Cisco XDR vs Microsoft Defender XDR comparison

Cisco and Microsoft are both solutions in the Extended Detection and Response (XDR) category. Cisco is ranked #20 with an average rating of 8.8, while Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4. Cisco holds a 2.0% mindshare in XDR, compared to Microsoft’s 5.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Cisco XDR

Read 6 Cisco XDR reviews

1,151 Views
1,070 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender XDR

Read 102 Microsoft Defender XDR reviews

10,986 Views
6,152 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Cisco XDR

Microsoft Defender XDR

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 22, 2024

Microsoft 365 Defender and Cisco XDR are powerful security solutions that excel in different areas. Microsoft 365 Defender is preferred for its seamless integration with other Microsoft products, while Cisco XDR stands out with comprehensive threat intelligence. Cisco XDR has an edge due to its broader scope of features.

Features: Microsoft 365 Defender offers robust threat protection, integration within the Microsoft ecosystem, and effective incident response capabilities. Cisco XDR provides extensive threat intelligence, advanced analytics, and cross-domain visibility features.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft 365 Defender could enhance threat detection accuracy, reduce false positives, and improve its non-Microsoft product compatibility. Cisco XDR needs to improve user-friendliness, provide better documentation, and streamline complex deployment processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft 365 Defender deployment is straightforward within Microsoft environments, with responsive customer service. Cisco XDR has a more complex deployment process but offers comprehensive support post-deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft 365 Defender is favored for its competitive pricing and value within Microsoft-centric organizations. Cisco XDR's cost is higher, reflecting its extensive features and threat intelligence. Microsoft 365 Defender delivers better ROI in Microsoft setups, while Cisco XDR justifies its higher cost for broader-spectrum security needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco XDR vs. Microsoft Defender XDR Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco XDR vs. Microsoft Defender XDR

September 2025

Download the complete report

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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 XDR

Ranking in Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

20th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Defender XDR

Ranking in Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

102

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (5th), Microsoft Security Suite (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Extended Detection and Response (XDR) category, the mindshare of Cisco XDR is 2.0%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender XDR is 5.6%, down from 7.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Defender XDR	5.6%
Cisco XDR	2.0%
Other	92.4%

Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

Featured Reviews

Joseph Houghes

Cloud Architect at Pure Storage

flexible reporting and analytics boost data-driven security responses

The feature I appreciate the most about Cisco XDR is the flexibility for a user to be able to create their own reporting and dashboards. I would say I got to stop beta testing myself. I am testing what can be customized the most with it. Being able to ingest all the analytics and make it something that's either meaningful to them or to their own leadership is a big plus. It's not just what the product is at launch; you have the ability to customize and make it useful to your business to actually get real, purposeful information out of just a swamp of data. The features of Cisco XDR have actually benefited the organization significantly by allowing us to do the outputs of specific data and even filtered subsets of the data. We can do the same reporting but only deliver in either reports or dashboards the information about the systems that a specific team is responsible for, or the larger teams that multiple departments or IT silos roll up into. We're basically able to just modify the filters and have the same reports in the same dashboards where it's all the same; 99% of the work is the same.

Read full review

MohtesanShaikh

Business Development Executive at TechnoFirrm

Experience improves security management and simplifies threat protection

I have created automated investigations, and while they work, they operate rather slowly in the Microsoft portal. If I automate something, it takes considerable time; if I do it manually, I can complete it in a quarter of the time. The automation response being slow is the main concern; when an incident occurs or if I run a remediation, it takes significant time to complete the remediation. There are some limitations regarding the scalability of Microsoft Defender XDR with specific licensing. For SMB customers, there is only Microsoft Defender for Business, and if they want more features such as XDR features and automation investigation or incident response, they need to purchase Defender for Endpoint. We are currently using the EDR.

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

"Cisco XDR offers threat intelligence and links with the Firewall."

"One of my favorite features of Cisco XDR is the automation tool, which saves a lot of time because we can craft these automations and workflows."

"The feature I appreciate the most about Cisco XDR is the reliability."

"Technical support from Cisco is good and very helpful."

