Jamf Protect vs Microsoft Defender for Business comparison

JAMF and Microsoft are both solutions in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category. JAMF is ranked #30 with an average rating of 9.4, while Microsoft is ranked #24 with an average rating of 7.6. JAMF holds a 0.8% mindshare in EPP, compared to Microsoft’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of JAMF users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Jamf Protect

Read 10 Jamf Protect reviews

1,053 Views
890 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Read 17 Microsoft Defender for Business reviews

3,786 Views
2,930 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Jamf Protect

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Microsoft Defender for Business and Jamf Protect are competitive security solutions in the enterprise environment space. Jamf Protect seems to have an upper hand with enhanced features for Apple devices, while Microsoft Defender is preferred for its comprehensive Microsoft ecosystem integration.

Features: Microsoft Defender for Business provides endpoint detection and response, anti-virus capabilities, and integration with Microsoft's comprehensive security products, ensuring broad protection and threat intelligence. Jamf Protect, optimized for Apple devices, offers real-time threat detection, compliance monitoring, and low impact on device performance, making it highly suitable for macOS environments.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Defender can enhance its macOS feature set, streamline user interfaces, and improve performance impact on older devices. Jamf Protect could expand cross-platform security support, improve integration capabilities with non-Apple devices, and enhance scalability for larger deployments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Defender for Business benefits from seamless Windows platform integration and comprehensive support from Microsoft, ensuring straightforward deployment. Jamf Protect facilitates a smooth deployment in Apple-centric environments with specialized Apple product support, offering agility and ease for macOS users.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Defender is a cost-effective solution within the Microsoft ecosystem, offering significant ROI with its integrated security approach. Jamf Protect, while potentially higher in initial setup costs, provides substantial ROI for organizations invested in Apple devices, thanks to its advanced macOS security features.

To learn more, read our detailed Jamf Protect vs. Microsoft Defender for Business Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Jamf Protect vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

April 2025

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Helped 850,747 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Jamf Protect

Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

30th

Average Rating

9.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

24th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Microsoft Security Suite (15th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Jamf Protect is 0.8%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 2.0%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

Featured Reviews

Dinesh Venkates

Consultant at Fujitsu

Effective device management, enhance threat detection and smooth integration

I would rate my experience with the initial setup a ten out of ten, with ten being easy. Initially, the deployment took 15 days for the pilot phase, and then another 15 days for production. However, the actual deployment itself only took 15 days, as it was preconfigured. So it took around one month in total. Stakeholder approval caused a delay, but the actual deployment for the facility department was only 15 days. No maintenance is required because everything is associated. It's a cloud solution, so we only need to modify applications for the services. So, 99.9% of the time, it's working fine.

Read full review

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect at LogicEra

Advanced threat protection secures diverse workloads with cost-effective deployment

If I need logs and don't have local storage bundled with Defender, I need to add workspace and log analytics, which is costly for storing logs of 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB. A default storage of 5 GB for logs should be included with Defender. There are limitations in whitelisting folders and files, and the whitelisting feature for Defender threat protection was deprecated. A straightforward feature for this should be added.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The tool's tech support is helpful and efficient. It also has an active community."

"We mainly use Jamf Protect to protect staff computers from malware and antivirus."

"Jamf Protect is a security product that helps us with CIS benchmarks and threat prevention."

"The behavioral detection is valuable."

"I rate the technical support a ten out of ten."

"The product's initial setup phase has very simple steps."

"The product's initial setup phase is straightforward and as simple as CrowdStrike."

"The quick updates are really good. If a new OS update drops today, I'll have the Jamf Protect update within a few hours. It's also compatible with all Mac OS versions, and there's zero lag or performance impact."

More Jamf Protect pros

"I would recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to others, rating it as ten out of ten."

"The solution is effective, continuously improving, and highly regarded, especially with Microsoft's leadership in the industry."

"Microsoft Defender for Business is good for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers solid security flexibility and integration with tools like Microsoft Lighthouse and some other software. It takes some of the features of Defender for Endpoint EDR and provides those services for small and medium-sized business environments."

"Microsoft Defender for Business works well with the Microsoft Azure Security ecosystem, including Defender for Endpoint and Office 365 Cloud."

"I haven't had any problems with the tool's stability."

"I recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to startup organizations looking for a plug-and-play solution."

"The solution includes attack-savvy service and risk protection, part of data center management, and offers an effective single-dashboard view with Microsoft 365."

"I rate Microsoft Defender for Business a 10 out of 10."

More Microsoft Defender for Business pros

Cons

"The dependency on Jamf Pro or SIEM or SOAR for some automations and integrations could be reduced."

"The tool's drawback is that it fails to offer support for Linux."

"The solution's integration with other tools is slow."

"I'd really like to see some data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities. More visibility into user activity on laptops would be helpful."

"The scope of improvement will fall under the support hierarchy that the tool offers to the latest version that Apple derives for any of the latest operating systems to launch."

"Jamf Protect protects just Mac devices, and we would love to have one solution for other platforms and not just Mac devices."

