Microsoft Defender vs Proofpoint Email Protection comparison

Microsoft and Proofpoint are both solutions in the Secure Email Gateway (SEG) category. Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.5, while Proofpoint is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4. Additionally, 96% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Proofpoint users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Proofpoint Email Protection and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are key players in the email security market. Proofpoint Email Protection may have the upper hand due to its robust anti-phishing capabilities and comprehensive protection.

Features: Proofpoint Email Protection is noted for its ability to block spam and phishing attacks, offers sandboxing, and has URL defense features. It also serves as a security gateway providing targeted attack protection. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 integrates seamlessly within the Microsoft ecosystem, offering real-time threat detection, strong anti-phishing capabilities, and security features across the Microsoft product suite.

Room for Improvement: Proofpoint Email Protection could improve its search capabilities, integration with complex environments, and enhance its administrative interface. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 can enhance scalability, technical support, and streamline its licensing models.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Proofpoint Email Protection is deployed largely as a public cloud solution and is known for its responsive technical support, although users face challenges in accessing technical portals. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers easy deployment through integration with Office 365 but has room for improvement in support quality, particularly in incident response.

Pricing and ROI: Proofpoint Email Protection is perceived as expensive, particularly for lower-tier markets, yet it is effective against phishing. Microsoft Defender for Office 365, although requiring additional budget for premium licenses, is part of the Office 365 bundle, offering complex value assessment. Both solutions show ROI through reduced spam and phishing incidents, with Microsoft's integration offering broader cost efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs. Proofpoint Email Protection Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs. Proofpoint Email Protection

February 2026

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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

Cloudflare One

Q&A Highlights

Aishwarya Rm

Senior Software Engineer at Capgemini

Dec 30, 2024

Which solution do you prefer: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 or Proofpoint Email Protection?

In my opinion, there is little comparison. Proofpoint is an industry leader in email protection and has a very tightly integrated ecosystem for email defense, incident response, and awareness training. They have dedicated teams monitoring the threat landscape and continually tweak their algorithms to match current threats. Proofpoint goes far beyond email protection with tools to help your team investigate email-related threats, monitor user interactions and risks, act on users who continually handle email improperly with training, simulated phishes for user awareness, and even tools to reach full DMARC and DKIM protection (which can be extremely time and labor intensive). Defender has very little footprint, but also offers far less features. Proofpoint can be a more costly solution, but when compared feature for feature it far outweighs Defender. We do use both at my organization and I rarely interact with Defender as part of email investigations. Both will offer great protection, but beyond that Proofpoint is very feature rich and gives my team more tools to combat email threats when something is not caught by the gateway rules. Quite often emails do not contain threats prior to delivery and are weaponized afterward to get past the email defenses. Proofpoint has TAP and TRAP to isolate and remove those threats once they do become weaponized; along with the intelligence to know it has occurred. Proofpoint also has stellar reporting features so you have a very good understanding of your email environment at a glance.

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Featured Reviews

Cobe Van Coller

Network Architect at IP Dimension

Cloud security has improved remote access and has reduced costs for smaller client sites

I have used Cloudflare One's Identity-Aware Proxy, and it is quite straightforward from what I have seen so far. The app registration on the Azure side integrates fully into Cloudflare, and I am very satisfied with that part because it is easy to set up. The integration of Cloudflare One's Secure Web Gateway and Zero Trust Network Access works without any issues. That part is pretty automatic, and if you complete the rest of the setup, it comes together by itself with no issues from my side. What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection. The hops get shorter and you get better latency. We have done testing to see if it is better. One thing that we did notice with our proof of concept with our current client is that they have people connecting from the UK. When they used their previous VPN solution, uploading CAD drawings and other files to the server took a long time. They mentioned that it is much quicker on Cloudflare One's solution. I definitely believe that is part of the improved performance, and I am satisfied with that as well. What is nice about Cloudflare One is that it makes the setup easier and also easier to train technicians to maintain it. Compared to legacy systems, we do not need to get fancy firewalls in place that are costly. That is definitely also a cost-saver with Cloudflare One.

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Emeka Ndulu

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.

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AshishKochhar

Information Technology Team Lead at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees

Advanced email protection has blocked targeted attacks and reduces manual threat handling

I feel Proofpoint Email Protection is overpriced. I cannot say that the security level being provided does not justify the cost, but when comparing the similar level of security with other applications or security systems, it is overpriced. If Proofpoint could provide offers or discounts for customers who are already using the product or for new customers implementing it, along with some free services or add-ons, that would be helpful in terms of financial expense. Proofpoint Email Protection has recently introduced AI functionality in terms of data security capabilities and protecting AI assistance from targeted attacks. This is important since everything is now related to AI. The solution is doing threat detection and real-time threat detection and response pretty well. There are a few things I would like to see improved. Sometimes Proofpoint Email Protection takes time to analyze the workflow and the nature of the email. In this age of AI, the solution should analyze an email on the first receipt and determine whether it should pass or be marked as spam without checking previous data. Another improvement would be to have a more user-friendly dashboard. Additionally, if Proofpoint could add the same features in BCP as part of email protection in BCP, it would be helpful since I currently have to take a different add-on for BCP, and integrating it would save costs. I cannot say that threats have increased or decreased with Proofpoint Email Protection because it depends on the mail flow. The solution captures and filters out all threats, and the email threats vary every day depending on how many users are receiving how many emails per day. Today there might be 1,000 emails, tomorrow 5,000, and the day after 500. Proofpoint Email Protection does its job by scanning all emails and threats are reduced to some extent. Since I am aware that virus definitions are updated every day, I cannot blame Proofpoint Email Protection if they take time to determine the nature of an email being received. There are sometimes emails that are false positives, and Proofpoint Email Protection is a bit strict in analyzing false positives, sometimes stopping emails that are actually required. It analyzes the previous nature of an email and if a template looks like an informational template or related to spam, it blocks it because it looks similar to one blocked earlier. However, the template might actually be required. If I receive the same template today that is also blocked by Proofpoint Email Protection, that particular template might be useful and should not be blocked. In such cases, I have to raise it as a false positive stating that this is something in use or my users use and should be released. When AI starts doing its work, it analyzes the email from a sender with a particular template and releases it, but if the same email and template come from another sender, it blocks it according to the policies.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution is easy to understand and easy to configure."

