# Best Bitdefender Alternatives for Small Business (October 2026) *Bitdefender's small-business tiers are hard to beat on lab results; the reasons to leave are EDR, patching and the extras sold as add-ons.* > Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security and Business Security Premium lead our antivirus ranking on lab results and price, but neither includes EDR, patch management, email security or phone protection in the base price. This guide matches each reason for leaving Bitdefender to the tracked product that fits. Endpoint Index research (Buyer's guide). Published 2026-10-10, updated 2026-10-10, data as of 2026-10-02. Source: https://endpointindex.com/research/bitdefender-alternatives-small-business/ ## Executive summary **Most small businesses leave Bitdefender GravityZone for one reason: neither Business Security nor Business Security Premium includes EDR, and Bitdefender's EDR starts at the higher Business Security Enterprise tier.** The closest alternative with EDR is Microsoft Defender for Business at $36.00 per user per year; outside Microsoft 365 it is ThreatDown Advanced at $79.00 per endpoint per year. For patching in the same product, Avast Ultimate Business Security includes it. If you only want antivirus, think twice before leaving: Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security has the highest Fit Score in our antivirus ranking and the highest AV-Comparatives protection rate we record, 99.8%. ## What is Bitdefender missing for a small business? 1. **No EDR in the small-business tiers.** EDR is not offered on Business Security and not offered on Premium. Bitdefender describes Premium as prevention "without additional detection and response capabilities". 2. **Extras sold separately.** Patch management is a paid add-on, and so are email security, full-disk encryption and phone protection. 3. **An online ceiling.** Bitdefender's calculator sells up to 100 devices; above that you buy on a quote. 4. **No published HIPAA BAA position.** Bitdefender's HIPAA page refers BAA questions to the account manager. ## Which product fills the gap you have? | Your situation | Start with | Why | |---|---|---| | You want EDR, on Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Defender for Business | EDR included, per-user licence, current lab results | | You want EDR, rollback and patching outside Microsoft | ThreatDown Advanced | All three in one agent, sold online | | You want patching without paying for an add-on | Avast Ultimate Business Security | Patch management included at $56.77 per endpoint per year | | Backup is the bigger worry | Acronis Cyber Protect | Backup and antimalware in one agent, patching included | | Phones must be covered in the base price | ESET PROTECT Core | Mobile included, MSP console, online to 99 devices | | Nobody will answer alerts | ThreatDown Elite | 24/7 managed response in the list price | ## How do the alternatives compare with Bitdefender?
ProductEDRRansomware rollbackPatch managementMobileLinux
Bitdefender GravityZone Business SecurityNot offeredIncludedAdd-onAdd-onIncluded
ESET PROTECT CoreNot offeredIncludedAdd-onIncludedIncluded
Microsoft Defender for BusinessIncludedNot offeredNot offeredIncludedAdd-on
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security PremiumNot offeredIncludedAdd-onAdd-onIncluded
Avast Ultimate Business SecurityNot offeredNot offeredIncludedNot offeredNot offered
Acronis Cyber ProtectNot offeredIncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
ThreatDown AdvancedIncludedIncludedIncludedAdd-onIncluded
From each vendor's product and pricing pages. "Add-on" means available at extra cost. Follow a product link for sources and verification dates.
ProductPer unit per month10 seats / yr25 seats / yr100 seats / yr
Microsoft Defender for Business$3.00 /user/mo$360.00$900.00$3,600.00
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security$3.21 /endpoint/mo$384.99$854.99$3,064.99
ESET PROTECT Core$4.58 /endpoint/mo$549.00$1,167.50Via sales (online up to 99)
Avast Ultimate Business Security$4.73 /endpoint/mo$567.70$1,329.50$4,050.00
ThreatDown Advanced$6.58 /endpoint/mo$790.00Via sales (online up to 20)Via sales (online up to 20)
Acronis Cyber Protect$7.08 /endpoint/mo$850.00$2,125.00$8,500.00
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security Premium$7.33 /endpoint/mo$879.99$1,869.99$6,039.99
Annual totals from each vendor's store or calculator at list price. "Quote only" means the vendor publishes no online price at that seat count; "Min N seats" means the vendor's smallest purchase is larger.