"The solution’s stability could be improved."

"Beginners need initial training."

More Jamf Protect cons

"Defender's reporting is rather scattered, and its URL filtering mechanism doesn't really work."

"The areas where Microsoft Defender for Business could improve include the support, installation process, and wiki. I should be able to find solutions to issues quickly without having to delve too deep."

"The tool's support is an area of concern where improvements are needed."

"Defender's threat protection should be fine-tuned to reduce false positives. It could be more targeted, reflecting a continuous evolution in detecting. Also, it could be easier to integrate into other environments."

"We face a licensing issue with Windows 11 Enterprise not reflecting in our portal, which affects activation. Microsoft's support did not resolve this issue, even after sharing remote desktop and screen details."

"Microsoft should provide batch management solutions with the application, integrating pass management with roles."

"The threat detection capabilities require significant customization for multistage threat detection."

"The user interface has a lot of features which can make it complex and hard to adapt to for some users."

More Microsoft Defender for Business cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Jamf Protect is an expensive solution."

"The licensing costs are yearly and expensive."

"The product is not an averagely priced tool."

"I rate the product price as a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."

"Jamf Protect costs double the price that we were paying before."

"It's significantly cheaper than other options like ApexOne."

"The tool's cost has been a little high, but I do not think it was terrible."

"Since we're a nonprofit, we get pretty good discounts on the tool."

"Defender for Business is included by default with an Office 365 premium subscription."

"The tool is cheap, while some other solutions are more expensive. I remember the tool cost about five euros for a workstation or for a user on a monthly basis."

"It has to get more competitive because we are starting to see some of the competitors providing better pricing, and some of it, of course, is to gain market share. The Defender product pricing is probably a little higher than the competitors."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

University

13%

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

18%

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Jamf Protect?

Jamf Protect searches incoming and outgoing traffic for malware to monitor the network for security.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Jamf Protect?

The product is not an averagely priced tool. If the organization is fully on Apple's fleet, they can consider Jamf Protect, but it is quite costly. Jamf Protect is costly compared with any other so...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Jamf Protect?

The dependency on Jamf Pro or SIEM or SOAR for some automations and integrations could be reduced. In-built automation and remediation of behavior-based threats would be beneficial enhancements.

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Business?

A few things are valuable. One is the alerting we see when any kind of intrusion is happening, any kind of malware is being deployed across the endpoints, or any kind of suspicious activity is goin...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Business?

Microsoft Defender for Business offers the best pricing option in the market and is very cost-effective.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?

The areas where Microsoft Defender for Business could improve include the support, installation process, and wiki. I should be able to find solutions to issues quickly without having to delve too d...

See all answers

Comparisons

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Jamf Protect

Compared 62% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Jamf Protect

Compared 13% of the time

Tanium vs Jamf Protect

Compared 8% of the time

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs Jamf Protect

Compared 6% of the time

BigFix vs Jamf Protect

Compared 3% of the time

More Jamf Protect Competitors

HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 24% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 10% of the time

Trend Micro Worry-Free Services Suites vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 8% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 2% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Jamf Protect

April 2025

Download Jamf Protect product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Business

April 2025

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Overview

Jamf Protect provides comprehensive security for Apple devices, aiding in malware protection, threat prevention, CIS benchmarks, and USB blockages while supporting local accounts and password sync.

Designed for managing Apple devices, Jamf Protect offers robust security features, such as malware detection and prevention, unauthorized data transfer blocks, and enhanced security profiles. It allows seamless deployment and upgrades of applications, coupled with efficient endpoint management. The tool ensures zero performance impact while providing real-time notifications for password updates and comprehensive data protection across all Mac OS versions.

What are Jamf Protect's most notable features?

Quick OS Updates: Ensures devices are always up-to-date with the latest OS releases.
Zero Performance Impact: Doesn’t strain CPU resources, ensuring smooth laptop performance.
Real-time Notifications: Delivers timely alerts about password updates and security threats.
Comprehensive Data Protection: Guards against malware, data transfers, and external drive threats.
Zero-touch Integration: Simplifies deployment and device management without manual intervention.

What benefits do users see in reviews?

Enhanced Security: Significant reduction in malware and unauthorized data transfer incidents.
Efficiency: Streamlined device management and application deployment save time.
Performance: Lightweight design ensures devices run smoothly without slowing down.
Proactive Threat Detection: Early detection and prevention of potential threats safeguard data integrity.

Industries such as education, healthcare, and finance leverage Jamf Protect to maintain stringent security standards, streamline application deployment, and ensure devices meet compliance requirements. They benefit from real-time threat alerts, comprehensive data protection, and zero-touch integration, enhancing overall operational efficiency.

JAMF

Microsoft Defender for Business is a new endpoint security solution that was designed especially for the small and medium-sized business (up to 300 employees). With this endpoint security solution, your company's devices are better protected from ransomware, malware, phishing, and other threats.

Microsoft

Buyer's Guide

Jamf Protect vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

April 2025

Free Report: Jamf Protect vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

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