EDR vs. Traditional Antivirus: What’s the Real Difference?
Most people are familiar with antivirus software — it’s been around for decades. But as cyber threats have evolved, so has the technology to fight them. That’s where EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) comes in.
Here are some of the key differences between the two.
Antivirus is Reactive. EDR is Proactive.
Antivirus waits for a known threat to appear, then blocks it.
EDR actively looks for suspicious behaviour, even if the threat is brand new or unknown.
Think of antivirus like a bouncer with a list of known troublemakers. EDR is more like a security team watching for anyone acting suspicious — even if they’ve never caused trouble before.
EDR Sees the Bigger Picture
Antivirus scans files and emails for known viruses.
EDR monitors everything happening on your device – from running processes to network activity, all to detect complex attacks.
Like the difference between checking someone’s ID at the door vs. having full surveillance inside the building.
EDR Responds Automatically
Antivirus will alert you when it finds a threat, and quarantine it to stop it from causing more harm.
EDR on the other hand can isolate infected devices, stop malicious processes, and roll back changes.
Imagine a fire alarm that not only sounds the alert but also puts out the fire before it spreads.
EDR Learns and Improves
Antivirus relies on regular updates to stay current.
EDR uses machine learning and threat intelligence to adapt to new threats in real time.
It’s like having a guard dog that gets smarter every day.
EDR Helps You Understand What Happened
Antivirus might tell you a virus was blocked.
EDR gives a full report: what the threat was, how it got in, what it tried to do, and how it was stopped.
This helps your IT team prevent similar attacks in the future.
Comparison
| Feature | Traditional Antivirus | EDR |
| Detects known threats | Yes | Yes |
| Detects unknown threats | No | Yes |
| Behavioural analysis | No | Yes |
| Threat investigation tools | No | Yes |
| Learning and adapting | No | Yes |
Pricing
$6 EX GST per computer per month