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Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs Microsoft Purview Audit comparison

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Microsoft Purview Audit are both solutions in the Microsoft Security Suite category. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.4, while Microsoft Purview Audit is ranked #31 with an average rating of 8.0. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps holds a 3.2% mindshare in Microsoft Security Suite, compared to Microsoft Purview Audit’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Microsoft Purview Audit users who would recommend it.
Microsoft Defender for Clou...
Read 40 Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps reviews
  • 6,789 Views
  • 1,154 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Microsoft Purview Audit
Read 3 Microsoft Purview Audit reviews
  • 1,007 Views
  • 292 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Microsoft Purview Audit based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Microsoft Security Suite solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs. Microsoft Purview Audit Report (Updated: September 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs. Microsoft Purview Audit
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

Microsoft Defender for Clou...
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
12th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (4th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (14th)
Microsoft Purview Audit
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
31st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.1
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Log Management (36th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is 3.2%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Purview Audit is 1.0%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsoft Security Suite Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps3.2%
Microsoft Purview Audit1.0%
Other95.8%
Microsoft Security Suite
 

Featured Reviews

Abdulrahman Muhammadi - PeerSpot reviewer
Integration with existing cloud workflows has simplified compliance and threat detection
Licensing cost is a significant concern. With Defender Plan 1, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps comes with a pay-per-use model. Each feature has its own pricing when activated on VMs. For example, the vulnerability assessment has separate pricing, the base model including encryptions has separate pricing, and the compliance features have separate pricing. This applies to each VM and Azure resource individually. It is not straightforward where you can take one license and apply it to everything. Each feature has its own pricing model which can be tedious, as the costs keep accumulating. The only lacking feature currently is XDR (extended detection and response). Apart from that, I have only positive experiences with the whole Microsoft suite, except for the pricing structure.
Read full review
Matthew Hoerig - PeerSpot reviewer
Audit function refines log retrieval and drives application assessments with evolving features
From a service assessment and authorization process perspective, when conducting an assessment on an application or system, we use controls essentially equivalent to the NIST 800-53 framework. This includes examining audit logs, data quality, and various KPIs required for log configuration. It factors into our application assessments. When producing documentation packages for application or system authorization, audit logging and monitoring are crucial parts of the assessment process. The evidence we gather includes screenshots and outputs from these tools and capabilities. For Microsoft Purview Audit specifically, we provide examples of audit function configuration and log output details, which are incorporated into our evidence documents.
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

"We have become more aware of what services our users are using, how often they are using them, and what data is being sent out of the organization and to which services. So, it is really a lot about visibility and helping us make decisions based on that. It drives some of our policy decisions for adding extra security controls."
"Threat detection is its key feature, and that's why we use this tool. It gives an alert if a PC is attacked or there is any kind of anomaly, such as there is a spike in sending emails or we see an unauthorized website being accessed. So, it keeps us on our toes. We get to know that there is something wrong, and we can isolate the user and find any issues with it. So, threat detection is very robust in this tool."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps include live, up-to-date information, which provided real-time alerts, and the ability to delve into detailed metadata information."
"The solution does not affect a user's workflow."
"Defender's integration with our identity solutions is critical in our current setup."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is its monitoring."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is to stop shadow IT."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is that we are primarily using only the Defender for Cloud on the Azure Cloud."
More Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps pros
"The platform has significantly enhanced our operational insight into the overall Microsoft 365 environment."
"The overall user experience with Microsoft Purview Audit is of higher quality than when it was branded as Compliance Center, and Microsoft consistently updates and evolves functionalities and the overall experience."
"We're easily saving at least one hour per day using this solution."
 