"I appreciate the granularity of what I get from Cisco XDR the most."

"The feature I appreciate the most about Cisco XDR is the flexibility for a user to be able to create their own reporting and dashboards, ingest all the analytics, and make it something meaningful to their business to actually get real, purposeful information out of just a swamp of data."

"Cisco XDR offers threat intelligence and links with the Firewall."

More Cisco XDR pros

"I like how Microsoft XDR and the other Microsoft products are integrated into a single unified security stack covering identity access management, endpoint protection, email, cloud applications, etc."

"The stability has been great."

"We are connected to Microsoft and have every laptop enrolled. This acts as an endpoint. The tool helps me check security and compliance. I can also check what a device is doing."

"The integration, visibility, vulnerability management, and device identification are valuable."

"Microsoft XDR's system of analysis and investigation is super convenient for our customers. It integrates with other Microsoft solutions like Defender for 365 to protect email traffic from malicious external web links and phishing."

"I have found the ability to delete unwanted threats beneficial."

"One of the most valuable features of Microsoft Defender XDR is its ability to provide preemptive reports regarding excessive privileged access."

"Vulnerability assessment and just-in-time access are some valuable features of Defender for server plans."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pros

Cons

"They need to provide better pricing and bundle XDR licenses with products like Meraki solutions or Firepower Threat Defense."

"The licensing of Cisco XDR is a bit complicated. The cost can depend on what it is, and the process can be a little complicated."

"They need to provide better pricing and bundle XDR licenses with products like Meraki solutions or Firepower Threat Defense."

"If we have a list of domains we need to block, such as 4,000 domains, I can only block 100 domains at a time because if I put in more than 100 domains, I hit that 2,000 character max and can't continue with an investigation. Being able to put in all 4,000 domains, without a character limit or observable limit, would make doing those case books a whole lot easier and blocking those domains a whole lot easier too."

"I would say I got to stop beta testing myself."

"My only complaint about Cisco XDR is related to licensing, which is complicated."

"Cisco XDR can be improved by addressing the upfront cost."

"One area that needs improvement is the limited visibility due to the licensing structure. For more visibility, customers need the advantage or premier licensing, which involves additional costs."

More Cisco XDR cons

"It would be beneficial to reduce the number of clicks required to navigate between blades, as the current navigation and breadcrumb system can be a bit confusing."

"The management features could be improved, particularly in terms of better integration with Intune, Microsoft's cloud-based management solution."

"365 Defender has multiple subsets, including Defender for Cloud Apps. When integrating Defender for Cloud Apps with apps on third-party cloud platforms like AWS or GCP, there are limitations on our ability to control user activities. If Microsoft added more control over third-party products, that would be a game-changer and help us quite a lot."

"Microsoft Defender XDR is not a full-fledged EDR or XDR."

"What could be improved in Microsoft 365 Defender is its licensing, e.g. it should be more consolidated and would be good if it has some optimizations. Improving the alerts and notifications, in terms of adding more details, would also be good for this solution."

"The capability to not only thwart attacks but also to adapt to evolving threats is crucial."

"There is no common area where we can manage all the policies for the EDR, third-party solutions, devices, servers, Windows, Mac, etc., but it's on the road map, and we ware waiting for that feature."

"The data recovery and backup could be improved."

More Microsoft Defender XDR cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing of Cisco XDR is a bit complicated. The cost can depend on what it is, and the process can be a little complicated."

"For Defender, they have Endpoint Plan 1 and Endpoint Plan 2, but I don't know on what basis they have classified Endpoint Plan 1 and Plan 2, but it has given me enough pain to pick and design Endpoint Plan 1 or Endpoint Plan 2 for my organization. In fact, we are still struggling with it. Too many SKUs are confusing. There should not be too many SKUs, and they shouldn't charge for every new feature."

"Microsoft 365 Defender offers competitive pricing."

"The price could be better. Normally, the costs depend on the country you're located in for the license. When we were in the initial stage, we went with the E5 license they call premium standard. It cost us around $5.20 per month for four users."

"The functionality is fantastic, but for medium and small-sized companies it's overpriced. It would be better if it were a little bit cheaper."

