Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection comparison

Cisco and Hornetsecurity are both solutions in the Email Security category. Cisco is ranked #18 with an average rating of 7.3, while Hornetsecurity is ranked #19 with an average rating of 10.0. Cisco holds a 1.1% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Hornetsecurity’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Hornetsecurity users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection and Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense compete in the email security category. Cisco appears to have the upper hand due to its extensive features and robust security capabilities despite a higher cost.

Features: Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection includes advanced threat detection, data loss prevention, and easy-to-use email protection. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense offers robust threat intelligence, a wide array of security layers, and advanced multi-layered security features.

Room for Improvement: Hornetsecurity could enhance its threat intelligence, integration with other security tools, and provide more detailed analytics. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense can improve its user-friendliness, offer simpler deployment, and reduce the complexity of its features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Hornetsecurity is known for simple deployment and prompt customer service, suitable for businesses with limited technical resources. Cisco, although providing professional support, involves a steeper learning curve due to its complex features, making integration more challenging.

Pricing and ROI: Hornetsecurity is characterized by cost-effectiveness and substantial value with a lower initial investment, attracting budget-conscious organizations. Cisco, while requiring higher upfront costs, is perceived to offer a worthwhile ROI for those who prioritize extensive security features for long-term benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection

April 2026

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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

Cloudflare One

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cloudflare One is 1.7%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is 1.1%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is 1.2%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense	1.1%
Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection	1.2%
Cloudflare One	1.7%
Other	96.0%

Email Security

Featured Reviews

Cobe Van Coller

Network Architect at IP Dimension

Cloud security has improved remote access and has reduced costs for smaller client sites

I have used Cloudflare One's Identity-Aware Proxy, and it is quite straightforward from what I have seen so far. The app registration on the Azure side integrates fully into Cloudflare, and I am very satisfied with that part because it is easy to set up. The integration of Cloudflare One's Secure Web Gateway and Zero Trust Network Access works without any issues. That part is pretty automatic, and if you complete the rest of the setup, it comes together by itself with no issues from my side. What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection. The hops get shorter and you get better latency. We have done testing to see if it is better. One thing that we did notice with our proof of concept with our current client is that they have people connecting from the UK. When they used their previous VPN solution, uploading CAD drawings and other files to the server took a long time. They mentioned that it is much quicker on Cloudflare One's solution. I definitely believe that is part of the improved performance, and I am satisfied with that as well. What is nice about Cloudflare One is that it makes the setup easier and also easier to train technicians to maintain it. Compared to legacy systems, we do not need to get fancy firewalls in place that are costly. That is definitely also a cost-saver with Cloudflare One.

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reviewer2541525

Principal Cyber Prevent and Defense Engineer at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

Clawback feature performs well but analytics and integration capabilities need improvement

The integration capability with other threat intelligence platforms is not optimal, as I have experienced difficulty in sending logs to our SIEM. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense's flexibility could be enhanced while it mostly integrates with cloud solutions, but not on-premise. The behavioral analysis capability of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is not particularly helpful for identifying new, evolving threats within my company, as it keeps flagging legitimate emails as malicious. Regarding room for improvement, the significant number of false positives should be addressed. The solution does not adapt to behavioral analytics and does not make changes when it sees a pattern.

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Heriberto Mendez Olivo

CEO at Cyber Internet Services (Pvt) Ltd.

Comprehensive email protection has secured sensitive communications and simplified threat management

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is a good product right now, and the report is available in Spanish, which is beneficial for Latin Americans who speak Spanish. They can continue to improve the pricing because it is the most important aspect, as another solution is aggressive with a lower cost and includes everything. While Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is good right now, it would be better to improve the price. At the end, the client sees the price, and in Puerto Rico, the market is different than in the United States since here the client sees price independent of security. I have more effort to explain the difference between price versus technology, which is important because in Latin America, the price may not be the same as in the US due to the company's increase not being the same volume. When clients have many mailboxes, the price is more important than the technology. I do not know why, but this really happens.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection."

"The best feature is rate limiting. If I'm expecting 500 visits per hour, Cloudflare will limit the requests if I suddenly get 50,000."

"Using Cloudflare One makes my work quite easy because for DDoS protection, all I need to do is understand the OSI model and click; it makes it easier than trying to write a command line or use a Linux command."

"Cloudflare is simple to use."

"The solution has different options that can be used to differentiate DDoS attacks."

"The simplicity of the solution is its valuable features as almost no effort was needed to learn the configurations. It is also one of the cheapest firewalls available in this category."

"It's the endpoint exposition. We don't need to expose our VPN server to the internet and need a zero-test solution. I can apply some conditional access to the endpoint that's connecting to our network to check their security policies or the security condition of their workstation. Once the workstation is trying to connect to my internal network, then I would like to check the discrete condition of these endpoints that are trying to access my internal network. We created some conditional access. We have CrowdStrike, to check if the CrowdStrike is installed, to check if it's updated, and to check for Windows updates. We created some conditional policies to check it."

