Endpoint security in 2026 looks nothing like it did five years ago. EDR has been swallowed by XDR, and vendors no longer sell endpoint-only products. Instead, they offer unified detection platforms that pull together endpoint, network, cloud, and identity telemetry into a single view. The market hit $21 billion in 2025 with 15.2% annual growth, and cloud-delivered EDR now accounts for 58% of deployments. CrowdStrike still leads despite the July 2024 outage that crashed roughly 8.5 million systems, while AI-powered investigation assistants have become standard across all major platforms.
How We Evaluated
We assessed platforms on detection efficacy across malware, fileless, and behavioral threats. Response capabilities mattered too, including automated containment, remediation depth, and forensic tools. We looked at XDR integration quality across endpoint, network, cloud, and identity data. AI capabilities like investigation assistants, automated triage, and threat hunting support factored heavily. Performance impact on endpoints and overall console usability rounded out the criteria.
1. CrowdStrike Falcon
Score: 95/100
CrowdStrike retained 97% gross subscription retention following the July 2024 global outage, which says something about how deeply embedded the platform is in enterprise security stacks. The company projects $4.8B in FY2026 revenue and holds roughly 18% global market share. Falcon’s single lightweight agent and Charlotte AI investigation assistant remain the benchmark others chase.
The platform covers EPP, EDR, XDR, identity protection, and cloud workloads from a single agent. Charlotte AI handles natural language threat investigation and automated triage. OverWatch managed threat hunting comes with premium tiers, and Falcon Complete includes a breach prevention warranty up to $1M. With 4.7 out of 5.0 on Gartner Peer Insights across 2,969 reviews, it has the highest customer satisfaction in the category.
Best for: Enterprises wanting the broadest XDR platform with managed threat hunting and industry-leading detection
2. SentinelOne Singularity
Score: 93/100
SentinelOne posted $821.5M in FY2025 revenue, up 32% year-over-year, and hit its first full year of positive net income. Purple AI went generally available in 2025 and provides natural language threat hunting and investigation across the Singularity Data Lake.
The platform delivers autonomous response with real-time containment and one-click remediation. Purple AI enables natural language queries across endpoint and cloud telemetry. Storyline technology automatically maps attack chains across processes and files. The Singularity Data Lake provides unified analytics with long-term retention. A 2025 partnership with Lenovo means the software comes pre-installed on ThinkShield business laptops.
Best for: Organizations prioritizing autonomous response, AI-powered hunting, and competitive pricing versus CrowdStrike
3. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Score: 90/100
Microsoft’s endpoint security benefits from integration with the Windows ecosystem, Entra ID, and the broader Defender XDR suite that no competitor can match. Copilot for Security adds natural language investigation. The value proposition is strongest for organizations already on Microsoft E5 licensing.
Deep Windows kernel integration and hardware-backed security features come standard. Copilot for Security provides AI-powered incident investigation and KQL generation. The unified XDR experience spans endpoint, email, identity, and cloud in the Defender portal. Attack surface reduction rules and firmware protection add defense layers. The platform holds 4.4 out of 5.0 on Gartner Peer Insights across 1,896 reviews.
Best for: Microsoft-centric enterprises wanting endpoint security bundled with E5 licensing and deep OS integration
4. Palo Alto Cortex XDR
Score: 89/100
Cortex XDR integrates endpoint, network, cloud, and identity data into a single detection platform, backed by Unit 42 threat intelligence. The pending CyberArk acquisition at $25B will add privileged access management and identity threat detection directly into the Cortex ecosystem.
The platform provides true XDR by correlating endpoint, network, cloud, and identity telemetry natively. Unit 42 contributes threat intelligence and managed threat hunting. Behavioral analytics rely on machine learning models trained on Palo Alto’s network data. Strong forensics and investigation capabilities include timeline reconstruction. Once CyberArk integrates, identity-centric detection and PAM correlation will follow.
Best for: Palo Alto customers wanting XDR that natively correlates network, endpoint, cloud, and identity data
5. Trend Micro Vision One
Score: 87/100
Trend Micro rebranded its XDR platform as Vision One, emphasizing attack surface risk management alongside detection and response. The platform covers endpoint, email, network, cloud, and OT environments with one of the broadest native sensor footprints available.
Native sensor coverage spans endpoint, email, network, cloud workloads, and OT. Attack Surface Risk Management continuously quantifies organizational risk. Virtual patching mitigates vulnerabilities before official patches arrive. A Companion AI assistant provides investigation guidance. Pricing stays competitive for mid-market deployments.
