Is Microsoft Defender or Refact better?

Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and Refact at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Microsoft Defender or Refact?

Refact has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $12/month for Microsoft Defender and Free for Refact.

Does Microsoft Defender or Refact run on more platforms?

Microsoft Defender runs on Web. Refact runs on VS Code, Web.

Can I use Refact for free?

Yes. Refact has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month.

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 Refact is typically brought in for.

What can Microsoft Defender do that Refact cannot?

Refact covers Autonomous agent workflows, IDE chat, Real-time code completions, GitHub integration.

Cybersecurity · head to head

Microsoft Defender vs Refact

Microsoft Defender

Cybersecurity

Always-on protection for you and your family's data and devices

From: $12/month
Free plan: No

Full review Website

Refact

Developer Tools

Autonomous AI coding agent for development tasks

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Full review Website

The short version

Only Refact has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Microsoft Defender defender Suite requires existing Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent base licensing; Refact requires configuration for optimal performance
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Defender and Refact actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Defender and Refact differ
Attribute	Microsoft Defender	Refact
Starting price	$12/month	Free
Pricing model	subscription	Freemium with paid tiers
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web	VS Code, Web
Category	Cybersecurity	Developer Tools
Founded	Unknown	2023

Identical on both: 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

Nothing recorded that Refact does not also cover.

Only in Refact

Autonomous agent workflows
IDE chat
Real-time code completions
GitHub integration
Database integration
On-premise deployment
Multi-LLM support
25+ language support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Microsoft Defender

Endpoint security and threat protectionnot Refact
Identity and access securitynot Refact
Email threat protectionnot Refact
SaaS application security monitoringnot Refact

Refact

Autonomous code generation for development tasksnot Microsoft Defender
End-to-end bug fixes and refactoringnot Microsoft Defender
Multi-language software development accelerationnot Microsoft Defender
Enterprise development with data privacy requirementsnot 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

Refact

Requires configuration for optimal performance
On-premise deployment adds operational complexity
Free tier limited by daily agent request quota
Coin system adds complexity to cost calculation

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

Refact

Free

FreeFree
- Limited daily agent usage
- Unlimited completions
- 2,000 coins for agent and chat
Pro$10/month
- 40 daily agent requests
- 64k context window
- 10,000 coins monthly
Enterprise$undefined/custom
- On-premise deployment
- Custom coin allocation
- Fine-tuning support

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Defender if

Nothing in the data separates Microsoft Defender from Refact on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Microsoft Defender review

Choose Refact if

You need autonomous agent workflows.
You want to start without paying.
You work on VS Code, Web.
You also want ide chat.

Refact review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Defender or Refact better?: Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and Refact at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Defender or Refact?: Refact has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $12/month for Microsoft Defender and Free for Refact.
Does Microsoft Defender or Refact run on more platforms?: Microsoft Defender runs on Web. Refact runs on VS Code, Web.
Can I use Refact for free?: Yes. Refact has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month.
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 Refact is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Defender do that Refact cannot?: Refact covers Autonomous agent workflows, IDE chat, Real-time code completions, GitHub integration.

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.

Source

Refact: How many programming languages does Refact support?

Refact supports 25+ programming languages including Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, Java, C++, and many others.

Source

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.

Source

Refact: Can I deploy Refact on-premises?

Yes. Refact offers on-premise deployment options for organizations requiring complete data control and privacy.

Source

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.

Source

Refact: What LLMs does Refact support?

Refact works with multiple LLMs including Claude, GPT-4, and open-source models, giving you flexibility in model selection.

Source

Microsoft Defender vs Refact

Microsoft Defender

Refact

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Microsoft Defender

Only in Refact

What people use each for

Microsoft Defender

Refact

Where each one falls short

Microsoft Defender

Refact

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Defender

Refact

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Defender if

Choose Refact if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Microsoft Defender

More on Refact

Keep looking

Other head to heads