"For Cloudflare Access, I am using the free plan...The most valuable feature is their protection."

More Cloudflare One pros

"If you compare Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox with the competition, in the competition you have to have one or two solutions together to address the customer's requirement, whereas Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox is addressing everything, such as web domain and email protection."

"The features and functionalities are much better than Microsoft's in-built Defender plan."

"This solution is easy to use."

"Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense's best features include user management of graymail, enhancing security awareness by allowing users to manage cold calls, sales-based items, and ensuring email compliance."

"Cisco has a threat mechanism called cloud-based Talos, where all the threats are inbuilt."

"I highly recommend it as one of the best choices."

"Cisco's technical support is very good."

"The product offers protection, email security, anti-spam, and antivirus."

More Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense pros

"My advice for people considering using Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is that the simplicity is the best option because Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection includes everything in one platform and provides a 360-degree view."

"This service has allowed me to focus on my core environment and ensure the safety of my customer's data."

"Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is an easy-to-use solution."

"The best part is, I rarely have to access the portal as everything is set up and tweaked the way I wanted it. But the feature set is incredibly granular and allows for deep levels of customization."

"I have a lot of control over spam and phishing emails."

"Backup and restore are precious features."

Cons

"From a logging perspective, it is still a bit difficult to see exactly what users are being blocked with the current views."

"I would like them to include a VPN feature to provide a secure connection to the data center."

"They don't have a person to provide support for customers using the solution under their free plan."

"The free plan has limitations. For example, I can only set up three rules, and the application firewall is unavailable."

"Lacks a VPN feature to provide a secure connection to the data center."

"Feedback could be enhanced."

"The initial onboarding was causing us some confusion."

"The software has automated alerts, but the automated alerts are not available in the mobile app."

More Cloudflare One cons

"Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox can improve by adding advanced phishing, then the solution would become the best in the market."

"The search area has room for improvement. When you go to the next page, it remains at the bottom of the current page that you're on. Also, under the reports section, it allows you to see any "convictions," but if you want to search for those convictions you have to remember when they all came in and go back and edit the search accordingly. You cannot click on the list of convictions to actually see if you had a spike at a certain time."

"The solution is a bit expensive."

"I wouldn't recommend Cisco to others because I think Fortinet is better."

"There is still room for improvement in terms of integrations with other Cisco tools and non-Cisco tools. There is also some room for improvement needed in terms of the reporting."

"Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox can improve by adding advanced phishing, then the solution would become the best in the market. However, this could increase the price even more. Additionally, if CES with domain protection could be added it would be an even better solution."

"We encounter issues while searching for missing emails."

"The product's complexity at times results in redundant rule sets that are difficult to untangle, highlighting the need for streamlined management systems and a more user-centric approach to system configuration."

More Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense cons

"The solution’s pricing is not reasonable."

"I guess I would say maybe quick access to training material for end-users. I know partners have access to this but I as an end-user do not have immediate access to new update information."

"A reduction of 10% in pricing can be an improvement."

"I guess I would say maybe quick access to training material for end-users."

"The pricing is a little high compared to other products."

"They can continue to improve the pricing because it is the most important aspect, as another solution is aggressive with a lower cost and includes everything."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform's pricing is good."

"The price tag is no longer $200,000, but rather $300,000 to $400,000. It's twice."

"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."

"The pricing is somewhere in the middle. I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

"My company has to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution. There are no hidden charges apart from the licensing costs of the solution."

"The prices are slightly expensive."

"The solution is not that expensive."

"The pricing of the solution is cheap. The licensing cost is also very low. I rate the cost and pricing a three out of ten."

"The solution’s pricing is manageable."

"It is expensive compared to other vendors."

"The feedback from vendors and customer is that it is expensive."

"Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox does not have any competition with Sophos, Trend Micro, or other vendors of the world. However, there is a pricing premium for the solution. One has to look at it from that angle that while they are buying Cisco, there will be a premium, and Cisco justifies that premium value. That's why they're charging a high price."

"The pricing is acceptable and falls into the medium range, neither cheap nor overly expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

20%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Marketing Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	7

No data available

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access has strong integration with Microsoft, among other platforms. However, when it comes to Kaspersky, ...

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What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access provides secure access to internal applications for employees, external members of the organization...

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What advice do you have for others considering Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access is one of the best integrations available. While about two hundred vendors offer similar services, ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Secure Email Threat Defense?

Comparatively with other products, the pricing of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is normal. As a technical guide, ...

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What needs improvement with Secure Email Threat Defense?

We have deployed Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense in two customer environments. It is still in development as a new ...

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What is your primary use case for Secure Email Threat Defense?

We are working with Cloud Mail Gateway and on-premise mail gateways. We have worked with Cisco Secure Email Threat De...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection?

The pricing is acceptable and falls into the medium range, neither cheap nor overly expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection?

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is a good product right now, and the report is available in Spanish, which is ben...

