Kiteworks vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Kiteworks and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Security category. Kiteworks is ranked #27 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.5. Kiteworks holds a 0.8% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Microsoft’s 5.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Kiteworks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Kiteworks

Read 13 Kiteworks reviews

5,974 Views
1,374 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Offi...

Read 61 Microsoft Defender for Office 365 reviews

18,112 Views
12,860 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Kiteworks

Microsoft Defender for Offi...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Kiteworks and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are competing in the data security category. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 has the upper hand due to its comprehensive features that cater well to enterprise needs, while Kiteworks is notable for its strong user data confidentiality focus.

Features: Kiteworks offers secure file sharing, compliance, and centralized content governance. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 includes advanced threat protection, rich reporting, and investigation capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Kiteworks can enhance its threat detection capabilities, offer more flexible pricing, and improve integration with non-native applications. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 could benefit from simplifying its deployment process, optimizing its data loss prevention for diverse ecosystems, and enhancing user-friendliness for non-technical users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Kiteworks provides straightforward deployment with robust support, making it practical for businesses prioritizing quick setup. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 involves a more complex deployment but offers deep integration with Microsoft's ecosystem alongside comprehensive support resources.

Pricing and ROI: Kiteworks offers a clear pricing model that appeals to businesses with specific compliance needs, providing predictable ROI. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 may have higher initial costs but is perceived to deliver substantial long-term value through its extensive security features.

To learn more, read our detailed Kiteworks vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Kiteworks vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

September 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 914,109 peers since 2012

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

Kiteworks

Ranking in Email Security

27th

Ranking in Secure Email Gateway (SEG)

9th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Content Management (16th), Managed File Transfer (MFT) (7th), Content Collaboration Platforms (14th)

Microsoft Defender for Offi...

Ranking in Email Security

2nd

Ranking in Secure Email Gateway (SEG)

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Archiving (1st), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (3rd), Microsoft Security Suite (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Kiteworks is 0.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 5.2%, down from 11.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender for Office 365	5.2%
Kiteworks	0.8%
Other	94.0%

Email Security

Featured Reviews

KishoreT-Review

Associate Consultant at a tech consulting company with 10,001+ employees

Streamlined global file sharing with user-friendly interface and self-service capabilities

I'm not a network expert, however, there must be some room for improvement. Perhaps there could be a notification to users about their bandwidth or network packet loss. If users receive such notifications, they can understand any disruptions are due to issues with their network or bandwidth rather than the site or Kiteworks. Additionally, I work from offshore India, and I told my client manager to communicate with the Kiteworks forum salesman regarding one feature. I noticed the Kiteworks login UI is very basic, lacking customization. Allowing more HTML tags to add hyperlinks or user-friendly information on the home page would be very useful.

Read full review

Emeka Ndulu

Cloud Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Improves threat visibility and response while reducing manual tasks and training users against phishing

I appreciate the attack simulation feature whereby I get to train users and educate them on how to identify phishing emails and spam emails, as well as the anti-spam protection. It gives me visibility into my threat environment and threat landscape to ensure that I am one step ahead of any likelihood of threats within my environment. I get to detect it and respond, so the threat intelligence is very effective. Microsoft security solutions save my time. It saves money because once I protect my environment, I don't lose money. It has decreased my detection time and my time to respond.

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

"Scalability is impressive."

"It’s a great product that you should seriously consider and take the first step by training."

"The solution can be used remotely, including from mobiles, and it's easy to upload and share files."

"The most valuable aspect of Kiteworks is undoubtedly the private content network. This feature is particularly beneficial for us. Furthermore, it serves as a centralized platform that enables us to track and manage our information exchange."

"The most useful feature of this solution is to share files with external parties and we can use this functionality to share files internally too."

"I like Kiteworks or Accellion because it's continuously upgraded. I also know that it probably works with a lot of clients."

"The top two features are the two-factor authentication, which is pretty good. It's easily understood by the users. And their API is rather robust. We have numerous integrations that work off the API."

"We could see whether the customer with whom we shared a file had downloaded it, which was not available with GitHub."

More Kiteworks pros

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365's most valuable feature is its performance."

"My experience with customer support and technical support for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 has been excellent."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is the ease of use."

"Microsoft Defender has a feature to protect each and every attachment. Even if it's an encrypted attachment, it will check for any potential threats."

"Defender enables us to secure all 365-related activity from a single place. It gives us visibility into everything happening in Outlook, protecting us against phishing and other email-based threats. Defender helps us detect any suspicious behaviors."

