Here’s the Deal
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When comparing Microsoft Security Essentials vs Windows Defender, the Slant community recommends Windows Defender for most people. In the question“What are the best free anti-viruses for Windows?” Windows Defender is ranked 1st while Microsoft Security Essentials is ranked 4th.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Common Questions
Pros
Pro Performance
MSE doesn't seem too resource intensive
Pro Simple and Silent
Does the job without distracting you.
Pro Less prone to false positives compared to other solutions
Frequent false positives in themselves can reduce security
Pro Ease of Use
Pro Accuracy
Pro No Ads
Pro 100% Detection Rate (according to AV-Test)
As of March 2021, Defender has been scoring perfect 6 in AV-Test ratings in all 3 categories for almost a year. The last time it scored a non-perfect score was in April 2020 which was a long time ago.
Pro Part of Windows
Pro Lightweight
Cons
Con Used as non-competitive baseline since 2013
All except one tested antivirus scores above Security Essentials.
Con It doesn't even get anything
Con Harder to set exceptions and restore for false positives
Defender and its options isn't as accessible as other av programs.