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Cybersecurity · head to head

Microsoft Defender vs Teleport

Microsoft Defender logo

Microsoft Defender

Cybersecurity

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

From
$12/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Teleport logo

Teleport

Cybersecurity

Certificate-based access to servers, Kubernetes, databases and apps, replacing shared credentials and VPNs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Microsoft Defender defender Suite requires existing Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent base licensing; Teleport pricing is not published and is described as active users plus protected resources, so an autoscaling estate cannot forecast the bill and finance teams discover the true cost only after the first true-up.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Microsoft Defender and Teleport differ
AttributeMicrosoft DefenderTeleport
Starting price$12/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebLinux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Cloud

Identical on both: 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 Teleport does not also cover.

Only in Teleport

  • Short-lived certificates
  • Protocol coverage
  • Session recording and replay
  • Access Requests
  • Device Trust
  • Identity provider integration
  • Machine identity
  • FIPS and FedRAMP builds

What people use each for

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

Microsoft Defender

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

Teleport

  • Removing long-lived SSH keys and shared database passwords so that offboarding an engineer takes one action in the identity providernot Microsoft Defender
  • Producing session recordings and per-user database audit trails as direct evidence for SOC 2 or FedRAMPnot Microsoft Defender
  • Giving contractors or on-call engineers time-boxed, approved access to production instead of standing admin rightsnot Microsoft Defender
  • Replacing a flat VPN with per-resource authorisation across servers, Kubernetes and internal web appsnot 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

Teleport

  • Pricing is not published and is described as active users plus protected resources, so an autoscaling estate cannot forecast the bill and finance teams discover the true cost only after the first true-up.
  • The proxy is a hard dependency on reaching production, so it needs its own high availability deployment and a tested break-glass path or an outage in Teleport becomes an outage in your ability to respond to outages.
  • The open source Community Edition omits Access Requests, Device Trust and the FIPS builds, which are exactly the controls an auditor asks about, so the free tier rarely survives a compliance review.
  • Self-hosting means running and upgrading a certificate authority and its backing store, and Teleport releases frequently enough that upgrade work becomes a standing operational commitment.
  • Coverage across protocols is uneven in depth, so teams with legacy systems, unusual databases or bespoke network appliances find gaps that still require the old VPN to remain in place alongside it.

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

Teleport

On request
  • Teleport Community Edition$undefined/year
    • Open source, self-hosted
    • SSH, Kubernetes, database and app access
    • Session recording
  • Teleport Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Cloud-hosted or self-hosted
    • Access Requests and approval workflow
    • Device Trust and hardware key enforcement

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Defender if

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

Microsoft Defender review

Choose Teleport if

  • You need short-lived certificates.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want protocol coverage.
Teleport review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Defender or Teleport better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and Teleport at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Defender or Teleport?
Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and Teleport at On request.
Does Microsoft Defender or Teleport run on more platforms?
Microsoft Defender runs on Web. Teleport runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Cloud.
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 Teleport is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Defender do that Teleport cannot?
Teleport covers Short-lived certificates, Protocol coverage, Session recording and replay, Access Requests.

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
Teleport: Is the open source edition usable in production?

Yes, but it lacks Access Requests, Device Trust and FIPS builds, which most compliance programmes end up requiring.

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
Teleport: How is it priced?

Not publicly. The vendor prices on active users and protected resources and provides a quote after a sales conversation.

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
Teleport: What happens if Teleport goes down?

Nobody reaches the resources behind it, so you need a highly available deployment and a documented break-glass procedure.

Teleport: Does it replace our VPN?

For anything you put behind it, yes. Legacy systems and appliances it does not support will keep the VPN alive.

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