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Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs SonicWall Email Security comparison

Cisco and SonicWall are both solutions in the Email Security category. Cisco is ranked #26 with an average rating of 7.3, while SonicWall is ranked #30 with an average rating of 7.7. Cisco holds a 1.1% mindshare in Email Security, compared to SonicWall’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.
Cisco Secure Email Threat D...
Read 16 Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense reviews
  • 1,071 Views
  • 1,039 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
SonicWall Email Security
Read 15 SonicWall Email Security reviews
  • 662 Views
  • 576 Comparison Views
88% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

SonicWall Email Security and Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense are direct competitors in the email security solutions category. While SonicWall is favored for its cost-effectiveness and support, Cisco stands out with superior features, making it worth the investment for many.

Features: SonicWall Email Security offers effective spam filtering, malware protection, and a simplified user interface, ideal for small to medium businesses. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense provides advanced threat intelligence, extensive integration capabilities, and a comprehensive protection framework suitable for enterprises. Cisco's advanced features offer greater depth compared to SonicWall's essential protective measures.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall could enhance its product by improving attachment blocking by extension type and enhancing macro blocking in its firewall device. Users anticipate updates that might resolve these limitations. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense can improve by addressing its advanced phishing detection capabilities and optimizing integration features across its suite of tools. Enhancing user-friendly interfaces further would also benefit users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall Email Security excels with a straightforward deployment and readily accessible customer support, aiding organizations with limited IT resources. Cisco offers a more complex, technically demanding deployment process, but it supports this with thorough documentation and responsive technical assistance. SonicWall provides easy startup while Cisco ensures more in-depth customization and support.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall Email Security is recognized for its affordability, offering high ROI for basic security needs. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense involves a higher initial cost, justified by a wider range of security features and integrations, providing significant ROI for enterprises needing robust security measures. SonicWall is budget-friendly, whereas Cisco's extensive capabilities justify its premium price.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. SonicWall Email Security Report (Updated: December 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. SonicWall Email Security
December 2025
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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

Cisco Secure Email Threat D...
Ranking in Email Security
26th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SonicWall Email Security
Ranking in Email Security
30th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is 1.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall Email Security is 0.6%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Security Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense1.1%
SonicWall Email Security0.6%
Other98.3%
Email Security
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2541525 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Read full review
Swapnil Kulkarni - PeerSpot reviewer
Swapnil Kulkarni
System Administrator at Ador Powertron Ltd.
Has consistently supported security needs for mid-sized teams with affordable deployment
I do not work with Cloud Secure Edge, CSE, or SMA apart from SonicWall NSA. I am not satisfied with phishing protection, as it falls completely under the email domain security. The customizable policy configuration does not help to tailor email security overall because our systems are not integrated with SonicWall Email Security. We are not using reporting and analytics because it requires completely different software. While all required features are available in SonicWall Email Security for SMBs and startups, we lack analytics features. They provide an option to purchase a complete separate product for analytics, but despite initially having purchased the paper license, due to technical limitations or changes, we cannot use that product. Now they require additional fees to access the analytics feature.
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

"I would say it's very comprehensive, with multiple antivirus OEMs, virus encrypt features, encryption, and more."
"I highly recommend it as one of the best choices."
"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."
"It's very easy to deploy and configure."
"Regarding stability, Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is very stable."
"The product offers protection, email security, anti-spam, and antivirus."
"Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox can handle a complete portfolio, which is required to protect any kind of attack coming from emails. However, it does not have advanced phishing, but it is available through Cisco. 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. If there is any kind of challenge it will come across through email."
"It has an efficient email filtering feature."
More Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense pros
"SonicWall Email Security uses multi-layer cloud security."
"It is a very scalable solution."
"The most valuable feature is that it protects from spam."
"The product is easy to manage in terms of configurations."
"The pricing for SonicWall Email Security is reasonable and budget-friendly."
"The most valuable feature of SonicWall Email Security is the blocking of emails using keywords. If there are any particular keywords in the subject, that we want to block from receiving from a particular person we can do it. Additionally, the blocking of emails is easy. we can release that one and we can block some of the keywords also like that."
"According to our customers, the product's most valuable feature is the ability to detect spam and reduce phishing emails."
"We always get ROI from the product we are using; it is completely flexible and acceptable according to our security requirements over the last four years and currently."
More SonicWall Email Security pros
 

