Cybersecurity · head to head
Microsoft Defender vs Proofpoint
Microsoft Defender
Cybersecurity
Always-on protection for you and your family's data and devices
- From
- $12/month
- Rated
- -
Proofpoint
Cybersecurity
Email security and data protection suite from a private company owned by Thoma Bravo, licensed per user with modules sold separately.
- From
- $6/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Microsoft Defender defender Suite requires existing Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent base licensing; Proofpoint licensing is per user per year with each capability as a separate stock item, so the platform shown in a proof of concept is normally several products, and adding awareness training, data loss prevention or insider threat monitoring later is a fresh negotiation rather than enabling a feature.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Defender and Proofpoint actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Defender | Proofpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $12/month | $6/month |
| Platforms | Web | Email, Cloud, Web |
| Founded | Unknown | 2002 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).
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
Nothing recorded that Proofpoint does not also cover.
Only in Proofpoint
- Inline secure email gateway
- Attachment sandboxing
- URL rewriting and click-time analysis
- Threat Response Auto-Pull
- Email Fraud Defense
- Security awareness training
- Insider Threat Management
- Enterprise DLP
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Microsoft Defender
- Endpoint security and threat protectionnot Proofpoint
- Identity and access securitynot Proofpoint
- Email threat protectionnot Proofpoint
- SaaS application security monitoringnot Proofpoint
Proofpoint
- A regulated organisation that needs a filtering layer, DMARC enforcement and archiving with an auditable trail across all threenot Microsoft Defender
- An organisation that suffered a business email compromise and must show its board a control that stops delivery rather than remediating afterwardsnot Microsoft Defender
- Concentrating stronger controls and training on the specific individuals who actually receive targeted attacks rather than applying uniform policynot Microsoft Defender
- Retracting a phishing message from thousands of mailboxes after the verdict changes, including copies that were forwarded internallynot Microsoft Defender
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Microsoft Defender
- Defender Suite requires existing Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent base licensing
- Some Defender products use pay-as-you-go pricing with variable costs
- Prices vary based on Microsoft agreements, requiring sales contact for custom quotes
Proofpoint
- Licensing is per user per year with each capability as a separate stock item, so the platform shown in a proof of concept is normally several products, and adding awareness training, data loss prevention or insider threat monitoring later is a fresh negotiation rather than enabling a feature.
- It sits inline with MX records pointed at it, so any service degradation is a mail outage for the entire organisation, and both migrating on and migrating off are cutovers with queueing, rollback planning and a real risk of message loss.
- Most customers on Microsoft 365 E5 or Google Workspace Enterprise are already paying for native filtering, so Proofpoint is a second licence layered over a capability the organisation owns, and that comparison is raised by finance at every single renewal.
- The administration console carries a decade of acquisitions: the classic gateway policy routes and filters do not share a model with the newer module interfaces, rule evaluation is order-sensitive in ways that surprise untrained administrators, and mistakes there silently change what is delivered.
- Quarantine management is a standing helpdesk workload because legitimate bulk mail, invoices and supplier notifications are held, and unless end-user digests are configured and users are taught to use them, the security team becomes the mail release desk.
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft Defender
$12/month- Microsoft Defender Suite$12/month
- Endpoint protection
- Identity threat detection
- Email security
- Microsoft 365 E5 with Defender$60/month
- Includes Defender Suite
- Microsoft Teams included
- Comprehensive security and compliance
- Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Add-on$2/month
- Vulnerability scanning and management
- One-month free trial available
- Annual commitment required
Proofpoint
$6/month- Email Protection$6/month
- Per user
- Advanced threat detection
- Data loss prevention
- Compliance$8/month
- All Email Protection
- Archive & search
- eDiscovery
- Advanced Threat$10/month
- All Compliance features
- Targeted attack detection
- Behavior analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Microsoft Defender if
Nothing in the data separates Microsoft Defender from Proofpoint on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Proofpoint if
- You need inline secure email gateway.
- You work on Email, Cloud, Web.
- You also want attachment sandboxing.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Defender or Proofpoint better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and Proofpoint at $6/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Defender or Proofpoint?
- Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and Proofpoint at $6/month.
- Does Microsoft Defender or Proofpoint run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Defender runs on Web. Proofpoint runs on Email, Cloud, Web.
- What is Microsoft Defender best used for?
- Microsoft Defender is most often used for endpoint security and threat protection, identity and access security, email threat protection, saas application security monitoring. Of those, endpoint security and threat protection and identity and access security are not what Proofpoint is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Defender do that Proofpoint cannot?
- Proofpoint covers Inline secure email gateway, Attachment sandboxing, URL rewriting and click-time analysis, Threat Response Auto-Pull.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Microsoft Defender: How much does Microsoft Defender Suite cost?
Microsoft Defender Suite costs $12/user/month (paid yearly), but requires existing Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent base licensing. It includes endpoint protection, identity threat detection, email security, and SaaS application monitoring.
SourceProofpoint: Does it replace Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
Functionally it overlaps heavily, and running both means paying twice for filtering. Most Proofpoint customers on Microsoft 365 keep Defender licensed because it is bundled in E5 and use Proofpoint as the inline gateway. Expect to justify that duplication annually.
Microsoft Defender: What add-ons are available for Microsoft Defender?
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Add-on costs $2/user/month with annual commitment and includes a one-month free trial. Additional pay-as-you-go products include External Attack Surface Management, Cloud Security Posture Management, and Sentinel.
SourceProofpoint: Who owns Proofpoint?
Thoma Bravo, a private equity firm, which took the company private in 2021. It has continued to acquire since, including Tessian, Normalyze and Hornetsecurity, which is why the portfolio spans so many adjacent categories.
Microsoft Defender: Is Defender included in Microsoft 365 E5?
Yes, Microsoft Defender Suite is included in Microsoft 365 E5 at $60/user/month (paid yearly with Teams). Prices may vary based on Microsoft agreements, requiring contact with Sales for customized quotes.
SourceProofpoint: Do I have to change my MX records?
For the gateway, yes. That is what makes it inline and able to block before delivery. Some newer capabilities integrate through the mailbox API instead, but the core protection model is MX-level.
Proofpoint: Is security awareness training included?
No, it is a separate subscription. It integrates well with the threat data, so training can target the users actually being attacked, but it is a distinct line item on the quote.
Proofpoint: What does Threat Response Auto-Pull actually do?
It removes messages from mailboxes after delivery when the verdict changes, including copies that users forwarded internally. It is the answer to the case where a link was clean at delivery and weaponised an hour later.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Defender
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