Bitdefender vs CrowdStrike: protecting computers and servers
Bitdefender vs CrowdStrike: we compare GravityZone and Falcon. We explain when endpoint protection is enough and when a business needs EDR, XDR or MDR.
When you compare Bitdefender vs CrowdStrike, start with your needs: most small and mid-sized companies without their own security team are well served by properly configured protection for workstations and servers, managed from a single console. Bitdefender GravityZone is one example. We turn to EDR (endpoint detection and response) or XDR, such as CrowdStrike Falcon Enterprise or Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security Enterprise, when a company holds high-value data, when clients or regulations require it, or when it has already had an incident.
The vendor matters less than the question of who will respond to alerts. If nobody in your company will, our team can handle alerts under a contract, in the CrowdStrike console and in our ticketing system. The other route is a managed detection and response (MDR) service from the vendor.
Antivirus, EDR, XDR and MDR: how do they differ?
- Endpoint protection (EPP, often sold as next-generation antivirus) blocks known and suspicious threats on a computer or server before they do any damage.
- EDR (endpoint detection and response) also records what happens on the device and detects suspicious behaviour. It lets you investigate an incident and respond, for example by isolating a computer from the network.
- XDR (extended detection and response) combines data from computers with other sources: identities, email, the network and the cloud. This shows the whole course of an attack.
- MDR (managed detection and response) is a service in which a team of specialists analyses and handles EDR or XDR alerts around the clock.
We cover monitoring and incident response in more detail in our article on threat monitoring (in Polish).
Bitdefender GravityZone packages
Bitdefender sells business protection as packages of the GravityZone platform. According to the package comparison on the Bitdefender website (as of 5 October 2026):
| Package | What it includes, in short |
|---|---|
| GravityZone Business Security | protection for workstations and servers with a central console |
| GravityZone Business Security Premium | extended protection, including protection for Microsoft Exchange mail servers |
| GravityZone Business Security Enterprise | adds EDR |
| GravityZone Defense XDR | Enterprise extended with XDR (additional data sources) |
| Bitdefender MDR | managed service with round-the-clock monitoring |
Patch management and disk encryption are available in GravityZone as add-ons to the packages.
CrowdStrike Falcon packages
CrowdStrike Falcon is a cloud-based platform with a lightweight agent on each device. According to the CrowdStrike pricing page (as of 5 October 2026), the business packages are:
| Package | What it includes, in short |
|---|---|
| Falcon Go | next-generation antivirus, USB device control, mobile device protection |
| Falcon Pro | everything in Go, plus firewall management on computers and threat intelligence |
| Falcon Enterprise | everything in Pro, plus EDR and threat hunting by the CrowdStrike team |
| Falcon Complete | MDR service: round-the-clock detection and response run by CrowdStrike |
Bitdefender and CrowdStrike compared from a business perspective
| Criterion | Bitdefender GravityZone | CrowdStrike Falcon |
|---|---|---|
| Simplest option | protection for workstations and servers with a central console | Falcon Go: next-generation antivirus and device control |
| EDR | from the Business Security Enterprise package | from the Falcon Enterprise package |
| Managed service (MDR) | Bitdefender MDR | Falcon Complete |
| Add-ons that matter in a small company | patch management, disk encryption, Exchange protection | firewall management on computers |
| Our price | individual quote | individual quote |
Both vendors offer solutions at every level, so a single feature rarely decides the choice. What decides it is your budget and whether you need EDR.
Isn’t Microsoft Defender enough?
If you have Microsoft 365 Business Premium, your plan already includes Microsoft Defender for Business, which is device protection with EDR features (Microsoft 365 Business Premium FAQ). Check this before you buy separate licences. Defender still has to be configured, though, and someone has to read its alerts. A licence alone does not protect you. We describe how we secure Microsoft 365 accounts on our Microsoft 365 security page.
When do we propose EDR or XDR instead of endpoint protection alone?
We consider EDR when at least one of these applies:
- the company processes high-value data (financial data, personal data on a large scale, trade secrets)
- clients, business partners, an insurer or regulations require incident detection and handling
- servers or services are reachable from the internet
- the company has already had an incident or an attempted attack
- there is someone to analyse alerts: someone on your staff, us under a contract, or the vendor’s team in an MDR service
The last condition matters most. EDR without anyone to respond to alerts is just expensive event logging. That is why, when we prepare a quote, we also agree who handles alerts and during which hours.
Deploying protection for workstations and servers
- Inventory. We list the computers and servers, their operating systems and the current antivirus.
- Removing the old software. Two security programs on one computer usually cause performance problems.
- Installing the agent. We install it remotely, from the central console or through device management tools.
- Policies. We set separate rules for workstations and servers, plus exceptions for line-of-business software and databases that protection could slow down.
- Notifications and reports. We agree who receives alerts, how quickly, and what they do next.
How much does protection for computers and servers cost?
We quote both solutions individually. The price depends on:
- the number of workstations and servers
- the package (endpoint protection, EDR, XDR, MDR) and add-ons
- the licence period
- the scope of setting up the central console and policies
We describe our deployments on the Bitdefender and CrowdStrike pages, and our full range of security services on the cybersecurity services for businesses page.
We choose the level of protection after reviewing what runs in your company today: how many computers and servers you have, and what data you process. Ask us for that review before you choose between protection with and without EDR.
