Cybersecurity · head to head
Microsoft Defender vs VMware Carbon Black
Microsoft Defender
Cybersecurity
Always-on protection for you and your family's data and devices
- From
- $12/month
- Rated
- -
VMware Carbon Black
Cybersecurity
Cloud-delivered endpoint protection and EDR, now owned by Broadcom and positioned alongside Symantec.
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Microsoft Defender defender Suite requires existing Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent base licensing; VMware Carbon Black broadcom's enterprise model concentrates direct sales and support on its largest accounts and moves everyone else to resellers, so a mid-size customer can lose named support contacts and face a substantially repriced renewal with limited notice.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Defender and VMware Carbon Black actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Defender | VMware Carbon Black |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $12/month | On request |
| Platforms | Web | Desktop, Api |
| Founded | Unknown | 2002 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Microsoft Defender
Nothing recorded that VMware Carbon Black does not also cover.
Only in VMware Carbon Black
- Endpoint Standard
- Enterprise EDR
- Audit and Remediation
- Single sensor
- Live Response
- Workload protection
- Container security
- Watchlists and feeds
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Microsoft Defender
- Endpoint security and threat protectionnot VMware Carbon Black
- Identity and access securitynot VMware Carbon Black
- Email threat protectionnot VMware Carbon Black
- SaaS application security monitoringnot VMware Carbon Black
VMware Carbon Black
- A SOC that wants unfiltered endpoint telemetry to hunt over rather than only vendor-generated alertsnot Microsoft Defender
- A vSphere estate that wants workload protection deployed through the hypervisor instead of installing an agent in every guestnot Microsoft Defender
- Replacing signature antivirus after an incident where the incumbent product had no record of what the attacker didnot Microsoft Defender
- An organisation already inside a Broadcom or Symantec enterprise agreement that can consolidate endpoint onto an existing contractnot Microsoft Defender
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Microsoft Defender
- Defender Suite requires existing Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent base licensing
- Some Defender products use pay-as-you-go pricing with variable costs
- Prices vary based on Microsoft agreements, requiring sales contact for custom quotes
VMware Carbon Black
- Broadcom's enterprise model concentrates direct sales and support on its largest accounts and moves everyone else to resellers, so a mid-size customer can lose named support contacts and face a substantially repriced renewal with limited notice.
- Continuous EDR recording is retained for a defined window and longer retention is a paid tier, so the investigation you most need is often the one whose telemetry has already aged out, and that is discovered during the incident rather than before it.
- The product assumes an operator: watchlists, policy tuning and alert triage are ongoing work, and organisations without a dedicated analyst or an MDR contract typically leave policies in monitor mode and pay for telemetry that is never reviewed.
- The sensor operates in the same kernel and file-filter territory as other endpoint agents, so running it alongside an incumbent antivirus, DLP or backup agent commonly produces performance complaints and requires maintained exclusion lists on both sides.
- Linux sensor support is tied to specific distribution and kernel versions, so a routine operating system upgrade can leave hosts without a supported sensor until a matching build ships, and anything outside the supported list gets no coverage at all.
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft Defender
$12/month- Microsoft Defender Suite$12/month
- Endpoint protection
- Identity threat detection
- Email security
- Microsoft 365 E5 with Defender$60/month
- Includes Defender Suite
- Microsoft Teams included
- Comprehensive security and compliance
- Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Add-on$2/month
- Vulnerability scanning and management
- One-month free trial available
- Annual commitment required
VMware Carbon Black
On request- CB Endpoint StandardFree
- NGAV
- Behavioral EDR
- Device control
- CB Endpoint AdvancedFree
- All Standard features
- Threat hunting
- Audit and remediation
- CB Endpoint EnterpriseFree
- All Advanced features
- Advanced threat hunting
- Live response
Which should you pick?
Choose Microsoft Defender if
Nothing in the data separates Microsoft Defender from VMware Carbon Black on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose VMware Carbon Black if
- You need endpoint standard.
- You work on Desktop, Api.
- You also want enterprise edr.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Defender or VMware Carbon Black better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and VMware Carbon Black at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Defender or VMware Carbon Black?
- Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and VMware Carbon Black at On request.
- Does Microsoft Defender or VMware Carbon Black run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Defender runs on Web. VMware Carbon Black runs on Desktop, Api.
- What is Microsoft Defender best used for?
- Microsoft Defender is most often used for endpoint security and threat protection, identity and access security, email threat protection, saas application security monitoring. Of those, endpoint security and threat protection and identity and access security are not what VMware Carbon Black is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Defender do that VMware Carbon Black cannot?
- VMware Carbon Black covers Endpoint Standard, Enterprise EDR, Audit and Remediation, Single sensor.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Microsoft Defender: How much does Microsoft Defender Suite cost?
Microsoft Defender Suite costs $12/user/month (paid yearly), but requires existing Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent base licensing. It includes endpoint protection, identity threat detection, email security, and SaaS application monitoring.
SourceVMware Carbon Black: Who owns Carbon Black now?
Broadcom. It acquired VMware in November 2023, and Carbon Black now sits in Broadcom's enterprise security business alongside Symantec. VMware branding is being phased out.
Microsoft Defender: What add-ons are available for Microsoft Defender?
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Add-on costs $2/user/month with annual commitment and includes a one-month free trial. Additional pay-as-you-go products include External Attack Surface Management, Cloud Security Posture Management, and Sentinel.
SourceVMware Carbon Black: Why do the docs use names I do not recognise?
The product has been renamed repeatedly. CB Defense is now Endpoint Standard, CB ThreatHunter is Enterprise EDR and CB LiveOps is Audit and Remediation. Older community answers and runbooks still use the previous names.
Microsoft Defender: Is Defender included in Microsoft 365 E5?
Yes, Microsoft Defender Suite is included in Microsoft 365 E5 at $60/user/month (paid yearly with Teams). Prices may vary based on Microsoft agreements, requiring contact with Sales for customized quotes.
SourceVMware Carbon Black: Does it replace my existing antivirus?
Yes on supported Windows, macOS and Linux versions, and running it alongside another antivirus is not recommended because the two agents contend for the same hooks. Check your compliance requirements, as some auditors still ask for a named antivirus product.
VMware Carbon Black: Do I need a full-time analyst to run it?
To get value from Enterprise EDR, effectively yes. The prevention tier can run with part-time attention, but the hunting and recording capability is only worth its cost if somebody is querying it, which is why many customers buy it through an MDR provider.
VMware Carbon Black: How is it licensed?
Per endpoint, per year, with the capability tier determining the rate and workload and container protection priced separately. Extended EDR data retention is an additional line item.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Defender
More on VMware Carbon Black
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