Cons

"The product is very good so far, however, it would be better if it could include more up-to-date threat protection."
"I would like to see them include more features in the older licenses. There are some features that are not available, such as preventing or analyzing cloud attacks."
"I believe it's only set to be integrated with Microsoft Defender for identity and identity protection. I would like to see it available for use with something like Office 365 Defender. I don't think it's integrated with that yet."
"It doesn't actually decrease the time to respond. This has been an issue with Microsoft recently. Sometimes, there is a delay when it comes to getting an alert policy email... Sometimes it takes two or three hours for that email to be sent."
"We are having trouble with our continuous reporting configuration and struggling with configuring the collector properly with our log parsing. We've also faced difficulties getting support for this issue. It's taken us months to figure this out after going through a couple of different support channels."
"An area of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps that needs to be improved or enhanced is the reporting function. In the beginning, there was a good reporting function which gave us a sort of monthly overview report. But that has gone away."
"It takes some time to scan and apply the policies when there is some sensitive information. After it applies the policies, it works, but there is a delay. This is something for which we are working with Microsoft."
"The documentation could be improved as it is not updated immediately when Microsoft makes changes. Users must wait a few weeks for the changes to be reflected in the documentation."
More Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps cons
"Areas for product improvement include enhancing customization options and integrating more comprehensive compliance features."
"We are still in the early stages of leveraging Microsoft Purview Audit. Currently, it's primarily used for the audit function."
"We do have a Denial of Access happening."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I'm not totally involved in the pricing part, but I think its pricing is quite aggressive, and its price is quite similar to Netskope. Netskope has separate licensing fees or additional charges if you want to monitor certain SaaS services, whereas, with MCAS, you get 5,000 applications with their Office 365. It is all bundled, and there's no cost for using that. You only have the operational costs. In the country I am in, it is a bit difficult to get people with the required skill sets."
"Our clients normally use the Microsoft E1 licensing, which is renewed yearly."
"The pricing is in the middle. It isn't too cheap or expensive compared to other antivirus or security products. It is priced according to industry standards."
"It has pretty good pricing."
"The price could be better and should be reconsidered."
"We utilize the Microsoft E5 licensing, which encompasses the entire Microsoft suite; however, it is costly."
"It is a little bit expensive. When you want to have the complete package with Office 365, Defender, and everything else, it is expensive."
"We are an MST and we do not pay for the solution. However, the price of the solution could be better."
More Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps pricing and cost advice
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
14%
Educational Organization
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise18
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Microsoft Cloud App Security?
Cisco Umbrella is an integral component of the Cisco SASE architecture. It integrates security in a single, cloud-native solution, unifying multiple features like DNS-layer security, threat intelli...
See all answers
What do you like most about Microsoft Cloud App Security?
It does a great job of monitoring and maintaining a security baseline. For us, that is a key element. The notifications are pretty good.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Cloud App Security?
At the time of implementation, when the size of our organization was small, it was a more affordable product. Since all our productivity applications were on O365, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Purview Audit?
I'm not aware of the pricing of licensing terms.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Microsoft Purview Audit?
Areas for product improvement include enhancing customization options and integrating more comprehensive compliance features.
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Purview Audit?
We utilize Microsoft Purview Audit for monitoring security and compliance aspects.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 16% of the time
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Compared 12% of the time
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Compared 6% of the time
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Compared 5% of the time
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Compared 9% of the time
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Microsoft Purview eDiscovery vs Microsoft Purview Audit
Compared 8% of the time
More Microsoft Purview Audit Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
September 2025
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps reportDownload Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps product report
Buyer's Guide
Log Management
October 2025
Microsoft Purview Audit reportDownload Microsoft Purview Audit product report
 

Also Known As

MS Cloud App Security, Microsoft Cloud App Security
No data available
 

Overview

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a comprehensive security solution that provides protection for cloud-based applications and services. It offers real-time threat detection and response, as well as advanced analytics and reporting capabilities. With Defender for Cloud Apps, organizations can ensure the security of their cloud environments and safeguard against cyber threats. Whether you're running SaaS applications, IaaS workloads, or PaaS services, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps can help you secure your cloud environment and protect your business from cyber threats.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Benefits:
  • Provides comprehensive security for cloud applications
  • Integrates with other Microsoft security tools
  • Easy to use and deploy
  • Provides real-time threat detection and response
  • Strong protection against phishing attacks and other common threats
  • Highly customizable to meet specific needs of different organizations
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Use Cases:
  • Governance, authentication, security, and compliance. 
  • Detects shadow IT and anomalous user behavior
  • Controls access to applications
  • Provides auditing and filtering setups
  • Used for end-user compute devices, file monitoring, user investigation, and activity
  • Used for data governance, threat detection, and getting visibility over cloud applications
  • Used to identify information about applications beyond organizational boundaries
  • Prevent exfiltration and data filtration of corporate data
  • Used to deal with spam emails and detect shadow IT

Reviews from Real Users

Ram-Krish, Cloud Security & Governance at a financial services firm, says that Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps "Integrates well and helps us in protecting sensitive information, but takes time to scan and apply the policies and cannot detect everything we need".

PeerSpot user, Senior Cloud & Security Consultant at a tech services, writes that Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps "Great for monitoring user activity and protecting data while integrating well with other applications".

Simon Burgess,Infrastructure Engineer at SBITSC, states that Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is "A fluid, intelligent product for great visibility, centralized management, and increased uptime".

Microsoft

The unified auditing functionality in Microsoft 365 provides organizations with visibility into many types of audited activities across many different services in Microsoft 365. Advanced Audit helps organizations to conduct forensic and compliance investigations by increasing audit log retention required to conduct an investigation, providing access to crucial events that help determine scope of compromise, and faster access to Office 365 Management Activity API.

Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

Customers for Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps include Accenture, St. Luke’s University Health Network, Ansell, and Nakilat.
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs. Microsoft Purview Audit
September 2025
Free Report: Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs. Microsoft Purview Audit
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs. Microsoft Purview Audit and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
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