"The features I appreciate most about Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are admin notifications for potential threats along with protecting our Microsoft apps such as Outlook from potential phishing attacks."

"I like its investigation capabilities, as that is what is most important to me. It is fairly simple with a user-friendly interface."

"It gives me visibility into my threat environment and threat landscape to ensure that I am one step ahead of any likelihood of threats within my environment."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

Cons

"The one feature, which I have also requested directly to Kiteworks, is to have a scheduled upgrade function. Currently, one of my engineers logs in after hours for the upgrade. We're a hospital, and we're 24/7, but the primary users are seven to five. So, we log in the early evening just to push a button to tell it to do the update. It would be nice if that could be very easily scheduled."

"We have experienced some issues with stability due to bugs."

"There is no offboarding process for end-users in Kiteworks. It's a manual process. There is no automated syncing with LDAP and checking to see if the account is still active. It's a manual process to get people out of here, which isn't the best way."

"There is one particular thing that is a nuisance."

"I noticed the Kiteworks login UI is very basic, lacking customization. Allowing more HTML tags to add hyperlinks or user-friendly information on the home page would be very useful."

"File location could be improved."

"Kiteworks could benefit from enhancing the proposal knowledge base section, specifically regarding the type of work involved. Currently, the knowledge base seems insufficiently dedicated to this topic, making it challenging for new users to access the relevant administrative law. Improving the visual aids and providing clearer explanations could alleviate this issue."

"We have experienced a few hiccups and bugs when using the admin console and from a user perspective."

More Kiteworks cons

"The only thing they should improve is the licensing model. They should stop changing it. A year ago, the five features I mentioned were included in one product. Now, three of them are bundled into one product, and you have to pay extra for the other two. I don't mind paying extra, but I don't want them to change it every year or every six months. I need to know what I'm looking at and not worry about it next year."

"The XDR dashboard has room for improvement."

"From a development point of view, if I wanted to do development on my actual machine where Defender is, the organization can set certain policies or Defender makes that prohibitive."

"There is room for improvement in terms of reporting."

"The product must provide better malware detection."

"They have moved features from one console to another. Things have been moved around in the interface and it takes me time to find where certain features are."

"I think Microsoft Defender for Office 365 can be improved by creating more educational pieces about not just looking for malware."

"We noticed that from time to time, Microsoft's stability does have problems. Sometimes the service goes up and down. Sometimes they change without prior notice."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"They changed it midstream. We were being charged a certain flat rate for SFTP traffic. For whatever reason, at the beginning of the year, our pricing changed, and we are now being charged more for using a feature of the product than we were when we first bought it. That has been our experience with billing. It turned out to be more expensive than when we started with it."

"I believe it's a little costly, but given the faith that we put into it from a security perspective to maintain the integrity of our patient information that is being transferred through this system, that's a small price to pay. So, on the surface, it might look like a lot of money, but depending on the need for security, which is where we feel it shines, it's okay price-wise."

"The solution is very expensive because we are buying with Malaysian Ringgit and it's sold in US dollars."

"It is not really expensive. I mean, to me it's obviously expensive, but it's worth it."

"The license management is changing and confusing. If I could make one change to it, it would be better license management through the API."

"The price of Kiteworks is reasonable."

"The solution could be better by simplifying the business model of their licensing. It was hard to figure out how to get the licensing done for the environment, initially."

"For licensing, it's usually a yearly package for customers who are subscribed to Office 365, but they can also pay on a monthly basis."

"From the pricing point of view, like any other product in the market, there is scope for negotiation."

"Microsoft Defender is expensive. I typically recommend it only if clients have the budget. Otherwise, I would suggest an alternative."

"The pricing has become expensive."

"Defender for 365 comes in various plans and licenses, along with other Microsoft security solutions. Purchasing this kind of package or security bundle gives good value for money, and that's what I recommend."

"Defender is a little bit more expensive as compared to others. We are in the manufacturing environment. So, we don't have a high budget for all of our endpoint devices. Its cost is a major concern for us."

"Compared to other brands, Microsoft Defender for Office 365's pricing is competitive."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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914,109 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Large Enterprise	11

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	32

Questions from the Community

What is Kiteworks?

Kiteworks is a secured file sharing platform that enables users to collaborate with different parties across a robust offering of secured protected channels. Users have the option of virtual privat...

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What needs improvement with Kiteworks?