ProductAV-Test protectionAV-Comparatives protectionMITRE ATT&CK Evaluation
Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security6.0/6 2025-1299.8% 2026-H172.5% coverage 1 of 80 not evaluated 2024 Dated
ESET PROTECT Core6.0/6 2025-1298.8% 2026-H124.4% coverage 36 of 90 not evaluated 2025
Microsoft Defender for Business6.0/6 2026-0898.8% 2026-H183.8% coverage 2024 Dated
Avast Ultimate Business Security6.0/6 2026-0899% 2026-H1No public result
Acronis Cyber Protect6.0/6 2026-06No public result28.9% coverage 36 of 90 not evaluated 2025
ThreatDown AdvancedNo public resultNo public result23.7% coverage 2024 Dated
Latest published round per lab, as recorded on each product page. Results marked "Dated" are past the freshness window and score zero in the SMB Fit Score. MITRE does not rank or score vendors.
Read the lab table before the feature table. Bitdefender's protection results are as good as anything here, so every alternative is a trade: Microsoft and ESET keep current results, Avast and Acronis keep current AV-Test results, and ThreatDown has none from the last 18 months. ## Why might you stay with Bitdefender? For a small office with nobody to investigate alerts, Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security is the product our antivirus ranking puts first: strong lab results, ransomware rollback included, Linux covered and a self-serve price. Premium adds sandboxing and attack forensics for the same kind of office. If you need EDR from Bitdefender, the [Bitdefender pricing guide](/research/bitdefender-pricing/) shows what Business Security Enterprise and the higher tiers cost, and [Is Bitdefender GravityZone worth it?](/research/is-bitdefender-gravityzone-worth-it/) compares the tiers. ## What should you check before switching from Bitdefender? 1. Bitdefender renews automatically; note the date and turn off auto-renewal if you are leaving. 2. Decide who will read EDR alerts before you buy EDR; without someone, stay with antivirus or buy managed response. 3. Check whether you already own Defender for Business through Microsoft 365 Business Premium. 4. Compare renewal prices, not first-year offers; several alternatives discount the first year. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best alternative to Bitdefender for a small business? Microsoft Defender for Business if the reason is EDR and you use Microsoft 365, ThreatDown Advanced if you want EDR outside Microsoft, and Avast Ultimate Business Security if you want patching included. ### Bitdefender or ESET for a small office? Bitdefender for most small offices buying for themselves, on its lab results and lower list price. ESET if an MSP manages your devices or you want phones covered in the base licence. Our [Bitdefender vs ESET comparison](/compare/bitdefender-gravityzone-business-security-vs-eset-protect-core/) sets out the details. ### Does Bitdefender GravityZone include EDR? Not in Business Security or Business Security Premium. Bitdefender's EDR starts at Business Security Enterprise. ### Is Bitdefender better than Microsoft Defender? On AV-Comparatives protection, Bitdefender scored higher in the current round, and both scored 6 out of 6 for protection in AV-Test's latest result for each. Microsoft Defender for Business includes EDR, which Bitdefender's small-business tiers do not, so the better choice depends on whether someone will act on EDR alerts. ## Methodology and caveats Every price, capability and lab result comes from the product's page on Endpoint Index, with sources and verification dates. Bitdefender's own words on Premium are quoted from its product page. Prices are list prices per device or user per year; first-year promotions are excluded. ## Sources 1. Bitdefender. [GravityZone Business Security Premium](https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/business/products/gravityzone-premium-security) and its plan pages. 2. AV-Comparatives. [Business Security Test 2026 (March to June)](https://av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-2026-march-june/). 3. The Endpoint Index product report for each alternative, with a source and check date on every value (latest price check 2026-10-02).