Microsoft Defender for Identity vs Rapid7 InsightIDR comparison

The compared Microsoft and Rapid7 solutions aren't in the same category. Microsoft is ranked #2 in ITDR , with an average rating of 8.7, and holds a 8.7% mindshare in the category. Rapid7 is ranked #24 in SIEM , with an average rating of 7.5, and holds a 2.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Rapid7 users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Defender for Iden...

Read 28 Microsoft Defender for Identity reviews

8,396 Views
4,114 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Rapid7 InsightIDR

Read 33 Rapid7 InsightIDR reviews

12,545 Views
6,523 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Iden...

Rapid7 InsightIDR

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Defender for Identity and Rapid7 InsightIDR based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Huntress and others in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR).

To learn more, read our detailed Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) Report (Updated: July 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)

July 2026

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Helped 910,564 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

Microsoft Defender for Iden...

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (8th), Microsoft Security Suite (5th), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (2nd)

Rapid7 InsightIDR

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (24th), User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) (11th), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (34th), Threat Deception Platforms (4th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (19th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Network Security Systems solutions, they serve different purposes. Microsoft Defender for Identity is designed for Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) and holds a mindshare of 8.7%, down 16.4% compared to last year.
Rapid7 InsightIDR, on the other hand, focuses on Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), holds 2.2% mindshare, down 2.5% since last year.

Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender for Identity	8.7%
CrowdStrike Falcon	12.0%
Varonis Platform	5.6%
Other	73.7%

Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Rapid7 InsightIDR	2.2%
Splunk Enterprise Security	7.6%
IBM Security QRadar	5.5%
Other	84.7%

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Featured Reviews

Peter Arabomen

Security Engineer at Fidelity Bank Plc

Has supported hybrid identity management while integrating well with cloud directory services

The only challenge I have with Microsoft Defender for Identity is the latency. I may not put that entirely on Microsoft, because latency could be network related. At times when trying to authenticate, the prompt is delayed. We tried implementing passwordless authentication, especially for on-premises workloads, but we haven't been able to achieve that. Passwordless authentication is part of the identity functionalities, particularly when it comes to enforcing passwordless for on-premises workloads. In terms of improvements, you can't create OUs on Azure AD. Regarding giving users privileges on what they can do across different OUs, I haven't seen that feature on Microsoft Defender for Identity. Microsoft Defender for Identity needs to be able to plug into third-party applications that are not Microsoft. For instance, with a human resource application used to manage users and leave requests, when staff leaves the organization, they are first exited from that application before AD. Integration between Azure AD and third-party applications would allow automatic syncing when removing staff. The initial setup of Microsoft Defender for Identity is not hard. However, setup is one thing, and getting value from the application end-to-end is another. It can be set up and running from the first day but not functioning optimally. Initially, when we did the setup, it wasn't optimal. Over time, with continuous improvement, which we're still doing, we've gotten to a comfortable level, but there's still room for improvement.

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Prajwal Chougale

SPC L2 Analyst at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Centralized threat hunting has improved alert accuracy and simplifies incident investigations

I would say there are two areas for improvement: the reporting dashboard that provides insights or reports weekly or monthly lacks detailed information about how logs are being ingested. While the details are there, they could be more concise and easier to understand for any level of authority. The second area is alert tuning; compared to Microsoft Sentinel, Rapid7 InsightIDR provides fewer alerts with more static alert functionality and lacks dynamic alerting exposures. There could be improvements to learn from past alert activities for more dynamic alert configurations. These two areas are the main areas for improvement; everything else is good.

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

"The most valuable aspect is its connection to Microsoft Sentinel and Defender for Endpoint, and giving exact timelines for incidents and when certain events occured during an incident."

"The best feature is security monitoring, which detects and investigates suspicious user activities. It can easily detect advanced attacks based on the behavior. The credentials are securely stored, so it reduces the risk of compromise. It will monitor user behavior based on artificial intelligence to protect the identities in your organization. It will even help secure the on-premise Active Directory. It syncs from the cloud to on-premise, and on-premise modifications will be reflected in the cloud."

"The feature I like most is that you can create your own customized detection rules. It has a lot of default alerts and rules, but you can customize them according to your business needs."

"The advanced threat protection is one of the strengths of Microsoft Defender for Identity, as it utilizes user and entity analytics and can detect indicative attacks."

"It gives companies a lot of insights that they didn't have before and has increased the security posture significantly."

"I would rate Microsoft Defender for Identity at nine out of ten."

"Microsoft Defender for Identity provides excellent visibility into threats by leveraging real-time analytics and data intelligence."

"The most valuable feature is its hybrid artificial intelligence, which gathers forensic data to track and counteract security threats, much like the CSI series in effect."

More Microsoft Defender for Identity pros

"I definitely recommend Rapid7 InsightIDR."

"Rapid7 InsightIDR is budget-friendly and has a good market position because not everybody can afford to go for LogRhythm or Splunk or QRadar."

