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Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention 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
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers strong ROI through security enhancements, cost savings, and improved company productivity despite measurement challenges.
Sentiment score
6.3
Users benefit from Microsoft Purview DLP due to seamless integration, cost savings, productivity boosts, and enhanced security without extra expenses.
It has also decreased our time to detection and response by about 15 to 20 percent.
Technology support manager at Alfred State College
Overall, cost of owning and operating our system goes down.
Designation Chief Consultant at Avtow
It's hard to quantify the return on investment we've seen from Microsoft Defender for Office 365.
Chief Architect at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
We save a lot of time for legal by using Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention when searching data for legal and HR and employee issues.
Staff Systems Administrator at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
In these days of data breaches and data leakages that result in huge regulatory fines, we have not had any data breaches that could result in such fines.
Head of Geographies; Data Protection Officer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
The fact that we are not being fined is crucial.
Cloud Architecture Lead at bolder inc
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.8
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 users rate support highly, praising its responsiveness and 24/7 availability, despite occasional documentation and communication issues.
Sentiment score
5.9
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention support experiences vary, with praised documentation but mixed reviews on response time and effectiveness.
Over the past two years, there have been no critical problems.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
we opened tickets, and they typically resolve them quickly.
Chief Architect at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
With a subscription for Microsoft Defender for Office 365, it is an eight. Without it, it is a six.
Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
I rate it a ten because they are very quick to respond and very quick to escalate if needed.
Cloud Architecture Lead at bolder inc
Once we got to the Microsoft engineers, the experience was great.
Director of Cyber Security
In terms of support, it's top-notch and always available to help us with any support issues we raise.
Head of Geographies; Data Protection Officer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers scalable, efficient protection for large enterprises, ensuring seamless growth across diverse industries.
Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is scalable for medium to large organizations but faces integration challenges with non-Microsoft systems.
We have never faced scalability problems, and Microsoft manages it effectively.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 scales transparently for us, as we grew from 1,000 users to 3,000 users, and we didn't notice much difference.
Chief Architect at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 scales with the growing needs of my company well.
Senior Client Director and Advisory Service Leader at Crossfuze
The policy working and detection technology need enhancements.
Solution Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention scales well with the growing needs of our organization.
Head of Geographies; Data Protection Officer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention scales effectively.
Director, IT Infrastructure at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 provides 99.9% uptime with minor issues, ensuring reliable performance and seamless cloud integration.
Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is stable and reliable, with minor configuration issues but overall positive user feedback.
I would rate the stability of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 as 10 over 10 because it's highly available, it works, and it does the job it is meant to do.
Cloud Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
I have not experienced any downtime, crashes, or performance issues because of Defender.
Technology Associate at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
The solution is stable, as we have been using it for the past two years.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
I would assess the stability and reliability of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention as high.
Co-Owner and Principal Consultant at BriComp Computers
The stability and reliability of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is great.
Senior Infrastructure Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
I assess the stability and reliability of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention as quite good because I don't think it's ever gone down, unlike other parts of Azure.
Director, IT Infrastructure at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Users call for enhanced virus detection, cross-platform support, and pricing transparency in Microsoft Defender for Office 365.
Microsoft Purview DLP requires improvements in integration, stability, AI, licensing, language support, documentation, compatibility, and OCR features.
The main area for improvement is simplifying the implementation and rollout process.
Infrastructure and Security Lead at Vedanta
Microsoft could improve by offering recommendations for domain spoofing attacks, especially scenarios where DNS records like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are not properly published.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
There is a different console for different things; I just want one consolidated console.
Senior Director, Security Architecture & Engineering at a leisure / travel company with 10,001+ employees
Business Premium users can get the data loss prevention features of E5, which is fantastic.
Senior Infrastructure Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Implementing a degree of severity ranking is essential.
Director of Cyber Security
More guides, more examples, and more compliance frameworks such as NIST or even PCI compliance would be great.
Director, IT Infrastructure at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing is seen as flexible but potentially expensive, offering value in comprehensive security features.
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention in E5 licenses offers competitive pricing and value with bundled security features and flexible options.
We've likely saved 30% of costs.
Designation Chief Consultant at Avtow
Money-wise, it is a part of the Office 365 suite, making it slightly more expensive compared to Trend Micro.
Infrastructure and Security Lead at Vedanta
Microsoft is quite affordable with a lot of features available for any size organization.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
In terms of pricing, I would say it's unlimited value because it's bundled in our A5 and E5 licensing situation.
Director, IT Infrastructure at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
The pricing for Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is generally set; E5 is required, but it comes with all other products, so I would say it is fine.
Security Engineer at baseVISION
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that it is very straightforward because we are all using E5 licenses, so we are covered.
Cloud Architecture Lead at bolder inc
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 enhances email security with anti-phishing, anti-malware, threat intelligence, and seamless integration for efficient management.
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention excels in data protection, compliance, and productivity through integration and machine learning capabilities.
It ranks the threats and allows us to prioritize those hitting us the hardest, such as email threats.
Technology support manager at Alfred State College
It provides end-to-end visibility on email threats such as phishing, extending beyond Exchange Online Protection.
Solution Consultant at BIM Group of Companies
The value of the DLP feature is significant to us because we have internal data, sometimes sensitive, and the users may not always be aware of security and privacy, which might lead them to send out information mistakenly to external parties.
Chief Architect at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention prevents users from sharing sensitive information outside the organization based on the configurations that we've implemented.
Head of Geographies; Data Protection Officer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Purview has helped improve our organization's ability to discover sensitive data significantly as we use eDiscovery Purview, which is incredibly helpful.
Staff Systems Administrator at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention usually performs well, except for endpoint Data Loss Prevention, which may need improvements.
Solution Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Offi...
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
Email Archiving (1st), Email Security (1st), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (2nd), Secure Email Gateway (SEG) (1st)
Microsoft Purview Data Loss...
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
13th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 3.6%, up from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is 2.6%, up from 2.6% 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 Office 3653.6%
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention2.6%
Other93.8%
Microsoft Security Suite
 

Featured Reviews

Emeka Ndulu - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
ClayHampton - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Infrastructure Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Protects sensitive data across devices and helps address client compliance needs proactively
The reporting in Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is a little easier than most Microsoft portals. I understand the licensing cost, especially if you're a Business Premium or in the SMB world, and a lot of clients run with a Business Premium. That comes with data loss prevention in a manual process, whereas E5 gives automation. Microsoft has said, 'Okay, here's your Microsoft 365 E5 compliance add-on that can go on the Business Premium.' So Business Premium users can get the data loss prevention features of E5, which is fantastic. That was the big point that they were missing, and I'm glad that they actually have an add-on now that makes it possible. So truly, I don't think there's a downside. Maybe more reporting, but that's it.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Insurance Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise31
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
The inbuilt analysis of false positives can be faster. It's not slow, but it can be faster.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
My use case for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is for email protection, safe links, protection of links, documents, protecting my documents, and protecting attachments. I also use it to conduct ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention?
The pricing of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is acceptable for us.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention?
I think that a feature on the side where you could click on something with a question mark, and then if you click on it, it would open up a new window and give you more information on that, almost ...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention?
My main use case is to upload mailboxes. We're using Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention to upload mailboxes. The migration tool that's built into the Microsoft Hybrid isn't working on our domai...
 

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365
Microsoft Endpoint Data Loss Prevention, MS Endpoint DLP, Microsoft Endpoint DLP
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs. Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.