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Kiteworks?

Scalability is impressive. It can be highly available, resilient, and scalable infrastructure. I can confidently give it a nine. It suits any level of organization, whether a small setup with two a...

See all answers

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

My experience with pricing, setup, and licensing is that it's actually quite reasonable even on the licensing side as a standalone product. It's very competitive compared to what competitors are ch...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

I think Microsoft Defender for Office 365 can be improved by creating more educational pieces about not just looking for malware. We are seeing a lot more malware-less emails that Defender for Offi...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

My main use cases for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 include email hygiene.

See all answers

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Compared 5% of the time

Seclore Email Encryption vs Kiteworks

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

Mimecast Advanced Email Security vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

Barracuda Email Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Kiteworks

September 2026

Download Kiteworks product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

September 2026

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 report

Download Microsoft Defender for Office 365 product report

Also Known As

Accellion

MS Defender for Office 365

Overview

Kiteworks provides secure enterprise file sharing with mobile access and collaboration tools, supporting up to 100 GB transfers. It ensures data safety with encryption and offers a smooth interface for independent data management.

Kiteworks is tailored for effective large-scale data transfers using SFTP, email, and web. It supports two-factor authentication, antivirus scanning, and seamless integration with SSO to minimize administrative tasks. Users benefit from a centralized platform that offers visibility and control over data exchanges, receiving activity notifications and managing encryption keys independently. Despite its strengths, technical support and interface stability need improvement, along with the introduction of automated LDAP syncing and expanded knowledge resources.

What features make Kiteworks stand out?

Mobile Access: Facilitates secure data handling on-the-go.
Enterprise File Sharing: Enables large file transfers with up to 100 GB limit.
Collaboration Tools: Streamlines team efforts and file sharing.
Enhanced Security: Includes two-factor authentication and antivirus scanning.
SSO Integration: Reduces administrative tasks for efficient user management.

What ROI benefits should users seek in reviews?

Data Security: High level of encryption ensures sensitive data protection.
Efficient Management: Independent data handling and activity alerts improve workflow.
Administrative Ease: SSO and centralized logs simplify oversight and reduce complexity.

Organizations in sectors like healthcare and finance utilize Kiteworks to securely share and transfer sensitive data, from medical records to credit card information, ensuring compliance and data integrity. Industries benefit from its automated data transfer and secure communication capabilities, critical for operations ranging from air quality monitoring to banking transactions.

Kiteworks

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers real-time email security, enhancing threat detection through integration within the Microsoft ecosystem. Its user-friendly interface and central management streamline operations, providing robust protection against phishing, ransomware, and malware.

Defender for Office 365 is focused on efficiently securing email communication by safeguarding against phishing, malware, and spam threats. With its strong integration with other Microsoft services, it is tailored to improve endpoint security and identity protection. Its centralized management tools simplify threat prioritization, while the automated threat response capabilities ensure swift actions against potential risks. Organizations leverage its capabilities to efficiently manage their cybersecurity efforts, particularly in remote work environments, while maintaining a secure system across Office 365 applications and Azure-hosted services.

What are the key features?

Real-time Email Protection: Continuously monitors and protects email communications.
Safe Attachments and Links: Scans attachments and links for potential threats.
Anti-Phishing Measures: Provides tools to detect and block phishing attempts.
Integration with Microsoft Services: Seamlessly connects with other Microsoft applications for enhanced security.
Automated Threat Responses: Activates immediate responses to detected threats.

What benefits should users expect from reviews?

Time Savings: Automates processes to reduce manual threat management efforts.
Improved Cybersecurity: Strengthens organizational defenses against various cyber threats.
Efficient Remote Work: Enhances protection for remote teams and virtual collaborations.
Comprehensive Coverage: Extends protection across Office 365 and Azure services.

Implementations of Defender for Office 365 vary across industries, optimizing email security for sectors such as finance, healthcare, and education. In finance, it aids in protecting sensitive financial data from phishing and fraud. Healthcare benefits from secure communications, ensuring patient data privacy. Educational institutions use it to maintain secure virtual learning environments against cyber threats.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

United States Securities and Exchange Commission, National Health Service, Husch Blackwell LLP, NYC Health + Hospitals, Viatris, MITRE Corporation, Chubb, Kraft Heinz, KPMG, Kohler, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Purdue Pharma, AVL

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.

Buyer's Guide

Kiteworks vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

September 2026

Free Report: Kiteworks vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

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