Endpoint protection that scores best in independent lab tests

If you mean Windows endpoint protection for a business, the strongest choices in recent independent lab results are:

• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint / Antivirus — a standout across multiple tests: it earned 18/18 in AV-TEST’s March–April 2025 corporate endpoint test, and Microsoft was among the vendors with 100% protection accuracy in SE Labs’ Q4 2025 enterprise test. (av-test.org)
• Sophos Endpoint — also scored 100% protection accuracy in SE Labs’ Q4 2025 enterprise test and received an AAA award in the latest SE Labs enterprise results. (selabs.uk)
• Kaspersky Endpoint Security — achieved 18/18 in AV-TEST’s corporate test and was among the 100%-protection-accuracy products in SE Labs’ Q4 2025 enterprise test. (av-test.org)
• Broadcom, ESET, and CrowdStrike — each reached 100% total accuracy in SE Labs’ latest enterprise test. (selabs.uk)

Shortlist: Microsoft Defender, Sophos, and Kaspersky have particularly clear evidence across the cited tests; Broadcom, ESET, and CrowdStrike also scored highly in SE Labs. There isn’t one universal “best”: lab tests differ, and AV-TEST’s cited corporate round is from 2025 while SE Labs’ reports are newer. For an actual business deployment, compare management features, detection/response workflow, compatibility, and licensing alongside test scores.

If you meant home antivirus rather than business endpoint protection, say so—the top picks differ.

No single product wins every independent test, but a few vendors score near the top across several 2026 reports: Bitdefender, ESET, Kaspersky, and Elastic. Which one fits depends on whether you need basic antivirus or full EDR.

Endpoint prevention and response (EDR-focused)

• AV-Comparatives' 2026 EPR test, published in September, used 50 targeted attack scenarios, each divided into three phases, across fourteen enterprise security solutions. The vendors earning Certified Leader status were Bitdefender, Broadcom, Check Point, Elastic, ESET, Fortinet, G Data, Palo Alto Networks, TrendAI, VIPRE and WithSecure.

Business malware and real-world protection

• In AV-Comparatives' March–June 2026 business test, Kaspersky, Bitdefender and Elastic each reached a 99.8 percent protection rate, the strongest results in this round. In the dedicated Malware Protection Test, which used 1,000 recent malware samples, Elastic achieved a perfect 100 percent detection rate, with Avast and Norton close behind at 99.8 percent.
• In AV-Comparatives' August–September factsheet, ESET, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Avast, Norton and CrowdStrike appear at the top of the real-world test with 100% protection rates, though this is a single-period snapshot.
• For performance impact, ESET and Kaspersky posted the lowest impact scores in the entire field in that test round.

AV-TEST (Windows business)

• AV-TEST's May–June 2026 review gave Kaspersky Endpoint Security 14.0 a protection score of 6.0 out of 6.0. Its later July–August 2026 business results also show several products at the top protection score, including Kaspersky, WithSecure, and Trellix.

SE Labs

• SE Labs publishes quarterly enterprise, SMB, and home reports; the April–June 2026 reports are listed on its site, but I could not retrieve their results, so check them directly.

Practical takeaway

• For a business shortlist, Bitdefender, ESET, and Kaspersky are the most consistent across these tests, and Elastic is strong in malware detection and EDR.
• If you need EDR with investigation and response, weight the AV-Comparatives EPR results more heavily.
• Test results depend on the exact product tier and settings, so confirm that the version you'd buy is the one that was tested. Check the full reports, and compare pricing, management features, and platform support, which these tests don't cover.

In 2026, several endpoint protection platforms consistently earn top marks in independent lab tests like AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. Because these labs test for different criteria—such as real-world malware protection, system performance, and false-positive rates—no single product is always ranked #1.

However, the following vendors are frequently highlighted as leaders in independent evaluations:

Top Performers in Independent Tests

• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: Frequently earns high scores for its protection capabilities, especially within Windows-centric environments. It is often recognized for its strong integration and consistent performance in real-world protection tests.
• CrowdStrike Falcon: Widely considered a "gold standard" for enterprise-grade endpoint detection and response (EDR). It consistently ranks at the top for its ability to stop sophisticated, modern threats.
• Sophos (Intercept X): Highly rated for its specialized ransomware protection and deep-learning AI capabilities. It consistently earns top-tier (AAA) ratings in SE Labs evaluations.
• Bitdefender GravityZone: Often cited for providing an excellent balance of high protection rates and minimal system performance impact. It is a strong choice for organizations with mixed operating system fleets.
• SentinelOne (Singularity): Frequently recognized for its autonomous response and remediation capabilities, making it a leader in enterprise endpoint security.
• Elastic Security: Notable for achieving perfect (100%) scores in recent malware protection tests conducted by AV-Comparatives.

How to Evaluate These Results

When looking at these lab tests, keep these factors in mind to make the best choice for your organization:

1. Test Methodology Matters:
   • AV-TEST is highly regarded for its structured scoring across protection, performance, and usability.
   • AV-Comparatives excels at real-world "full attack chain" scenarios, which better mimic how modern, multi-stage attacks actually happen.
   • SE Labs uses a full-attack chain methodology and is highly respected for its "Total Accuracy" ratings.
2. Context Over Scores: A product with a 99.9% detection rate might be excellent, but if your IT team lacks the resources to manage the alerts it generates, it may not be the "best" fit for you.
3. Operational Fit: Consider whether you need a fully managed service (like Huntress), or if you have the internal SOC team required to leverage complex platforms like CrowdStrike.
4. Ecosystem Alignment: Often, if your organization is already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, the native integration of Microsoft Defender can outweigh marginal differences in lab scores.

Recommendation: For the most accurate shortlist, visit the websites of AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs to view the most recent quarterly reports for your specific environment (e.g., enterprise vs. small business).

Avast Ultimate Business Security is the clearest top performer in the latest results available here. It earned a perfect 18/18 in AV-TEST’s six-month Windows 11 business endpoint endurance test, scoring 6/6 for protection, performance, and usability. ¹²

Other strong results:

• Broadcom, ESET, Kaspersky, CrowdStrike, and Microsoft each achieved a 100% Total Accuracy Rating in SE Labs’ enterprise endpoint protection test—protecting against all tested threats while correctly handling legitimate applications and websites. Sophos, WatchGuard, and Trellix also earned AAA awards. ³
• AV-TEST’s latest two-month business test gave full marks across all three categories to several products, including Acronis, AhnLab, Avast, Norton, Trellix, and WithSecure. Microsoft Defender scored 6/6 for protection and usability, and 5.5/6 for performance. ¹

Practical shortlist: Start with Avast if you want the strongest overall AV-TEST result; consider ESET, CrowdStrike, Kaspersky, or Microsoft if SE Labs’ attack-protection results are especially relevant to your needs. These tests use different methods and product versions, so they aren’t a direct head-to-head ranking; deployment fit, management tools, and cost still matter. ¹³

Sources: ¹ AV-TEST business Windows endpoint results · ² AV-TEST six-month endurance-test summary · ³ SE Labs enterprise endpoint test summary