Best for: Organizations wanting broad XDR coverage including OT/ICS environments and attack surface management
6. Sophos Intercept X
Score: 85/100
Sophos gained significant scale with the $859M acquisition of Secureworks in 2025, adding managed detection capabilities and threat intelligence. Intercept X’s anti-ransomware technology and integration with Sophos MDR make it a strong mid-market choice.
CryptoGuard anti-ransomware technology automatically rolls back files. Deep integration connects Sophos MDR with Secureworks threat intelligence. Adaptive Attack Protection increases defenses when active attacks are detected. Central management spans endpoint, firewall, email, and wireless. A breach protection warranty comes included with MDR service.
Best for: Mid-market organizations wanting integrated endpoint and MDR from a single vendor
7. Cisco Secure Endpoint
Score: 83/100
Cisco’s endpoint security benefits from integration with the broader Cisco Security Cloud and Splunk’s SIEM/SOAR capabilities following the $28B acquisition. Combining network visibility from Cisco infrastructure with endpoint telemetry creates a detection advantage unique to Cisco-heavy environments.
The platform integrates with Cisco networking infrastructure for network-informed endpoint detection. Splunk SIEM/SOAR integration unifies detection and response workflows. Talos threat intelligence comes from one of the largest commercial threat research teams. Orbital Advanced Search enables real-time endpoint querying at scale. SecureX provides unified visibility across Cisco security products.
Best for: Cisco networking customers wanting endpoint security integrated with their network infrastructure and Splunk
8. Fortinet FortiEDR
Score: 81/100
FortiEDR integrates tightly with the Fortinet Security Fabric, providing endpoint detection that correlates with FortiGate firewall, FortiSIEM, and FortiSOAR data. The Lacework acquisition in late 2024 adds cloud-native workload protection.
Native integration covers FortiGate, FortiSIEM, FortiSOAR, and FortiNAC. Patented code-tracing technology enables post-infection real-time blocking. Automated playbooks work across the Security Fabric. Pricing and licensing stay competitive and simple. Cloud workload extension comes via Lacework integration.
Best for: Fortinet Security Fabric customers wanting endpoint detection tightly integrated with network security
9. VMware Carbon Black (Broadcom)
Score: 79/100
Now under Broadcom ownership following the VMware acquisition, Carbon Black’s future remains uncertain as Broadcom restructures the VMware product portfolio. The product retains strong capabilities but faces customer attrition due to licensing changes and support concerns.
Strong behavioral detection uses streaming analytics. Deep integration with VMware vSphere and NSX provides VM-level security. Live Query enables real-time endpoint investigation using SQL-like syntax. Container security for Kubernetes workloads comes via Tanzu integration. The uncertain roadmap under Broadcom ownership creates risk for new deployments.
Best for: VMware-heavy environments where vSphere integration is critical, though with caveats about Broadcom’s strategic direction
10. Cybereason
Score: 77/100
Following the Cybereason-Trustwave merger announced in November 2024, the combined entity offers endpoint security paired with managed security services. The MalOp (Malicious Operation) detection engine remains differentiated in its operation-centric approach.
The MalOp engine detects full attack operations rather than individual alerts. The operation-centric model reduces alert fatigue by grouping related events automatically. The Trustwave merger adds managed security services and SpiderLabs threat research. Cross-machine correlation identifies multi-endpoint attack campaigns. Predictive ransomware protection includes automatic file rollback.
Best for: Organizations prioritizing operation-centric detection that groups related attack activities across endpoints
Where the Market Is Heading
Several trends are reshaping endpoint security in 2026.
Pure endpoint-only products are essentially extinct. Every major vendor now correlates endpoint data with network, cloud, and identity telemetry. If you hear “EDR,” assume they mean XDR.
AI investigation assistants have become table stakes. Charlotte AI, Purple AI, Copilot, and others have made natural language investigation an expected feature rather than a differentiator. The question is no longer whether a vendor has AI, but how good it is.
Platform consolidation drives purchasing decisions. Enterprises increasingly choose endpoint security based on what else the vendor offers in SIEM, cloud, and identity rather than endpoint capabilities alone.
Agent fatigue pushes consolidation. Organizations are actively reducing the number of security agents on endpoints, favoring single-agent platforms.
The CrowdStrike outage reshaped resilience requirements. The July 2024 incident forced enterprises to evaluate agent update processes, kernel-level access policies, and single-vendor dependency risks. Whether that changes purchasing behavior remains to be seen, but it’s on every security leader’s mind.