Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Mimecast Mailbox Continuity 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Offi...
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Email Security (1st), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (11th)
Mimecast Mailbox Continuity
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Email Archiving (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Email Archiving category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 31.2%, up from 15.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Mimecast Mailbox Continuity is 3.2%, down from 5.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Archiving
 

Featured Reviews

Tolu Omolaja - PeerSpot reviewer
Great URL scanning and attachment scanning, but I would like more proactive threat analysis
The two main features that prove most beneficial for us are URL scanning and attachment scanning. URL scanning involves an automatic scan of links and emails. When a user clicks on a link within an email, the system promptly checks the link's safety. If the link is deemed safe, access is granted automatically. However, if it is flagged as unsafe, we receive feedback and notification to caution us about the potentially harmful link. At this point, we are presented with the option to proceed or return. I have personally witnessed the system identify a few unsafe links, making this the primary advantage of using the solution. The second crucial aspect is the scanning of attachments. When an email containing an attachment arrives, we receive a notification of the new email, along with information that the attachment is being scanned for threats. This additional layer of security provides peace of mind for our organization. While Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers numerous features, these two stand out as particularly impressive and valuable to us.
Todd Blake - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides peace of mind and expands well but needs a better interface
It's a hosted solution. I'm not sure which version of the solution Im on at this time. I would advise others to research all the options out there and see what the best fit is. We started this mailbox continuity project before we moved to Office 365. And now that we've moved to Office 365, we kind of don't need this piece of technology in the same way that we used to need it when we had an on-prem exchange. Therefore, make sure that you actually need it and then research to find the best options. Overall, I would rate the solution seven out of ten.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The risk level notifications are most valuable. We get to know what kind of intrusion or attack is there, and we can fix a problem on time."
"The solution is very easy to use. All you have to do is to assign the license to the end-user and it's done. The customer will only have the feature activated, and the solution will monitor the emails to determine if they are a threat or not."
"The basic features are okay and I'm satisfied with the Defender."
"Does a thorough job of examining email and URLs for malicious content."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is data backups that we can provide through ticket requests."
"The email protection is excellent, especially in terms of anti-phishing policies."
"The two main features that prove most beneficial for us are URL scanning and attachment scanning."
"The product's scalability is good."
"Mimecast has some good support services in place."
"We're now certain business-critical mail is perfectly protected in multiple ways."
"The most valuable feature of Mimecast Mailbox Continuity is real-time alerts."
"The Large File Send feature comes in handy when you have to send fairly large attachments."
"The security is pretty good, and that's why we're going to upgrade to an even more advanced package. We used it when we had a power issue, and it works. It has been pretty reliable, and the support has been quite good."
"It has all the features required for distribution, such as the ability to mail."
 

Cons

"Configuring the default strategies and policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps generates a lot of noise and false positives."
"The custom alerts have to improve a lot."
"It would be better if it were more scalable. It depends on the architecture, but we would like to make it more scalable for both data centers."
"The product must provide better malware detection."
"In one of the reports I can get the exact place where a vulnerable file resides. But for that, I need to explicitly go into the device and check. If they could include that file part in the report, without my having to go to the device itself, that would help."
"One area for improvement is integration. For example, when it comes to external SaaS platforms, we were not able to get a lot of information on integrations with such apps for security and authentication."
"The certification training for Defender for 365 needs to be deeper and incorporate Sentinel. I took all the security courses except one, and Sentinel isn't included."
"The visibility for the weaknesses in the system and unauthorized access can be improved."
"The solution is expensive in comparison to similar solutions."
"Technical support has been slower than it was in the past, likely due to the pandemic."
"The price of the solution is expensive. It can improve by reducing the price."
"The interface isn't the best. How everything works on the back end is confusing."
"The interface and the documentation could be improved. They can also include some more training resources and content like video. While setting things up, I had to search for the information quite a bit. It took me time to find the correct way to do something. The information is there, but it is sort of all over the place. They can create a better help knowledge base or help portal. It retains your email for 45 days. They can maybe increase this duration."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"From the pricing point of view, like any other product in the market, there is scope for negotiation."
"Compared to other brands, Microsoft Defender for Office 365's pricing is competitive."
"I know that the product is incredibly expensive."
"Microsoft Defender is expensive. I typically recommend it only if clients have the budget. Otherwise, I would suggest an alternative."
"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."
"It is much more expensive than using another solution because we have had to include some options and upgrade our license."
"The product is expensive."
"It's a user-base subscription."
"Its price is in the middle range. It is a structured licensing model where there are various components that you can add or choose to add or not."
"The price of Mimecast Mailbox Continuity is expensive."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Email Archiving solutions are best for your needs.
849,963 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
Threat Explorer is an invaluable tool for me, and it plays a crucial role in helping me discern the origins of various email campaigns, pinpointing where they emanate from, and identifying the indi...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
Money-wise, it is a part of the Office 365 ( /products/office-365-reviews ) suite, making it slightly more expensive compared to Trend Micro. Although Defender is free, you have to pay separately f...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
The main area for improvement is simplifying the implementation and rollout process. There are many conditions to be met, making it challenging to ensure every system is protected. Troubleshooting ...
What do you like most about Mimecast Mailbox Continuity?
We're now certain business-critical mail is perfectly protected in multiple ways.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Mimecast Mailbox Continuity?
I don't deal with the pricing or licensing aspects of the product I can't speak to how much it costs.
What needs improvement with Mimecast Mailbox Continuity?
Overall, just across all the Mimecast pieces that we use, it's somewhat of a mess when you want to figure out where you need to go to make a change. The interface isn't the best. How everything wor...
 

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.
DAC Beachcroft, OceanFirst, Currie & Brown, Alexander Forbes, Lagan Group, Lals Group, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, Wedlake Bell, Macmillan Cancer Support, Bech-Bruun
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Barracuda Networks, Veritas and others in Email Archiving. Updated: April 2025.
849,963 professionals have used our research since 2012.