Microsoft Defender for Business vs Microsoft Purview eDiscovery comparison

Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Purview eDiscovery

February 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 885,311 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:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.1

Microsoft Defender for Business improves security, enhances productivity, and reduces costs but may have delays in financial returns.

Sentiment score

7.7

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery boosts ROI by improving data efficiency, compliance, risk management, and reducing legal and IT workloads.

Using Microsoft Defender for Business results in cost reductions as it consolidates various features under one product, saving around 20% to 30% of the budget.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Consultant at Dell Technologies

The value I see in Microsoft Defender for Business is in its ability to track and respond to application usage and security threats through its CASB and automation features, which are cost-beneficial.

Amit-Granot

Works

We have seen a 100% return on investment.

reviewer2595618

Senior System Engineer at a sports company with 5,001-10,000 employees

The ease of accessing necessary information promptly is the biggest return on investment.

John Alvis

Manager, Information Technology Operations & Security at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees

It's hard to quantify the ROI in a dollar amount, but we realize value by doing more tasks in less time than we did before.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Purview eDiscovery report

Director, IT Infrastructure & Cloud Technology at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees

Customer Service

Sentiment score

5.2

Microsoft Defender for Business support is efficient but inconsistent, with variable responsiveness and differing opinions on staff knowledge and resolution times.

Sentiment score

7.6

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery is praised for responsive support, despite some mixed experiences with wait times and outcomes.

It is rated ten out of ten for its quality and assistance.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The onboarding support is exceptional, ensuring seamless integration and implementation.

Anat Garty

Chief Cybersecurity Architect at cytek-security

Faster support is needed for endpoint security solutions.

Amit-Granot

Works

I would rate Microsoft Purview eDiscovery's customer service and technical support a ten.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Purview eDiscovery report

Is admin at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.6

Microsoft Defender for Business offers scalable, cloud-driven security for diverse organizations, adaptable to various configurations and endpoint quantities.

Sentiment score

7.9

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery is scalable and efficient, seamlessly integrating with cloud infrastructures but lacks some search functions.

The cloud-based nature of the solution ensures high scalability.

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The scalability of Microsoft Defender for Business is rated as ten, indicating it is very scalable.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Consultant at Dell Technologies

In terms of scalability, I would rate Microsoft Defender for Business a ten.

Takayuki-Umehara

Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential

It scales with us seamlessly.

Director, IT Infrastructure & Cloud Technology at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees

With the E3 licensing, I would rate the scalability of Microsoft Purview eDiscovery as a six because it lacks certain critical search functionalities.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Purview eDiscovery report

Is admin at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.2

Microsoft Defender for Business is highly rated for stability, despite minor errors and complexity issues not significantly impacting confidence.

Sentiment score

8.6

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery is generally stable, with minor slowdowns, but users seek more transparency on performance issues.

No customer complaints about its functionality or reliability.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

Although it generally works, there are occasional issues and errors that sometimes require a complete system format to rectify.

Amit-Granot

Works

I would rate the stability of Microsoft Defender for Business with a three out of ten, where one is very bad.

Takayuki-Umehara

Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential

For us, it has been one hundred percent reliable.

John Alvis

Manager, Information Technology Operations & Security at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery is highly reliable.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Purview eDiscovery report

Director, IT Infrastructure & Cloud Technology at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Defender for Business needs improved reporting, threat protection, support, and integration, with attention to pricing and update communication.

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery needs faster, more efficient features, better integration, NLP for queries, and affordable pricing for users.

Microsoft should provide batch management solutions with the application, integrating pass management with roles.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

Features related to Advanced Persistent Threat detection vectors and cyber kill chain integrations are not available out-of-the-box.

KiranKumar17

CISO at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees

There can be improvements in the user interface to make it more intuitive.

Wondimu Almu

Information Technology Security Consultant at Navaio IT Security

Adding more features, as Microsoft continues to expand their cloud offerings, would be beneficial.

Director, IT Infrastructure & Cloud Technology at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees

Defining what constitutes a credit card because that is where I get the most false positives.

reviewer2595618

Senior System Engineer at a sports company with 5,001-10,000 employees

We find that many critical functions are available only to E5 license holders.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Purview eDiscovery report

Is admin at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Setup Cost

Microsoft Defender for Business offers integrated security in Office 365, with competitive pricing but some note higher costs than competitors.

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery pricing is complex, with E5 costly yet beneficial, while E3 is cheaper but limited.

Single-year pricing remains good.

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The pricing is quite affordable at the enterprise level with no extra expenses noted.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Consultant at Dell Technologies

Although the cost can be slightly higher, it expedites deployment, which is beneficial, especially for startups.

KiranKumar17

CISO at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees

With CSP or MCE-style agreements with Microsoft, the process is streamlined since we have reps from both Microsoft and CDW working together.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Purview eDiscovery report

Director, IT Infrastructure & Cloud Technology at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees

As an M3, I find the Purview pricing of 1250 per user worthwhile.

reviewer2595618

Senior System Engineer at a sports company with 5,001-10,000 employees

The pricing and licensing with Microsoft can be complex, and licensing is known to be a challenge because it changes frequently.

reviewer2596452

Enterprise Content Mamagement Lead Developer at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Valuable Features

Microsoft Defender for Business provides robust, scalable security with seamless Azure integration and effective threat management at a cost-effective price.