"Defender XDR is included in the E5 license, but it's a bit too expensive."

"The pricing of Microsoft 365 Defender is definitely on the costly side, but with the features and services that Microsoft provides, such as the seamless integration of all the Defender tools, while the price is on the higher side, there is no alternative."

"While the standalone price of Defender XDR might seem high, its value becomes clear when considering the ease of implementation and smooth integration with our existing Microsoft infrastructure, especially when bundled with other Microsoft products."

"The price of the solution is high compared to others and we have lost some customers because of it."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	46
Midsize Enterprise	23
Large Enterprise	37

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco XDR?

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing has been intriguing. I used to work for a Cisco partner, and I still have friends there with whom I discuss comparisons regarding some hardwar...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco XDR?

To improve Cisco XDR, I can't think of anything super meaningful because a couple of features I'm interested in are actually ones that integrate with Duo, but that's not widely used. I'm fine with ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco XDR?

My primary use case for Cisco XDR is log review from devices, and then doing analytics for quicker responses in the future to security incidents.

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft 365 Defender?

Microsoft Defender XDR provides strong identity protection with comprehensive insights into risky user behavior and potential indicators of compromise.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft 365 Defender?

The pricing for Microsoft Sentinel operates on a pay-as-you-go model based on data ingestion. I recall that Defender XDR pricing is based on the number of endpoints.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Defender?

See all answers

Comparisons

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Cisco XDR

Compared 21% of the time

Darktrace vs Cisco XDR

Compared 11% of the time

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs Cisco XDR

Compared 11% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Cisco XDR

Compared 11% of the time

Wazuh vs Cisco XDR

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco XDR Competitors

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 10% of the time

Wazuh vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Business vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Defender XDR Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

September 2025

Download Cisco XDR product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender XDR

October 2025

Download Microsoft Defender XDR product report

Also Known As

No data available

Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Threat Protection, MS 365 Defender

Interactive Demo

Cisco

Demo not available

Microsoft

Overview

Cisco XDR delivers an advanced threat detection and response experience through integration with Cisco's security suite, offering enhanced visibility, intelligence, and automation for network protection and system evaluations.

Cisco XDR integrates with Cisco Meraki and Splunk, excelling in threat intelligence and zero-day attack detection. Its automated response features provide crucial support in managing extensive networks, while the comprehensive log management facilitates detailed troubleshooting. Dashboards assist in system evaluation for effective gap mitigation. Despite its licensing complexity and upfront costs, it remains a key tool for Security Operations Center analysts and internet service providers, helping isolate threats and ensuring consistent security monitoring.

What features make Cisco XDR stand out?

Threat Intelligence: Offers robust insights to identify and manage threats.
Integration: Seamlessly works with Cisco Meraki and Splunk.
Zero-Day Detection: Protects against unknown threats with innovative technology.
Automated Response: Automates tasks such as phishing email handling.
Comprehensive Log Management: Supports detailed troubleshooting and network visibility.

Which benefits should users look for?

Enhanced Network Visibility: Allows for better monitoring and protection.
Reduced Downtime: Reliable performance ensures minimal interruptions.
Ease of Training: Intuitive tools facilitate rapid adoption.
Gap Mitigation: Dashboards provide insights to strengthen system security.

Cisco XDR is widely implemented in sectors requiring robust network management and monitoring. Organizations use it alongside Cisco Firepower Threat Defense and Meraki for comprehensive security measures, benefiting global customers and internet service providers for traffic and routing insights across devices and data centers.

Cisco

Microsoft Defender XDR is a comprehensive security solution designed to protect against threats in the Microsoft 365 environment.

It offers robust security measures, comprehensive threat detection capabilities, and an efficient incident response system. With seamless integration with other Microsoft products and a user-friendly interface, it simplifies security management tasks.

Users have found it effective in detecting and preventing various types of attacks, such as phishing attempts, malware infections, and data breaches.

Watch the Microsoft demo video here: Microsoft Defender XDR demo video.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Accenture, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, General Electric, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and many others.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco XDR vs. Microsoft Defender XDR

September 2025

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