"We were able to identify criminals attempting to login from China and put a stop on their IP locations."

"InsightIDR’s ability to process millions of transactions per day, and to notify me of the most critical ones, is priceless. InsightIDR has the alerts tuned, and has the ability to quickly drill down to determine the threat level."

"The web interface is great — very useful and user-friendly."

"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. As a cloud tool, the product is highly scalable."

"During simulations or demonstrations, the tool generates alerts, providing details such as the specific application, its origin, and potential threats. For instance, it can identify if an application belongs to a known ransomware group. The system rates the threat, offering a clear detection ratio, such as 97 out of 100. It not only identifies threats but also illustrates the associated behaviors, helping us understand the potential risk to a particular endpoint."

"It improves because several sensors are deployed within the on-premise environment. It can be very efficient if the customer implements and operates it effectively."

More Rapid7 InsightIDR pros

Cons

"Feedback on sync issues with the Microsoft portal highlighted its slow nature, with syncs sometimes taking eight hours."

"The areas of Microsoft Defender for Identity that can be improved include its cost, which is quite expensive when integrated into Sentinel. Additionally, there is room for improvement in its integration with non-Microsoft applications and systems."

"There is no option to remedy an issue directly from the console. If we see an alert, we can't fix it from the console. Instead, we must depend on other Microsoft products, such as MDE. That is a significant drawback. It simply works as a scanner, which can sometimes put enough load on the sensors. Immediate actions should be possible from the dashboard because. It can prevent issues from spreading further."

"They should improve the automation for impossible travel detection. When connected to Wi-Fi and then to VPN, the system sometimes interprets the IP address change as impossible travel."

"For users operating in mixed environments, while Defender for Identity offers robust protection for on-premises AD, additional solutions or configurations might be necessary to ensure seamless security management across Azure and on-premises AD systems."

"The solution should provide more detailed data regarding anomaly detections."

"An area for improvement is the administrative interface. It's basic compared to other administrative centers. They could make it more user-friendly and easier to navigate."

"The tracking instance needs to be configured appropriately."

More Microsoft Defender for Identity cons

"Currently, it lacks the functionalities provided by Rapid7's User Behavior Analytics (UBA)."

"Customised alert recipients need to be added to allow better first-line action and quicker response. Configurable honeypots would be a welcome addition."

"One thing that springs to mind is easier API integration with ITSMs."

"The ability to tune the collector for custom logs would greatly help."

"I'd like to be able to get the compliance report within the solution which is currently not possible."

"Rapid7 doesn't integrate well with all our security tools from various vendors, so we plan to switch. Many of our solutions work with Rapid7, but some do not. We are already searching for a replacement already."

"Personally, I feel it would greatly benefit from more supported log sources."

"Rapid7 InsightIDR is not intuitive to search for logs. It should be more user-friendly and improve the dashboards. We should be able to use ready-made templates instead of having to build one."

More Rapid7 InsightIDR cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Defender for Identity is a little more expensive than other Microsoft products. Identity and Microsoft Defender for Cloud are both a bit costly."

"The product is costly, and we had multiple discussions with accounting to receive a discounted rate. However, on the open market, the tool is expensive."

"It is very affordable considering that other SIEM solutions are much more expensive and have many more licensing restrictions and fees."

"Microsoft Defender for Identity comes as part of the Microsoft E5 licensing stack."

"You won't be able to change your tenants from where you deploy them. For example, if you select Canada, they will charge you based on Canadian pricing. If you are also in London, when you deploy in Canada, the pound is higher than Canadian dollars, but your platform resources are billable in Canadian dollars. Using your pounds to pay for any of these things will be cheaper. Or, if you deploy in London, they will charge you based on your local currency."

"Rapid7 InsightIDR charges us based on the endpoints we connect to."

"Accurately predict your licensing counts as this is a subscription based product."

"I am sure that there are cheaper products out there, but none that meet so many of our needs whilst maintaining stability and usability."

"Rapid7 InsightIDR is a cheaply priced product. On a scale of one to ten, where one is very expensive, and ten is very cheap, I rate the product's price at seven or eight."

"It is more reasonably priced than other vendors."

"Licensing is straightforward. If, for some reason, you don’t meet the minimum licensing requirements, there is a third-party managed service that can help."

"It is on a yearly basis. For our own company, for about 250 users, it was 16,000 euros a year."

"The solution has a mid-range price point in the market"

More Rapid7 InsightIDR pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	15

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	22
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Identity?

I really would have to sit down to think about how Microsoft Defender for Identity can be improved. I didn't take stock in what needs to be improved because I appreciated having the tools right the...

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What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender for Identity?

My main use cases for Microsoft Defender for Identity include Conditional Access, checking risky users, remediating risky users, and user sign-ins. I can easily remediate or determine what the user...

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

I don't really use Microsoft Defender for Identity a lot because my new role doesn't allow me to take time to do so. I don't really use the threat intelligence feature of Microsoft Defender for Ide...