Cons

"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."
"This solution could be improved by integration with Sandbox."
"From a technical point of view, Cisco is far behind in terms of cybersecurity, and it has to improve very much."
"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 learning curve shows that in the beginning, there are numerous false positives. For one month, we had to reclassify the false positives manually until the system learned."
"Customers will benefit greatly from monthly billing because the majority of customers today use the cloud, be it Office 365, or Google Cloud."
"Cisco's multiple product lines and verticals made this just one of their many verticals, and we could see a shift in focus."
"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."
More Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense cons
"The platform's control panel needs enhancement."
"The protection level for email security isn't 100%. I'm still getting some spam and junk mail."
"The reporting needs improvement."
"I am not satisfied with phishing protection, as it falls completely under the email domain security."
"They need well-trained partners in Nigeria."
"The pricing could be improved."
"SonicWall Email Security could improve by making the file blocking and the release feature easier to use"
"There could be definition updates included in the subscription."
More SonicWall Email Security cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is expensive compared to other vendors."
"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 feedback from vendors and customer is that it is expensive."
"The solution’s pricing is manageable."
"The cost is cheaper than Sophos. I would rate it as five out of ten."
"The platform offers a yearly license."
"When compared with Cisco, it is very well priced. Cisco is very expensive."
"Our customers purchase the solution's yearly license."
"We have a two-year license subscription and the price is very high."
"I rate the application’s pricing a five out of ten."
"The overall price of SonicWall Email Security should be reduced and there should be an option to purchase one or two licenses more instead of their current policy of bulk increases only. There should be more flexibility in the licensing model. Each license cost approximately $33 annually."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Construction Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

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, I am not very aware of the pricing details.
See all answers
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 product. Some customer requirements, such as sending logs to a Syslog server, ar...
See all answers
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 Defense.
See all answers
What do you like most about SonicWall Email Security?
According to our customers, the product's most valuable feature is the ability to detect spam and reduce phishing emails.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall Email Security?
The solution is affordable.
See all answers
What needs improvement with SonicWall Email Security?
Policy deployment could be time consuming and represents an area for improvement in SonicWall Email Security.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 13% of the time
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Compared 12% of the time
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Logo
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Compared 11% of the time
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Compared 19% of the time
Fortinet FortiMail vs SonicWall Email Security Logo
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Compared 17% of the time
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Compared 15% of the time
Barracuda Email Security Gateway vs SonicWall Email Security Logo
Barracuda Email Security Gateway vs SonicWall Email Security
Compared 14% of the time
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Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs SonicWall Email Security
Compared 14% of the time
More SonicWall Email Security Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
January 2026
Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense reportDownload Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense product report
Buyer's Guide
SonicWall Email Security
December 2025
SonicWall Email Security reportDownload SonicWall Email Security product report
 

Also Known As

Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox, Cisco CMD, Cisco Cloud Mailbox Defense
Dell SonicWALL Email Security Platform, SonicWall Hosted Email Security
 

Overview

Cisco's secure email threat defense is designed to provide comprehensive protection against email-based threats. With the increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, it is crucial for organizations to have a robust solution in place to safeguard their email communications.

The product offers advanced threat detection capabilities, leveraging machine learning algorithms and real-time analysis to identify and block malicious emails. It scans incoming and outgoing emails for suspicious attachments, links, and content, ensuring that only safe and legitimate emails reach the users' inbox.

To combat phishing attacks, our solution employs advanced anti-phishing techniques, including URL reputation analysis and email header analysis. It proactively detects and blocks phishing emails, preventing users from falling victim to fraudulent schemes and protecting sensitive information.

The Secure Email Threat Defense also includes robust anti-malware and anti-spam features. It scans email attachments for malware and viruses, preventing them from infiltrating the organization's network. Additionally, it filters out spam emails, reducing the clutter in users' inboxes and improving productivity.

Administrators have full visibility and control over email security. They can set up customizable policies to enforce security measures, such as blocking specific file types or restricting email access from certain domains. Detailed reports and analytics provide insights into email threats and help in fine-tuning the security settings.

Cisco
SonicWALL Email Security Platform offers powerful protection to keep email threats out. And sensitive data in. With innovative protection techniques for both inbound and outbound email plus unique management tools, the Email Security platform delivers superior email protection today while standing ready to stop the new attacks of tomorrow.
SonicWall
 

Sample Customers

Luiss University, Lone Star College, T-Systems, Magyar Telekom
Star Kay White, Locala Community Partnerships
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. SonicWall Email Security
December 2025
Free Report: Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. SonicWall Email Security
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs. SonicWall Email Security and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
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