Cybersecurity · head to head
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs OpsLevel
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Cybersecurity
Enterprise endpoint security built into Microsoft 365
- From
- On request
- Free plan
- No
OpsLevel
Developer Tools
Internal developer portal that scores service ownership and production readiness
- From
- On request
- Free plan
- No
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint pricing not published on public websites; quote required from Microsoft sales; OpsLevel opsLevel does not publish prices at all, not even a starting figure, so you cannot size a budget or compare against Backstage's zero licence cost without entering a sales cycle.
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint covers Threat & vulnerability management, OpsLevel covers Service catalogue.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and OpsLevel actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | OpsLevel |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Web |
| Category | Cybersecurity | Developer Tools |
| Founded | 1975 | Unknown |
Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Threat & vulnerability management
- Attack surface reduction
- Next-gen protection
- EDR
- Auto investigation
- Microsoft Threat Experts
- Threat analytics
- Secure score
Only in OpsLevel
- Service catalogue
- Scorecards and rubric
- Checks
- Campaigns
- Self-service actions
- Slack and Teams integration
- Catalogue auto-enrichment
- Deployment on request
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Enterprise endpoint security across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS via Plans 1 or 2not OpsLevel
- Small and medium-sized businesses using Microsoft Defender for Business as alternativenot OpsLevel
- Organisations using Microsoft 365 E5 which includes Defender for Endpoint Plan 2not OpsLevel
OpsLevel
- A platform team that needs to prove every production service has a named owner and an on-call rota before an auditnot Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Driving a fleet-wide migration such as a runtime upgrade across 400 services with a deadline and visible progressnot Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Giving developers a paved road to create a new service from a template without waiting on the platform teamnot Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- An organisation where an incident took an hour to route because nobody could identify the owning teamnot Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Pricing not published on public websites; quote required from Microsoft sales
- Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 and Plan 2 do not include server licenses; additional licensing required for server protection
- Specific feature differences between Plan 1 and Plan 2 require consulting Microsoft documentation
OpsLevel
- OpsLevel does not publish prices at all, not even a starting figure, so you cannot size a budget or compare against Backstage's zero licence cost without entering a sales cycle.
- The Standard plan caps at 50 users, which is below the size at which service ownership becomes a real problem, so most genuine buyers land on Enterprise and its unpublished pricing.
- Scores are only as honest as the metadata teams maintain; where ownership records go stale the rubric produces confident numbers about a catalogue that no longer reflects reality, and leadership acts on them.
- It reports on quality rather than producing it, so it can generate friction between platform teams who set the rubric and product teams who see it as a scoreboard imposed on them without extra headcount to fix the findings.
- As a hosted product it needs read access to source control, cloud accounts and observability tooling, which is a meaningful vendor review in regulated environments; on-premises exists but only on the Enterprise tier.
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint review.
OpsLevel
On request- Standard$undefined/year
- Up to 50 users
- Unlimited catalogued components
- Scorecards, campaigns and the global rubric
- Enterprise$undefined/year
- Unlimited users
- Custom integrations
- Customisable dashboards
Which should you pick?
Choose Microsoft Defender for Endpoint if
- You need threat & vulnerability management.
- You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
- You also want attack surface reduction.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or OpsLevel better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint starts at On request and OpsLevel at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or OpsLevel?
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint starts at On request and OpsLevel at On request.
- Does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or OpsLevel run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. OpsLevel runs on Web.
- What is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint best used for?
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is most often used for enterprise endpoint security across windows, macos, linux, android, and ios via plans 1 or 2, small and medium-sized businesses using microsoft defender for business as alternative, organisations using microsoft 365 e5 which includes defender for endpoint plan 2. Of those, enterprise endpoint security across windows, macos, linux, android, and ios via plans 1 or 2 and small and medium-sized businesses using microsoft defender for business as alternative are not what OpsLevel is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Defender for Endpoint do that OpsLevel cannot?
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint covers Threat & vulnerability management, Attack surface reduction, Next-gen protection, EDR. OpsLevel covers Service catalogue, Scorecards and rubric, Checks, Campaigns.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: How is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint priced?
Defender for Endpoint is bundled into Microsoft 365 enterprise subscriptions. Plan 1 is included in Microsoft 365 E3, and Plan 2 is included in Microsoft 365 E5. Individual pricing is not published separately.
SourceOpsLevel: How much does OpsLevel cost?
It does not publish pricing. Billing is per developer using the portal, with volume discounts, and a quote requires a sales conversation.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: Does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offer a trial?
Yes. A free trial is available for prospective customers to test the product before committing to a subscription.
SourceOpsLevel: How does it compare with Backstage?
Backstage has no licence fee but you staff a team to build and run it. OpsLevel is hosted with checks, campaigns and scorecards out of the box, and you pay per developer instead.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: What is the difference between Plan 1 and Plan 2?
Plan 1 (in E3) includes unified security tools, device controls, network protection, firewall, web/URL controls, APIs, SIEM connectors, and app controls. Plan 2 (in E5) adds endpoint detection and response, deception techniques, automatic attack disruption, exposure management, and threat intelligence.
SourceOpsLevel: Does it require writing catalogue YAML by hand?
No. It auto-discovers and enriches entries from connected systems, though teams still curate ownership and metadata.
OpsLevel: Can it run on premises?
Yes, but only on the Enterprise plan.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
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