Azure Firewall Manager vs Microsoft Defender for Business comparison

Azure Firewall Manager vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Azure Firewall Manager

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

25th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Firewall Security Management (11th)

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

15th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Azure Firewall Manager is 1.2%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 2.9%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Microsoft Security Suite Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender for Business	2.9%
Azure Firewall Manager	1.2%
Other	95.9%

Microsoft Security Suite

Featured Reviews

Sikkander Batcha

DevOps Engineer at CloudIQ

Has managed traffic effectively but lacks visibility and advanced control features

Azure Firewall is typically behind other vendor firewalls because we don't see what kind of traffic is traveling through it. That is one drawback. The main drawback is that we need log support from Azure Firewall, which can be quite costly. There is no login feature in Azure Firewall because only the IAM feature is available in the Azure site; we manage it only through the Azure portal, not through any other portal. Other vendors, such as Palo Alto, provide GUI or CLI interfaces to manage their firewalls, whereas we only manage Azure Firewall through the Azure portal. In the future, I would like to see additional features in Azure Firewall Manager to make it more competitive, such as technologies like App-ID and User-ID that Palo Alto has. Azure Firewall currently only allows traffic based on layer four and sometimes layer seven, so they need to improve in those areas compared to other vendors.

Read full review

Paritosh Jani

Associate VP (Managed Information Technology Services) at Dev Information Tech Pvt Ltd

Has delivered automated threat response and streamlined integration with advanced tools

The best features of Microsoft Defender for Business include it coming as an XDR solution which provides automated investigations, remediations, and endpoint detection and response. Moreover, it can be tightly integrated with vulnerability management or detecting vulnerabilities and pushing them to the SIEM solution. I utilize the advanced threat hunting feature of Microsoft Defender for Business and find it helpful; it's good and improving with every update. Microsoft Defender for Business integrates effectively with the Microsoft ecosystem as with Azure Sentinel, and it has a two-way natural integration. Apart from that, it also integrates with industry SIEM solutions such as Splunk.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution has improved our organization with its firewall."

"The most valuable feature is the web firewall, as it is easy to install and does not require any plugins for your browser."

"The solution is very easy to set up."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Firewall Manager is the testing and configuration."

"From a traffic management perspective, it's a good firewall because it's automatically scalable based on the traffic availability."

"We are utilizing Azure Entra ID for group labeling, so Active Directory, or now it is Entra ID, securing our application for everyone who accesses it, and Azure Firewall Manager is definitely securing our projects and all its features are fine."

"It has helped us in multiple ways; for example, we don't require different spaces to manage it, we can do a lot of automation integrations into the code, we could integrate it into the DevOps pipeline, and it has helped us with our time-to-market for a very specific product when we are actually deploying or upgrading."

"The best feature of Azure Firewall Manager is that it is easy to maintain and configure."

More Azure Firewall Manager pros

"Defender is top class in terms of functional security."

"If you're an Intune user, you can bring in certain capabilities like system-hardening policies, which further enhances the security."

"Everything is stable. There have been no technical errors or stability issues."

"I recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to startup organizations looking for a plug-and-play solution."

"Because Microsoft Defender for Business is a native solution to Microsoft 365, it has contributed to my organization's proactive defense strategies by saving time on integration."

"The solution includes attack-savvy service and risk protection, part of data center management, and offers an effective single-dashboard view with Microsoft 365."

"The security features in Microsoft Defender for Business that have been most effective for our company include the way it's built-in and intertwined into all the operating systems, giving us a good opportunity to holistically block things for the organization using that tenant."

"I would recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to others, rating it as ten out of ten."

More Microsoft Defender for Business pros

Cons

"The configuration and settings require substantial time for learning, particularly for new users. Improvements in ease of configuration would benefit users significantly."

"Azure charges for many aspects including scaling, automated scaling deployment, and traffic management, which leads to higher costs."

"With Azure Firewall, the problem is that the NAT-ing still has to be improved."

"The solution can improve the integration with open-source tools."

"Microsoft was unable to fully solve the problem with email phishing and spamming."

"There should be a simple one-click deployment for a firewall, rather than a set of setup instructions that include steps such as the DNS configuration, et cetera."

"The cost is a significant concern because we are in a region where the dollar is not our default currency, and converting to dollars makes it very expensive."

"For Azure Firewall Manager, the learning curve for new people is a bit challenging, but the integration should be more straightforward for configuring a centralized system."

More Azure Firewall Manager cons

"Pricing could be lowered as it is expensive and not suitable for low-budget organizations."

"The pricing of Microsoft Defender for Business has a long way to go since people are still preferring solutions such as CrowdStrike and Palo Alto."

"Technical support could be faster to respond."

"The tool's support is an area of concern where improvements are needed."

"The threat detection capabilities require significant customization for multistage threat detection."

"We face a licensing issue with Windows 11 Enterprise not reflecting in our portal, which affects activation. Microsoft's support did not resolve this issue, even after sharing remote desktop and screen details."

"The security could always be improved."

"Defender's threat protection should be fine-tuned to reduce false positives. It could be more targeted, reflecting a continuous evolution in detecting. Also, it could be easier to integrate into other environments."

More Microsoft Defender for Business cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is reasonable but it is reasonable for the features."

