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Kandji vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.9
Kandji streamlines IT management, reduces deployment costs, and boosts efficiency, enabling single-person management for hundreds of devices.
Sentiment score
4.4
Microsoft Defender's financial benefits are unclear, best within E5 suite, and difficult to assess against AWS for mixed solution users.
The time saved includes processes such as software installation, as previously we needed to take a user device remotely, but with Kandji, we can initiate software installation from the back end, which is a significant time saver.
Tech Support Engineer at Aleph
We went from one hour for resolution time per device to 15 minutes, allowing us to save more than 50 hours of support time in a year.
IT Corporate Engineer at Shippo
I have seen a return on investment with Kandji, estimating that time saved is at least 20 to 30%, as individuals do not have to figure out which security updates to carry out themselves since the notification is pushed for them to review and install.
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Organizations typically do not rely solely on Microsoft products to avoid putting all eggs in one basket, which presents a challenge for maximizing ROI.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
As a Microsoft partner, we receive significant discounts, making the solution affordable for us.
COO at Floating-Dot Technology LTD
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Kandji's customer service is praised for responsiveness, effective chat support, and quick issue resolution, despite suggestions for call options.
Sentiment score
6.1
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management receives mixed reviews, highlighting expertise gaps and communication delays but valued for friendly assistance.
The customer support at Kandji is phenomenal and is the best I have experienced from any vendor.
IT Support Technician at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The customer support is the best I have ever seen.
IT Operation Manager at a retailer with 201-500 employees
You just go to the help section and can chat directly to get instant support.
TechOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
They are sometimes responsive, however, often issues cannot be reproduced on their end, making it challenging.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
The support we receive from Microsoft is declining, and for example, after taking advanced support, we have not received satisfactory answers.
Microsoft Solutions Manager at Self-Employed
They are familiar with Microsoft products but are not direct Microsoft staff, which is an area needing improvement.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.7
Kandji scales well for small to medium businesses, efficiently accommodating growth, but may challenge very large organizations needing flexibility.
Sentiment score
7.0
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is lauded for scalability and integration across environments, though some users seek improved documentation.
Kandji's scalability is quite good, though I do see a concern once organizations start getting really large and need more flexibility.
IT Support Technician at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I think Kandji is a perfect choice for growing small companies that become medium-sized or even bigger.
IT Operation Manager at a retailer with 201-500 employees
Kandji's scalability is perfect, as my organization grew from 180 to almost 300 devices with no bottlenecks.
IT Corporate Engineer at Shippo
The integration is straightforward for those who understand it, though documentation needs improvement.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
It is scalable; I evaluated the product and decided to use Defender on over 700 of our company servers.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.9
Kandji is renowned for its unwavering stability, earning high user ratings for dependable performance and minimal maintenance needs.
Sentiment score
6.7
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is appreciated for stability and ease despite resource intensity and occasional compatibility issues.
There are compatibility issues occasionally arising with false positives when other security tools are not whitelisted in Microsoft Defender.
information Security and IT Manager at Discover Dollar Technologies Pvt Ltd.
It is very resource-intensive, consuming a lot of memory and CPU.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
If Microsoft experiences downtime, this solution goes down as it is a SaaS-based solution where we have no control.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Kandji users want more customization, improved reliability, better pricing, and enhanced features to match competitors for greater satisfaction.
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management needs simplified configuration, better integration, faster updates, and advanced features for improved security and efficiency.
The simplicity and straightforwardness are its strongest attributes.
IT Support Technician at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
However, it often takes more than thirty minutes to execute the command, and sometimes it fails.
TechOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
I hope there is an easier way to sandbox people's bring your own device devices because when we're doing SOC 2, it really wants us to sandbox things so that if someone were to take a device that is not ours, we could delete just our data off there and not theirs.
SysAdmin at a recreational facilities/services company with 11-50 employees
This scoring should be for specific industries as well. If I belong to the healthcare industry using Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, it should provide me with a risk score and show how I fare against the risk score of my industry.
DGM. Technical Security at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
A vulnerability I patch within 15 minutes takes 24 additional hours for an update.
information Security and IT Manager at Discover Dollar Technologies Pvt Ltd.
The product is not stable; it often uses excessive memory and CPU, which makes it slow.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
 

