Is Microsoft Defender or Vanta better?

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

Which is cheaper, Microsoft Defender or Vanta?

Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and Vanta at On request.

Does Microsoft Defender or Vanta run on more platforms?

Microsoft Defender runs on Web. Vanta runs on Web, API.

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 Vanta is typically brought in for.

Cybersecurity · head to head

Microsoft Defender vs Vanta

Microsoft Defender

Cybersecurity

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

From: $12/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Vanta

Cybersecurity

Compliance automation platform for SOC 2, ISO 27001 and similar frameworks.

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Microsoft Defender defender Suite requires existing Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent base licensing; Vanta no published pricing for any tier; all plans require requesting a demo and contacting sales
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Microsoft Defender and Vanta differ
Attribute	Microsoft Defender	Vanta
Starting price	$12/month	On request
Platforms	Web	Web, API

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

What people use each for

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

Microsoft Defender

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

Vanta

SaaS and fintech companies needing rapid SOC 2 certification for enterprise salesnot Microsoft Defender
Healthcare organisations automating HIPAA compliance managementnot Microsoft Defender
European companies managing GDPR and privacy compliancenot Microsoft Defender
Organisations implementing ISO 27001 and other security standardsnot Microsoft Defender
Companies conducting vendor security assessments and managing third-party risknot 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

Vanta

No published pricing for any tier; all plans require requesting a demo and contacting sales
Essentials tier limited to one compliance framework; organisations needing multiple frameworks must upgrade to higher tiers
Plus and Professional tiers feature unclear differentiation; specific pricing and included questionnaires not published
Enterprise pricing fully custom; no transparency on costs or what features are included
AI questionnaire automation capped at 25 annually in Plus tier, only 144 annually in Professional tier

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

Vanta

On request

Essentials$undefined/variable
- One compliance framework
- Vanta AI Agent features
- Automated evidence collection
Plus$undefined/variable
- All Essentials features
- Enhanced AI Agent capabilities
- AI-powered questionnaire automation (25 annually)
Professional$undefined/variable
- All Plus features
- 144 questionnaires annually (marked 'Most Popular')
- Risk management tools
Enterprise$undefined/variable
- Fully customisable package
- Flexible, scalable, advanced compliance
- Tailored to sophisticated GRC requirements

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Defender if

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

Microsoft Defender review

Choose Vanta if

You work on Web, API.

Vanta review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Defender or Vanta better?: Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and Vanta at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Defender or Vanta?: Microsoft Defender starts at $12/month and Vanta at On request.
Does Microsoft Defender or Vanta run on more platforms?: Microsoft Defender runs on Web. Vanta runs on Web, API.
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 Vanta is typically brought in for.

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

Vanta: How many compliance frameworks does Vanta support?

Vanta supports 35+ compliance frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR and custom frameworks.

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

Vanta: Does Vanta automate questionnaires?

Yes. Vanta's AI Agent can automate questionnaire completion, with the number of annually supported questionnaires varying by plan (25 in Plus tier, 144 in Professional tier).

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

Vanta: How many integrations does Vanta support?

Vanta integrates with 300+ pre-built system connections and supports over 90% automation of compliance tasks through these integrations.

Source

Microsoft Defender vs Vanta

Microsoft Defender

Vanta

The short version

Where they differ

What people use each for

Microsoft Defender

Vanta

Where each one falls short

Microsoft Defender

Vanta

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Defender

Vanta

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Defender if

Choose Vanta if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Microsoft Defender

More on Vanta

Keep looking

Other head to heads