"The solution is certainly expensive in comparison with other cloud services."

"Since we're a nonprofit, we get pretty good discounts on the tool."

"It has to get more competitive because we are starting to see some of the competitors providing better pricing, and some of it, of course, is to gain market share. The Defender product pricing is probably a little higher than the competitors."

"The tool is cheap, while some other solutions are more expensive. I remember the tool cost about five euros for a workstation or for a user on a monthly basis."

"The tool's cost has been a little high, but I do not think it was terrible."

"Defender for Business is included by default with an Office 365 premium subscription."

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902,894 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Construction Company

11%

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Firewall Manager?

The pricing for Azure Firewall Manager is expensive. In our project, we have used both Palo Alto Firewall and Azure Firewall. Azure charges for many aspects including scaling, automated scaling dep...

What needs improvement with Azure Firewall Manager?

What is your primary use case for Azure Firewall Manager?

My customers are using Azure Firewall Manager, so I'm learning from both documentation and practical knowledge. I usually recommend Azure Firewall Manager for projects such as an animal hospital pr...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Business?

Our thoughts on the pricing for Microsoft Defender for Business are that we wish it could be better. If the pricing was a little better, we would definitely increase what we currently have.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?

I see room for improvement in Microsoft Defender for Business, particularly regarding the consolidation of all security solutions in one place and the integration of AI and data security into the s...

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender for Business?

I would rate this product an eight out of ten.

Azure Firewall vs Azure Firewall Manager

Comparisons

Compared 17% of the time

FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) vs Azure Firewall Manager

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Azure Firewall Manager

Compared 12% of the time

AlgoSec vs Azure Firewall Manager

Compared 11% of the time

Palo Alto Networks Panorama vs Azure Firewall Manager

Compared 9% of the time

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HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

eSentire MDR for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

Norton Small Business vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Product Reports

Azure Firewall Manager

Download Azure Firewall Manager product report

Microsoft Defender for Business

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Overview

Azure Firewall Manager offers easy configuration, centralized management, and automatic scalability. Its integration with Azure Entra ID provides secure access, while Power BI facilitates centralized monitoring, contributing to its cloud-native benefits and reliable network management.

Azure Firewall Manager is recognized for its efficient security policy management and the ability to configure and test firewall settings across multiple locations. Its integration with Azure Kubernetes supports cloud environment security and the seamless migration of on-premise components to the cloud. With its hub-and-spoke architecture, users can detect threats and orchestrate policies more effectively, although integration with open-source tools and technical support responsiveness could be enhanced. Improvements in NAT capabilities and an AI-driven phishing prevention system would enhance its offering.

What are Azure Firewall Manager's key features?

Easy Configuration: Simplifies firewall setup without additional plugins.
Centralized Security Management: Streamlines policy management across locations.
Automatic Scalability: Adjusts resources to meet changing demands seamlessly.
Integration with Azure Entra ID: Provides secure user access control.
Hub and Spoke Architecture: Enables efficient threat detection and policy orchestration.

What benefits and ROI should users evaluate?

Cloud-Native Benefits: Offers stability and seamless integration with cloud environments.
Fair Pricing: Competitive cost structure, despite currency conversion challenges.
Simplified Monitoring: Uses Power BI for comprehensive security insights.
Enhanced Security: Protects against phishing and ransomware threats.

Azure Firewall Manager is widely implemented in industries like finance to secure applications and manage B2B interactions. This tool supports endpoint security, traffic management, and seamless orchestrations within cloud environments, ensuring robust protection against various threats.

Microsoft

Microsoft Defender for Business offers comprehensive endpoint protection with features like AI-driven predictive analysis and integration with Microsoft services. It caters to businesses in the Microsoft and Azure ecosystems, enhancing cybersecurity strategies with real-time alerts and automated threat hunting.

Targeting enterprise environments, Microsoft Defender for Business provides extensive security measures for desktops, laptops, and virtual desktop infrastructure. Its seamless integration with Microsoft Sentinel allows for enhanced insight and threat mitigation. The central console aids in configuration and management, but areas such as URL filtering, reporting, and integration with non-Microsoft systems require improvement. Users often demand advanced threat detection and a quicker response to emerging threats, as managing security across platforms can present challenges.

What are the key features of Microsoft Defender for Business?

Vulnerability Management: Offers extensive analysis of potential vulnerabilities.
Predictive Analysis: Utilizes AI to anticipate threats before they materialize.
Seamless Integration: Works well with Microsoft services for enhanced protection.
Threat Detection & Response: Provides real-time alerts and quick responses to threats.
Endpoint Security: Comprehensive security for all endpoints in an organization.
Data Loss Prevention: Protects sensitive data from unauthorized access and leaks.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Enhanced Security: Real-time alerts and automated threat hunting improve protection.
Ease of Use: Central console facilitates configuration and management.
Integration Capabilities: Works well with existing security frameworks and Microsoft systems.
Comprehensive Protection: Extends security to identity, email, and cloud environments.

In sectors like finance and healthcare, Microsoft Defender for Business is implemented to secure sensitive data and maintain compliance. Managed service providers and resellers leverage its capabilities to offer robust security frameworks for clients, ensuring protection of digital assets and reducing risks associated with cyber threats.

Microsoft

Azure Firewall Manager vs. Microsoft Defender for Business