Setup Cost

Kandji's expensive pricing involves a yearly fee, suitable for large organizations, requiring sales engagement for non-disclosed costs.
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management offers competitive pricing in industry, though costs can be complex, especially for non-partners.
It is cheap.
TechOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
The pricing is not published publicly, requiring interaction with sales representatives for details.
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
While it might be on the expensive side compared to Jamf Pro, it is closer in pricing to other MDMs such as Microsoft Intune, which comes with the EMS E3 license.
Technical Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Overall, every organization wishes for cheaper options, but we look at the security side as well, so we are good for now.
Senior Cloud Security Consultant at MetLife
For non-partners, however, the cost could be seen as higher, between seven to ten.
COO at Floating-Dot Technology LTD
The pricing is reasonable, and it's included in the whole Microsoft E5 bundle, so it's all-inclusive.
Corporate Planner at MISC Berhad
 

Valuable Features

Kandji simplifies device management with user-friendly features and automation, enhancing security and efficiency for diverse teams managing devices.
Microsoft Defender offers asset discovery, real-time intelligence, seamless integration, risk prioritization, continuous monitoring, and proactive remediation with AI capabilities.
Kandji has impacted my organization positively by definitely increasing security because it notifies you when an update is ready to be installed, and if you do not install it within a reasonable time frame, it would automatically install it.
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
It is reliable, a modern approach to managing Apple devices, and with features in blueprints, smart apps, and consistently reliable performance, I do not think Jamf really comes close.
IT Support Technician at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The Auto Apps function is brilliant. It takes 20 seconds to push out a new app, and it automatically updates. This function really saves time.
IT Operation Manager at a retailer with 201-500 employees
The main advantage of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is that it can locate and prevent most threats even when the endpoints are not connected to the corporate network, as long as the internet is available.
DGM. Technical Security at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The feature for customizing to region-specific and domain-specific requirements in healthcare is particularly beneficial.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
The most valuable aspect is the kind of assessment results I get, and the recommendations provided in Microsoft products really help in taking care of the resources.
Senior Cloud Security Consultant at MetLife
 

Categories and Ranking

Kandji
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
20th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Device Management (MDM) (3rd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (5th), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (13th)
Microsoft Defender Vulnerab...
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (18th), Microsoft Security Suite (18th), Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Kandji is 0.4%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is 1.8%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Vulnerability Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management1.8%
Kandji0.4%
Other97.8%
Vulnerability Management
 

Featured Reviews

CD
SysAdmin at a recreational facilities/services company with 11-50 employees
Strong security structure has supported fast Mac and iOS administration with minimal IT effort
One area for improvement for Kandji would be having a bigger suite of applications. I noticed that some of the niche apps our data software firm needs were not in the regular library. We were able to use the custom app feature to create those apps ourselves, but I would love it if Kandji could expand the library. I also wish Kandji could lock down different ports on MacBooks based on which ones we wanted to shut down, and I hope there is an easier way to sandbox people's bring your own device devices because when we're doing SOC 2, it really wants us to sandbox things so that if someone were to take a device that is not ours, we could delete just our data off there and not theirs. An improvement needed for Kandji would be the ability to remote into devices. I would appreciate something that is really reliable for that without having to buy third-party software.
OB
Microsoft Solutions Manager at Self-Employed
Ensures strong threat and vulnerability management with continuous risk assessment
The major priority is identity, which is crucial; we have lots of companies in manufacturing, energy, or various sectors, and it varies from one to another. I assess Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management as very effective in continuously assessing vulnerabilities without requiring scans. We use automatic investigation and remediation features, safe attachments, safe links, and real-time reports, which are also very effective. For Active Directory, Defender has threat intelligence, and we are using that. The risk-based prioritization within Vulnerability Management affects my ability to manage vulnerabilities, particularly in relation to the Zero Trust Model utilized by our customers. The end-users often do as they please in their systems.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kandji?
The pricing, setup cost, and licensing experience are good. It is cheap, and we do not encounter any hassle during setup. They help us initially, and after that, we make improvements one by one unt...
What needs improvement with Kandji?
In Kandji, I see a drawback related to the remote wipe function. When we need to wipe a MacBook, sometimes the remote wipe command works, and sometimes it does not. This is a drawback because when ...
What is your primary use case for Kandji?
Kandji is used in our organization to manage all of our Mac devices. Kandji is an MDM tool which we use to manage our devices. For example, we set up our devices and directly enroll them in Kandji ...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?
When I create rules, it gave me problems and I did not know where the problem was located. A small pop-up notification indicating how a rule should be configured would be helpful, rather than the p...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?
I do not use Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management at work. However, I am currently not working, but I do use Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management on my personal computer.
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Kandji vs. Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
894,738 professionals have used our research since 2012.