Datto vs Huntress
A side-by-side comparison of two security tools for small businesses.
Bottom line
For most small businesses, Huntress edges out Datto on overall SMB fit (9/10 vs 8/10), especially for Huntress is best suited for small and mid-sized businesses that rely heavily on Windows…. That said, weigh pricing and the feature breakdown below against your needs.
At a glance
| Attribute | Datto | Huntress |
|---|---|---|
| SMB score | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Category | Security | Security |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Starting price | Contact sales | From $3/seat/mo |
| Best for | Datto is the strongest fit for small and mid-sized businesses that have on-premises servers, Windows endpoints, or heavy reliance on Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace—particularly those in industries where downtime has direct financial consequences, like professional services firms, medical practices, legal offices, manufacturers with ERP systems, and retail operations running point-of-sale infrastructure. It also excels for businesses that already work with a managed service provider, since Datto's MSP-centric distribution model means your IT partner handles configuration, monitoring, and testing. Companies in regulated industries needing documented backup chains for HIPAA, SOC 2, or cyber-insurance audits will find the audit trail features especially relevant. | Huntress is best suited for small and mid-sized businesses that rely heavily on Windows endpoints and Microsoft 365—think professional services firms, dental and medical practices, financial advisors, insurance agencies, and light manufacturing offices with 5 to 200 employees. It is particularly valuable for companies that have tried antivirus-only protection and experienced near-misses, or those in regulated industries where a breach would trigger serious compliance consequences. Managed service providers who support multiple SMB clients are a strong fit, since the multi-tenant dashboard and partner pricing model are explicitly designed for that workflow. Any business that cannot justify a full-time security hire but recognizes that basic antivirus leaves dangerous gaps will find Huntress a practical middle path. |
Datto
Business-grade backup, disaster recovery, and endpoint management built to survive ransomware and keep SMBs operational.
Picture this: it's Monday morning and your office manager calls to say the file server is encrypted and a ransom note is on every screen. For businesses running Datto, that scenario ends not with a wire transfer but with a rollback. Datto is a platform built around the assumption…
Key features
- Immutable cloud backups that ransomware cannot encrypt or delete remotely
- Instant cloud virtualization spins up failed servers in minutes, not hours
- Covers Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace SaaS data with scheduled backups
- Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) for patching and endpoint control
- Screenshot verification automatically tests each backup restore is bootable
- Centralized multi-site dashboard for MSPs managing multiple SMB clients
- Configurable retention policies support compliance requirements across industries
- Network monitoring and management available as an add-on module
Limitations
Datto is not a self-serve product. Pricing is quote-based and varies by appliance size, data volume, retention length, and whether you're buying direct or through an MSP—budget predictability requires a detailed scoping conversation upfront. Smaller businesses without an IT partner may find the onboarding process slow and the ongoing management overhead higher than expected. The RMM and networking modules are separate add-ons, so total cost can climb quickly if you need the full platform. Businesses with exclusively cloud-native infrastructure and no local servers may find the value proposition thinner relative to lighter SaaS backup tools. Verify current pricing and module availability on the vendor site.
Huntress
Huntress pairs human security analysts with automated detection so small businesses get enterprise-grade threat response without hiring a single in-house expert.
Picture this: a regional accounting firm with twelve employees and no dedicated IT staff. Their antivirus flagged nothing for months, yet attackers had quietly planted a persistent backdoor after one employee clicked a phishing link. This is exactly the scenario Huntress was buil…
Key features
- 24/7 human-led Security Operations Center reviews every alert before escalating
- Persistent foothold detection catches threats that bypass standard antivirus software
- Microsoft 365 identity monitoring flags compromised accounts and suspicious login activity
- Automated one-click remediation removes confirmed threats without manual IT intervention
- Plain-English incident reports explain each threat in non-technical language for owners
- MSP multi-tenant dashboard manages security across dozens of client environments centrally
- Ransomware canary files provide early warning before encryption spreads across the network
Limitations
Huntress is not a full security suite—it does not replace a firewall, provide vulnerability patch management, or offer compliance reporting frameworks out of the box. Organizations that need those capabilities will need to stack additional tools. Pricing is per-agent per-month, so costs can grow noticeably as headcount and device counts increase; businesses should model the total at full deployment before committing. The platform is heavily optimized for Windows environments; macOS support exists but has historically had a narrower feature set—verify current parity on the vendor site. Businesses without any IT resource at all may still need occasional guidance interpreting remediation recommendations, even with the plain-English reports.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is Datto or Huntress better for small businesses?
- For most small businesses, Huntress edges out Datto on overall SMB fit (9/10 vs 8/10), especially for Huntress is best suited for small and mid-sized businesses that rely heavily on Windows…. That said, weigh pricing and the feature breakdown below against your needs.
- How does pricing compare between Datto and Huntress?
- Datto offers custom / contact-sales pricing. Huntress offers paid plans from about $3/mo. Always confirm current plans on each vendor's website before you commit.
- When should I choose Datto over Huntress?
- Datto is a strong fit for Datto is the strongest fit for small and mid-sized businesses that have on-premises servers, Windows endpoints, or heavy reliance on…. Lean toward Huntress if you need Huntress is best suited for small and mid-sized businesses that rely heavily on Windows endpoints and Microsoft 365—think professional….
Read the full profiles: Datto · Huntress · All Security tools