Bitdefender vs Huntress: endpoint protection you run vs a SOC that runs it for you
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Bitdefender Reviews · Updated October 1, 2026
Disclosure: this site reviews Bitdefender GravityZone and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. We earn nothing from Huntress. The figures below come from each company's own pages and the test labs, with the dates checked.
These are different purchases. GravityZone is endpoint protection: its own engine, consistently near the top of independent lab tests, at a low per-device price, which you or a partner manage. Huntress is a managed service: its EDR agent plus a 24/7 human SOC, with Microsoft Defender doing the prevention.
If nobody on your team will watch alerts and you are happy on Defender, Huntress is the simpler buy, and its reviews are excellent. If you want stronger prevention per dollar, mobile coverage, or fewer than 50 seats bought direct, GravityZone fits better, and Bitdefender sells its own MDR on top.
Bitdefender vs Huntress at a glance
| Compared on | Bitdefender GravityZone | Huntress Managed EDR |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Endpoint protection platform you or a partner manage | EDR agent plus Huntress's 24/7 SOC; prevention from Microsoft Defender |
| Published price | $324.99 to $879.99/yr for 10 devices, by package | $7.99 per endpoint/month at 100 endpoints, SOC included |
| 24/7 managed service | Bitdefender MDR, quote only | Included in every product |
| Minimum purchase | 1 device online | None through an MSP; 50 seats per product direct or through a reseller |
| Contract | 1, 2, or 3 years (monthly for MSPs) | 12 months; MSPs billed monthly on usage |
| Free trial | About 30 days, no card | 14 days, no card, SOC included |
| Prevention engine | Bitdefender's own | Microsoft Defender Antivirus, managed by Huntress |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux; iOS and Android as an add-on | Windows, macOS, Linux; no mobile |
| Identity (Microsoft 365, Google) | XDR identity sensor, quote only | Managed ITDR, $3.60 per identity/month |
| AV-Comparatives and MITRE tests | Tested in Business Security, EPR, EDR, and MITRE | Not tested in any of them |
| PeerSpot | EDR 4.2/5 (62 reviews); Bitdefender MDR 11 reviews | Managed EDR 4.6/5 (67 reviews), 100% would recommend |
| Company | Private, Bucharest, founded 2001 | Private, Columbia, Maryland, founded 2015 |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-10-01. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
Price: product vs managed service
Huntress publishes its prices, which is unusual for a managed service. Its pricing page lists Managed EDR at $7.99 per endpoint per month at 100 endpoints, roughly $96 a year, with the SOC, remediation, and managed Defender included. The rate drops with volume; the bands aren't published. Identity monitoring, SIEM, and security training are separate products.
GravityZone costs less per device, $324.99 to $879.99 a year for 10 devices depending on the package (see pricing), but that price buys the product, not people to watch it. Bitdefender MDR, its managed service, is quote-only. For a fair comparison, price GravityZone plus the time of whoever will handle alerts, or get a Bitdefender MDR quote.
Prevention and independent tests
Huntress has no antivirus engine of its own. It manages Microsoft Defender Antivirus for prevention and adds its own detection agent and analysts. Huntress isn't in AV-Comparatives' business tests or any MITRE evaluation, so there is no lab result for its service.
Defender is tested, though, so you can compare the prevention layer. In AV-Comparatives' Business Security Tests from 2023 to 2025, Microsoft Defender was compromised 29 times in 2,901 cases and GravityZone 3 times. That is a result for Defender, not for Huntress, whose SOC exists to catch what prevention misses. It is still the layer that stops most attacks before anyone has to respond.
Coverage and fit
Huntress is built for small businesses and the MSPs who serve them: 57 of its 67 PeerSpot reviewers are from small businesses. It covers Windows, macOS, and Linux, and adds managed identity protection for Microsoft 365 and Google. It has no mobile agent, and reviewers ask for more depth on Macs:
“The Mac monitoring still has a little way to go”reviewer2867304, PeerSpot, August 2026
GravityZone covers the same desktop and server platforms plus iOS and Android as an add-on, includes device control from Business Security up, and can run its console on your own servers. If you buy direct with fewer than 50 devices, GravityZone is the option that sells to you; Huntress requires 50 seats outside its MSP channel.
What reviewers say about each
On PeerSpot, Huntress Managed EDR rates 4.6 out of 5 from 67 reviews, with every reviewer willing to recommend it. GravityZone EDR rates 4.2 from 62. Support is where the gap is widest: Huntress reviewers praise it, and slow support is a recurring GravityZone complaint. Of the 31 recent Huntress reviews we read, 25 were paid interviews, 18 of them from one week in December 2025.
Huntress's complaints are about reporting, integrations, and add-ons:
“The reporting in Huntress Managed EDR is fairly basic, as the only available report is effectively an executive summary.”JefferyGiddens, PeerSpot, December 2025
“every time they release a new feature, it is actually listed as a separate product or an add-on”BrianCook, PeerSpot, September 2026
Company news
Huntress is private and venture-backed; its 2024 Series D valued it at more than $1.5 billion. In June 2026 it said sales data was taken in the Klue Salesforce breach, with its products unaffected (Help Net Security). The same month a former analyst alleged an insider had passed information to a ransomware group, which Huntress disputes (The Register). For Bitdefender's record, see is Bitdefender legit.
Where Huntress wins
- A 24/7 human SOC is included in the price, and that price is published.
- You can trial the managed service itself for 14 days without a card.
- Excellent reviews, especially for support: 4.6 out of 5 on PeerSpot with 100% willing to recommend.
- Made for MSPs: no seat minimum through a partner, monthly billing on usage, and a multi-tenant portal.
- Managed identity protection for Microsoft 365 and Google accounts at a listed price.
- Keeps Microsoft Defender in place, so there is nothing to rip out.
Who should pick Bitdefender GravityZone
Businesses that want the prevention engine with the strongest lab record here, at a low per-device price; buyers with fewer than 50 devices purchasing direct; and anyone who needs mobile coverage or an on-premises console. Add Bitdefender MDR, or work with an MSP, if nobody in-house will watch alerts.
See Bitdefender GravityZone pricingBitdefender vs Huntress FAQ
Is Huntress an antivirus like Bitdefender?+
No. Huntress Managed EDR is a detection and response agent watched by Huntress's 24/7 security operations center. For prevention it manages Microsoft Defender Antivirus, which it includes at no extra cost. GravityZone is a full endpoint protection product with its own prevention engine, which you or a partner manage.
Is Huntress more expensive than Bitdefender?+
Per device, yes, but it includes a managed SOC. Huntress lists Managed EDR at $7.99 per endpoint per month at 100 endpoints, about $96 a year. GravityZone Business Security costs $384.99 a year for 10 devices, about $38.50 each, without a managed service. Bitdefender's own MDR service is priced by quote.
Can you run Huntress and Bitdefender together?+
Huntress says its EDR runs alongside your existing antivirus, so some businesses and MSPs keep a prevention product and add Huntress for 24/7 monitoring. Check with both vendors before deploying two security agents on the same machines.
Has Huntress been independently tested?+
Not in the main business tests. Huntress is not in AV-Comparatives' Business Security, Endpoint Prevention and Response, or EDR tests, and has not taken part in any MITRE ATT&CK evaluation. GravityZone is in all of these.
Is there a minimum number of seats for Huntress?+
Through an MSP, no. Bought directly or through a reseller, Huntress requires at least 50 seats per product, and direct buyers handle deployment and respond to the SOC's incident reports themselves.