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery ensures efficient data retrieval with multi-platform integration, automation, compliance visibility, and adherence to global data privacy laws.

The threat detection capabilities are robust, with a dedicated research team and a continuously updated threat feed.

Wondimu Almu

Information Technology Security Consultant at Navaio IT Security

Its vulnerability management is regarded as one of the best in the industry.

Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies

The most effective features of Microsoft Defender for Business include its threat detection and response capabilities in managing vulnerabilities and ransomware attacks.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Defender for Business report

Consultant at Dell Technologies

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Purview eDiscovery is its ability to search across various platforms, including Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive.

Director, IT Infrastructure & Cloud Technology at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees

Purview can connect to iOS, Mac, Android, and SaaS apps, which is critical for capturing SMS and MMS text message data.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Purview eDiscovery report

Is admin at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Purview's inclusion of global regulations is critical because we're heavily regulated by FERC, Sarbanes-Oxley, and the SEC.

reviewer2596452

Enterprise Content Mamagement Lead Developer at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

16th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (15th)

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

22nd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

eDiscovery (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 3.4%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Purview eDiscovery is 1.6%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Microsoft Security Suite Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender for Business	3.4%
Microsoft Purview eDiscovery	1.6%
Other	95.0%

Microsoft Security Suite

Featured Reviews

Takayuki-Umehara

Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential

Product deployment protects assets but needs improvement in system support

I am doing maintenance for Microsoft Defender for Business, and I'm currently working with it. We don't need to use the latest version of Microsoft Defender for Business. We still use the latest virus definition file that Microsoft Defender for Business has automatically updated. We implement a basic update mechanism. Our compliance division manages how many servers and PCs we have and whether those servers have antivirus solutions. I am not certain about how Microsoft Defender for Business helps with AI-driven security strategies. I just use it normally and don't know if it uses AI technology. I rate Microsoft Defender for Business a six out of ten.

Read full review

Tasks that took an entire day before we implemented the solution now take just 30 minutes.

Director, IT Infrastructure & Cloud Technology at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Purview eDiscovery is its ability to search across various platforms, including Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive. It enables a streamlined, unified process for searching across these platforms. It is critical for Purview to be able to connect to iOS, Mac, and Android devices and data in other SaaS apps. From a support perspective, I can do things while I'm eating lunch or something else. It's more dynamic and responsive. I think everybody appreciates it. We're not tied to one device. Purview's multi-cloud capabilities are also essential for the same reasons. Keeping everything under one umbrella further increases the time savings. Purview accounts for critical regulations from around the world. This is crucial because we hold ourselves accountable to standards and need to align with them. Working at a law firm, we have clients who dictate to us what standards they expect. The visibility is excellent. As we move more things into the cloud, more opportunities exist to put everything under one umbrella.

Read full review

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Microsoft Security Suite solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

885,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

Government

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	3

Questions from the Community

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

Our thoughts on the pricing for Microsoft Defender for Business are that we wish it could be better. If the pricing was a little better, we would definitely increase what we currently have.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?

I see room for improvement in Microsoft Defender for Business, particularly regarding the consolidation of all security solutions in one place and the integration of AI and data security into the s...

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender for Business?

I would rate this product an eight out of ten.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Purview eDiscovery?

The setup process was very straightforward. We acquired pricing through our reseller in NASDAQ, eliminating the need to search for prices ourselves.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Purview eDiscovery?

The query language can be time-consuming to figure out if you don't know it initially. While there are options with dropdowns to select criteria, having a natural language feature would be benefici...

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Purview eDiscovery?

I sometimes use it for legal holds or to find lost items, and to determine what is going on. However, most of the time, my use case is legal-related.

HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Comparisons

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

Norton Small Business vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Google Vault vs Microsoft Purview eDiscovery

Compared 21% of the time

Relativity vs Microsoft Purview eDiscovery

Compared 9% of the time

Varonis Platform vs Microsoft Purview eDiscovery

Compared 6% of the time

Exterro vs Microsoft Purview eDiscovery

Compared 6% of the time

Smarsh Enterprise Platform vs Microsoft Purview eDiscovery

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Purview eDiscovery Competitors

Product Reports

Microsoft Defender for Business

March 2026

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery

March 2026

Download Microsoft Purview eDiscovery product report

Overview

Microsoft Defender for Business is a new endpoint security solution that was designed especially for the small and medium-sized business (up to 300 employees). With this endpoint security solution, your company's devices are better protected from ransomware, malware, phishing, and other threats.

Microsoft

Efficiently respond to legal matters or internal investigations with intelligent capabilities that reduce data to only what’s relevant. Discover data where it lives. Discover and collect data in place, within your Microsoft Purview boundary. Manage workflows efficiently. Streamline your eDiscovery process with an end-to-end workflow from one platform. Accelerate your process. Get insights quickly with built-in capabilities, reducing review time and costs.

To learn more about our solution, ask questions, and share feedback, join our Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Community.

Microsoft