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What is your primary use case for Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection?

Our use case with Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is to protect the 365 email.

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One

May 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense

May 2026

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense report

Download Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense product report

Buyer's Guide

Office 365 Protection

April 2026

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection report

Download Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection product report

Also Known As

Cloudflare Area 1 Email Security, Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Gateway, Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform, Cloudflare DDoS, Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform

Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox, Cisco CMD, Cisco Cloud Mailbox Defense

No data available

Overview

Cloudflare One is a comprehensive platform for security, performance, and connectivity. It provides features like rate limiting, DDoS protection, and application access, tailored to enhance user experience while securing internet access and accelerating communications.

Designed to integrate security measures with ease of use and scalability, Cloudflare One offers a secure web gateway and zero trust network access. These features ensure seamless setup and operation, making connectivity reliable and protected. Users appreciate its integrated console, intuitive interface, and the ability to manage risk effectively. It offers straightforward deployment, improves latency, and boasts cost-effectiveness. While its onboarding process and documentation need enhancement, its value in content delivery and application shielding is notable. Despite challenges in integrating Cloudflare Access with existing VPNs and the need for better automation and support, it remains vital for DNS and infrastructure protection.

What features make Cloudflare One stand out?

Rate Limiting: Controls the traffic rate to prevent abuse.
DDoS Protection: Shields applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Secure Web Gateway: Provides secure internet access with seamless operation.
Zero Trust Network Access: Ensures secure, application-based connectivity without relying on traditional VPNs.
Access for Connectivity: Facilitates access to internal applications securely.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Security: Robust measures for DNS and browsing protection.
Performance: Enhanced site accessibility and communication speed.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing for its features.
Ease of Deployment: Straightforward and efficient setup process.

In industries like finance, retail, and technology, Cloudflare One is crucial for enabling secure remote access and protecting web applications against dynamic threats. It supports compliance access policies and enhances content delivery, playing a key role in safeguarding digital infrastructure.

Cloudflare

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense offers robust email security with features like east-west traffic visibility and seamless SaaS deployment. It enhances cloud email protection by integrating Threat Grid sandboxing and AMP for malware defense, supported by Cisco Talos threat intelligence.

Enhancing email security for Microsoft 365 and cloud emails, Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense acts as an email gateway, blocking phishing, malware, and business email compromise. Users benefit from a centralized management console, efficient graymail administration, and strong filtering capabilities. Despite its strengths, it requires improvements in integration, spam detection accuracy, and enhances phishing protection.

What are the most important features of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense?

East-West Traffic Visibility: Offers insight into email tenant interactions.
SaaS Application Deployment: Simplifies deployment processes.
Threat Grid Sandboxing: Provides advanced malware protection.
AMP Integration: Enhances malware defense capabilities.
Anti-Spam and Antivirus: Powered by Cisco Talos threat intelligence.
Cloud Mailbox Features: Includes robust email filtering and management.

What benefits or ROI should be evaluated in reviews?

Enhanced Security: Provides protection against advanced threats.
Operational Efficiency: Reduces reliance on help desk services.
User-Friendly Management: Streamlines email administration tasks.
Improved Email Filtering: Ensures effective threat blocking.

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is highly applicable in industries requiring stringent data protection, such as finance and healthcare. It serves cloud-based environments by closely monitoring email activity to prevent unauthorized access and breaches. Tailored deployment options cater to both on-premise and cloud architectures, allowing flexible integration in existing workflows.

Cisco

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection provides comprehensive email security with features like spam control, automatic encryption, and backup and restore, ensuring a safe communication environment.

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection offers a robust suite of tools to safeguard email communications effectively. With advanced threats like fraud and name spoofing on the rise, users find value in its spam filtering, ATP, and encryption capabilities. The platform's intuitive interface and live tracking system facilitate seamless management of email security. While pricing is a noted concern, especially in certain regions like Latin America, the platform’s high email security coverage of 99.9% and effective backup and restoration options are highly regarded. The call for improved access to training materials is noted among users seeking to maximize feature usage.

What key features does Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection offer?

Spam Control: Filters unwanted emails proficiently.
Automatic Encryption: Secures sensitive communications seamlessly.
Advanced Threat Protection: Tackles fraud and spoofing effectively.
Backup and Restore: Ensures quick data recovery, including SharePoint.
Live Tracking: Enhances email management.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Email Security Coverage: Offers 99.9% protection against threats.
Customizable Protection: Tailors security without frequent portal access.
Data Restoration: Quickly recovers accidentally deleted data.

In industries handling sensitive information, Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is implemented to ensure robust data security and compliance. Organizations value its tailored protection and data recovery features that meet industry-specific security requirements, making it a strategic choice for managing email threats efficiently.

Hornetsecurity

Sample Customers

23andMe

Luiss University, Lone Star College, T-Systems, Magyar Telekom

concordia, fraunhofer, mazars

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection

April 2026

Free Report: Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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