| Managed Service Option | Falcon Complete (1-hour SLA) | Security Experts (enterprise only) | Vigilance MDR |
| UK-Based Support | Yes – UK team | Depends on licence tier | Yes – European centres |
| Cross-Platform (Mac/Linux) | Excellent – 20+ Linux distros | Functional – improving | Strong – major distros and macOS |
| Threat Intelligence | Industry-leading (CrowdStrike Intel) | Microsoft Threat Intelligence | Good (integrated feeds) |
| Minimum Commitment | Typically 12 months, 50+ seats | Monthly (part of M365 licence) | Typically 12 months, flexible minimums |
What’s the Verdict for UK SMEs?
The UK endpoint protection market reached $1.8 billion in 2024, growing 14% year-on-year (IDC Worldwide Endpoint Security Market Share, 2024). That growth is driven by businesses upgrading from basic antivirus to full EDR/XDR. Here’s how to choose between these three.
Choose Microsoft Defender for Endpoint If…
You’re already paying for Microsoft 365 E5 or plan to upgrade regardless. You run a predominantly Windows environment. Your team is comfortable with the Microsoft admin stack – Intune, Azure AD, the M365 security portal. You want a single vendor for productivity and security. And you’re prepared to invest in proper configuration (either in-house or via a consultant).
Defender is the right choice for most Edinburgh professional services firms between 50 and 250 seats that are already committed to the Microsoft ecosystem.
Choose CrowdStrike Falcon If…
You want the highest detection rates with the least operational overhead. You need strong cross-platform support. You’re prepared to pay a premium for best-in-class threat intelligence. Your regulatory environment requires vendor diversification away from a single-vendor Microsoft stack. Or you’ve had a breach and your board wants the name that appears at the top of every independent test.
CrowdStrike is the right choice for Edinburgh financial services firms, legal practices handling sensitive M&A work, and any business where the cost of a breach significantly exceeds the premium for top-tier protection.
Choose SentinelOne Singularity If…
You want near-CrowdStrike detection quality at a lower price point. Your team values automated response capabilities – SentinelOne’s Storyline STAR rules can contain threats without human intervention. You need a fast deployment with minimal infrastructure. And you want MDR available as an add-on (Vigilance) without the CrowdStrike premium.
SentinelOne is the right choice for Edinburgh businesses that have outgrown basic antivirus, need strong protection, but can’t justify CrowdStrike’s pricing and don’t have M365 E5.
Our recommendation framework: We’ve helped Edinburgh businesses across all three platforms. The decision tree is simpler than vendors make it: (1) Are you on M365 E5? Start with Defender. (2) Is budget the primary constraint? Evaluate SentinelOne. (3) Is risk tolerance your primary constraint? Evaluate CrowdStrike. Most Edinburgh SMEs under 100 seats end up on Defender because they’re already paying for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run CrowdStrike or SentinelOne alongside Microsoft Defender?
Yes, but it’s rarely advisable. Running two EDR agents creates conflicts – duplicate alerts, performance degradation, and investigation confusion. Microsoft Defender automatically enters passive mode when it detects another EDR agent. If you’re paying for CrowdStrike or SentinelOne, disable Defender’s real-time protection to avoid conflicts. According to Microsoft’s own documentation, passive mode provides limited scanning but no real-time protection.
Which platform is best for Cyber Essentials compliance?
All three satisfy Cyber Essentials’ malware protection control. The NCSC Cyber Essentials scheme (2025) requires that all endpoints have malware protection that is actively updated and configured to scan files and web pages. CrowdStrike, Defender, and SentinelOne all exceed these requirements. For Cyber Essentials Plus, the hands-on audit may test response capabilities – EDR with active monitoring strengthens your position.
What happens if CrowdStrike has another outage like July 2024?
The July 2024 CrowdStrike outage affected 8.5 million Windows devices globally (Microsoft, July 2024). CrowdStrike has since implemented staged rollout for content updates, a content validation system, and customer-controlled update policies. No security vendor is immune to update failures – Microsoft and SentinelOne have had their own incidents. The mitigation is proper backup and recovery procedures, not vendor avoidance.
Is SentinelOne suitable for regulated UK businesses?
SentinelOne holds SOC 2 Type II certification and offers EU data residency. For FCA-regulated Edinburgh firms, SentinelOne’s data can be stored within European data centres. The platform’s automated forensics and incident timeline features support the detailed breach reporting that UK regulators expect. It’s a viable choice for regulated businesses, though CrowdStrike’s longer track record with UK financial services firms gives it an edge in regulatory familiarity.
Next Steps
The best endpoint security platform is the one that fits your existing stack, your budget, and your team’s capability. A vendor demo won’t tell you that – it’ll tell you what the vendor wants you to hear.
Start with an honest assessment of what you have today. What’s your current Microsoft licence level? How many endpoints do you actually need to protect? Does your team have the skills to manage a security console, or do you need a managed service on top?
A 30-minute conversation with an Edinburgh IT consultant who’s deployed all three platforms will save you weeks of vendor evaluation. We can assess your current setup, map it against each platform’s strengths, and give you a clear recommendation with no vendor bias.
Book your free consultation
A 30-minute conversation can establish your current position and identify practical next steps.
About the author: Krzysztof Wiselka is the founder of Virtually Pro Ltd, 83 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2ER. Virtually Pro provides endpoint security, managed detection and response, and Microsoft 365 services for Edinburgh businesses.