The Carbon Black Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Carbon Black in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Carbon Black
The Insider’s Guide
Endpoint and workload security from Broadcom, bought via partners
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among antivirus apps, read from Carbon Black’s own pages.
Made by Broadcom · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Carbon Black’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Carbon Black’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.6
GPA, above 3 of the 56 other antivirus apps we grade
Carbon Black, formerly sold as VMware Carbon Black, is now a Broadcom product. It combines threat prevention with detection and response across endpoints, networks and workloads, managed from a cloud console, and it is bought through partners or by contacting Broadcom.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Carbon Black, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No prices, plans or supported operating systems are published, and you buy through a partner.
- 1
Best for large teams with a security staff
Carbon Black, now a Broadcom product, collects detailed activity data across endpoints, networks and workloads for security analysts.
- 2
It runs on Web
Web.
- 3
Threat prevention
Policy-based controls aimed at stopping targeted attacks and preventing repeat attacks, with room to customize.
- 4
Threat detection and response
Collects detailed activity data across endpoints, networks and workloads so analysts can see an attack and contain its impact.
- 5
Workload protection
A Carbon Black Cloud Workload product is named on the page for protecting servers and cloud workloads.
- 6
A 1.6 GPA, above 3 of 56
That is against the other antivirus apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace Carbon Black you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Carbon Black at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Broadcom
- Category
- Antivirus & Malware Protection
- Our grade
- 1.6 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for large teams with a security staff
Carbon Black, now a Broadcom product, collects detailed activity data across endpoints, networks and workloads for security analysts. No prices, plans or supported operating systems are published, and you buy through a partner. Look elsewhere if you want to see a price before you talk to anyone.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price is published, so there is nothing to set against this category's $2.58 to $6.50 a month; the listing says it is by quote. Buying goes through a partner. |
| Free plan and trial | F | Nothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, and a demo request is not a trial. |
| Features | C | Prevention policies, detection and response and a workload product are named, but plan tiers and supported operating systems are not on the page, so the listing cannot show the whole job. |
| Ease of use | C | Business product with a console and agents to roll out; no store rating is on record and the listing shows setup work, so it sits at the ordinary grade. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Only a cloud console is on record. No operating systems, phone apps or integrations are listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Carbon Black is for
- Fits if you run a security team that wants detailed endpoint activity data
- Works for public-sector and larger organisations that already buy through partners
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you want a published price, since the page offers only Buy via Partner and Contact Us
- Skip it if you are one person or a small shop, as it is aimed at security staff
- Watch out: the product was VMware Carbon Black before Broadcom's acquisition and the name has changed
- Watch out: plan tiers and supported operating systems are not listed on the page
- Too light for a free try: there is no trial or free plan on record
Good to know
Good for
- Larger organizations and public-sector teams with a security staff
- Teams that want detailed endpoint activity data for investigations
Worth knowing
- No prices or plans are published; the page offers Buy via Partner and Contact Us.
- The product was VMware Carbon Black before Broadcom's acquisition; the page now uses the name Carbon Black.
- Supported operating systems and the plan tiers are not listed on the page read, so platforms show only the cloud console.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Carbon Black's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
Nothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, and a demo request is not a trial.
We could not confirm Carbon Black’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. broadcom.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Endpoint and workload security from Broadcom, bought via partners. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: malware protection, log file analysis.
No operating systems, phone apps or integrations are listed.
- Threat prevention
- Policy-based controls aimed at stopping targeted attacks and preventing repeat attacks, with room to customize.
- Threat detection and response
- Collects detailed activity data across endpoints, networks and workloads so analysts can see an attack and contain its impact.
- Workload protection
- A Carbon Black Cloud Workload product is named on the page for protecting servers and cloud workloads.
- Cloud-managed agents
- Customers quoted on the page describe agent deployment and a cloud-managed model.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Carbon Black is made by Broadcom.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
3/56
Other antivirus apps it is graded above
Carbon Black's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 3 of the 56 other antivirus apps we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (C, above 10 of 56) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 57 antivirus apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Carbon Black’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 8 of 56
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 56
- CFeaturesAbove 7 of 56
- CEase of useAbove 2 of 56
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 10 of 56
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Carbon Black you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 51 of the 56 other antivirus apps grade higher.
What you could not
- An engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
- Millions of server log lines read to see what search bots crawl.
What this rests on. Carbon Black’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
CrowdStrike Falcon Go, Cynet and Huntress
The 3 tools Carbon Black is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
CrowdStrike Falcon Go
Free trial · from $59.99/yr
Small-business antivirus with USB device control and mobile protection.
- Only Carbon Black lists a web app.
- Only CrowdStrike Falcon Go lists Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Carbon Black also covers log file analysis.
- 1.6GPA
Cynet
Paid
AI-driven endpoint security with 24x7 managed response, by quote.
- Carbon Black also covers log file analysis.
- 2.0GPA
Huntress
Free trial · from $8.99/mo
Managed endpoint detection and response with a 24/7 human SOC.
- Only Huntress lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Carbon Black also covers log file analysis.
- Huntress also covers reports.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
9
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Carbon Black free?
No. Carbon Black is a paid product.
What platforms does Carbon Black work on?
Carbon Black is available on Web.
Does Carbon Black have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Carbon Black is listed for Web.
Does Carbon Black have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Carbon Black is listed for Web.
Is Carbon Black open source?
Carbon Black is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Who makes Carbon Black?
Carbon Black is made by Broadcom.
What are the alternatives to Carbon Black?
The closest alternatives to Carbon Black in our directory are CrowdStrike Falcon Go, Cynet and Huntress.
How does Carbon Black compare with other antivirus apps?
Carbon Black's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 3 of the 56 other antivirus apps we grade, and level with 2.
Could I make my own version of Carbon Black?
To replace Carbon Black you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Carbon Black’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Broadcom's own pages on 13 November 2026. The vendor's page could not be read in full when this was graded, so we went by the listing. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Broadcom. Prices change, so check broadcom.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Carbon Black, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/vmware-carbon-black
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Carbon Black: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/vmware-carbon-black
Know someone choosing between antivirus apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/vmware-carbon-black/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded antivirus apps after Carbon Black, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Antivirus & Malware Protection Insider's GuideEvery one of the 57 antivirus apps we grade, compared
- Avast Insider's GuideFree antivirus for PC, Mac and phones, with paid Premium and Ultimate3.0 GPA
- AVG Insider's GuideFree antivirus for Windows, with paid Internet Security and Ultimate2.8 GPA
- Bitdefender Insider's GuideAntivirus suites for computers and phones, with a free Windows tier2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Carbon Black’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Carbon Black is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Broadcom. Prices and plans change: check broadcom.com before you buy.