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What SOC product do you recommend?

For tools I’d recommend: -SIEM- LogRhythm -SOAR- Palo Alto XSOAR Doing commercial w/o both (or at least an XDR) is asking to miss details that are critical, and ending up a statistic. Also, rememb...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rapid7 InsightIDR?

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing has been very positive; it is cost-effective and offers great value for the money. We bought the licensing through an agent, and the setup was...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Rapid7 InsightIDR?

See all answers

Comparisons

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 6% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Identity vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 4% of the time

BloodHound Enterprise vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Identity Competitors

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Rapid7 InsightIDR

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Sentinel vs Rapid7 InsightIDR

Compared 4% of the time

Adlumin Security Operations vs Rapid7 InsightIDR

Compared 4% of the time

Vectra AI vs Rapid7 InsightIDR

Compared 4% of the time

Darktrace vs Rapid7 InsightIDR

Compared 3% of the time

More Rapid7 InsightIDR Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Identity

August 2026

Download Microsoft Defender for Identity product report

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 InsightIDR

August 2026

Download Rapid7 InsightIDR product report

Also Known As

Azure Advanced Threat Protection, Azure ATP, MS Defender for Identity

InsightIDR

Overview

Microsoft Defender for Identity offers real-time threat detection and protection for hybrid Active Directory environments. It integrates with Microsoft 365 components for seamless security and monitors advanced behaviors, enhancing identity protection across cloud and on-premises environments.

Microsoft Defender for Identity provides detailed threat insights and user behavior analytics to detect unauthorized access and notify anomalies. It allows setting custom detection rules, enhancing threat response automation. While it needs improvements in cloud security, SIEM integration, and access controls, users leverage its ability to mitigate identity threats like suspicious logins and ransomware. Enhanced integration with Microsoft security products ensures a coordinated threat response for identity control and privilege management.

What are the key features of Microsoft Defender for Identity?

Active Directory Federation: Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 for comprehensive security.
Real-time Security Monitoring: Provides immediate insights into advanced user behaviors and potential threats.
Threat Insights: Delivers detailed analysis of threats with the ability to customize detection rules.
User Behavior Analytics: Analyzes user activities to detect anomalies and potential risks.
Identity Protection: Offers comprehensive protection in both cloud and on-premises environments.

What benefits should users expect from reviews of Microsoft Defender for Identity?

Unauthorized Access Prevention: Identifies potential unauthorized activities with advanced detection mechanisms.
Anomaly Notification: Alerts users to unexpected activities within their environments.
Threat Response Automation: Facilitates rapid response to threats with automated solutions.
Enhanced Cloud Security: Strengthens identity management across hybrid and cloud frameworks.

In specific industries, organizations implement Microsoft Defender for Identity to secure on-premises and hybrid Active Directory environments through user and entity behavior analytics, malicious activity detection, and integration with Microsoft security tools. This approach enhances security posture assessment and helps mitigate identity threats like identity harvesting and unauthorized access.

Microsoft

Rapid7 InsightIDR is a cloud-based security information and event management solution known for its user behavior analytics, offering rapid detection and response capabilities while facilitating seamless integration across systems.

Rapid7 InsightIDR is designed to enhance threat detection and investigation through its efficient user behavior analytics and advanced threat intelligence framework. The platform's cloud-based deployment ensures rapid setup and comprehensive event monitoring across diverse IT environments, including endpoints and Office 365. Its intuitive interface supports seamless data collection, honing in on threat detection through honeypot utilization and intelligent alerting. However, it is noted for lacking some customization features and better integration, especially with Microsoft and ITSMs.

What are the key features of Rapid7 InsightIDR?

User Behavior Analytics: Detects threats by analyzing patterns and anomalies.
Cloud Deployment: Enables quick setup and scalability.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Monitors events across systems and platforms like Office 365.
Honeypots and Alerting: Utilizes honeypots to reduce false positives and alert fatigue.
Threat Intelligence Framework: Supports effective threat hunting and remediation.

What benefits should users consider in reviews when evaluating Rapid7 InsightIDR?

Enhanced Detection: Improves threat detection with user behavior analysis.
Easy Integration: Integrates across systems for a streamlined security approach.
Rapid Response: Facilitates quick action against identified threats.
Operational Efficiency: Offers a cohesive view of security operations.

Rapid7 InsightIDR is prominently used in security operation centers to manage events, detect threats, and respond effectively. Industries apply it for network behavior monitoring, compliance, and vulnerability management. Companies integrate it with security tools to boost threat investigation, ensuring full SIEM functionalities and robust log management capacities. Its application spans behavioral and intrusion analytics, aiding in monitoring and addressing malicious activities.

Rapid7

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Identity is trusted by companies such as St. Luke’s University Health Network, Ansell, and more.

Liberty Wines, Pioneer Telephone, Visier

Buyer's Guide

Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)

July 2026

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