"It's the endpoint exposition. We don't need to expose our VPN server to the internet and need a zero-test solution. I can apply some conditional access to the endpoint that's connecting to our network to check their security policies or the security condition of their workstation. Once the workstation is trying to connect to my internal network, then I would like to check the discrete condition of these endpoints that are trying to access my internal network. We created some conditional access. We have CrowdStrike, to check if the CrowdStrike is installed, to check if it's updated, and to check for Windows updates. We created some conditional policies to check it."

"Cloudflare is by far the most effective solution that I have come across."

"The solution has different options that can be used to differentiate DDoS attacks."

"Cloudflare is simple to use."

"It will take the blow rather than our applications should an attack occur."

"The capabilities of the software are strong enough for me to do what it's supposed to do. For me, we don't need to do a lot of configuration on our site. We just enable it and monitor it."

"For Cloudflare Access, I am using the free plan...The most valuable feature is their protection."

More Cloudflare One pros

"Since we have started using the solution, there have been fewer compromises."

"The coolest feature of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is its ability to look for phishing emails."

"Safe attachments, safe links, policies, and the ability to protect from zero-day threats are the most valuable features."

"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."

"Defender is a SaaS platform, so it offers more flexibility. Managing the permissions is easier. The solution's automated detection and response features are scalable."

"It gives us visibility into threats and, for endpoints, it helps us to prioritize threats. We used to have a lack of visibility, but now our time to detect and respond has decreased."

"The deployment capability is a great feature."

"My experience deploying Microsoft Defender for Office 365 was seamless."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

"From the reports that we hear back from clients regarding Proofpoint Email Protection, they are noticing less spam and fewer phishing attempts in their email."

"The most valuable features of Proofpoint Email Protection are ease of use, data loss prevention, antivirus, and spam protection."

"The stability is very good."

"Using Proofpoint Email Protection has successfully reduced the volume of emails that we need to review."

"It has been comprehensive and easy to use for both users and administrators."

"Proofpoint is the main tool for blocking spam because it denies the connection altogether."

"The most valuable feature of Proofpoint Email Protection is the TAP Dashboard. It provides more detailed information that can be used for forensic analysis. This is an advantage that other email security providers, such as Cisco, IronPort, or Microsoft do not offer in their dashboards."

"I like all the features with Proofpoint, such as how it filters the spam and marketing mail, lost reality mail, blocks phishing attacks, blocks malicious attachments, and stops phishing links."

More Proofpoint Email Protection pros

Cons

"Lacks a VPN feature to provide a secure connection to the data center."

"When there are any dynamic changes in complex applications, the tool takes a lot of time, making its analytics-related area a major matter of concern where improvements are needed."

"Cloudflare DDoS has poor technical support."

"From a logging perspective, it is still a bit difficult to see exactly what users are being blocked with the current views."

"For the topic of improvement, providing some training material is one of my suggestions."

"Feedback could be enhanced. While I work efficiently with Clover as a partner in Mexico City, sometimes the information and requests are easier to manage with more concrete solutions."

"There are premium tier live service and lower tier live service, so we opted for the lower tier. But there is no medium tier where we pay a little extra and get a bit more service. So if that can be improved."

"They don't have a person to provide support for customers using the solution under their free plan."

More Cloudflare One cons

"The inbuilt analysis of false positives can be faster. It's not slow, but it can be faster."

"I assess the stability and reliability of the solution as seven out of ten."

"The product must provide better malware detection."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 should be more proactive."

"The visibility for the weaknesses in the system and unauthorized access can be improved."

"The changes to customer service, specifically the new model for support agreements, are not favorable."

"We are waiting for better software to block viruses."

"The custom alerts have to improve a lot."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

"One major threat is QR code phishing, along with TOAD (Telephone-Oriented Attack Delivery). TOAD attacks don't include links, URLs, or attachments in emails. Instead, attackers try to trick you into calling them, often by offering something enticing like a 50% discount on football matches."

"Regarding improvements or enhancements in Proofpoint Email Protection, I find the platform somewhat chaotic. It has too many different sections that perform the same function, which is very confusing."

"You only receive one model in Proofpoint Email Protection and the other ones you have to purchase at a high price. There should be more available with the solution and additional models should be less expensive."

"In terms of improvement, the price could be better. Additionally, more security could be implemented."

"Those kinds of emails, while they were suspicious and malicious, sometimes Proofpoint Email Protection failed to detect them."

"As an enterprise, we have high demands on the services, and if we have to wait for something like a week or weeks, it is not acceptable; we need solutions in one or two days sometimes because if there is spam going around, you cannot wait weeks."

"The product's deployment is complex and requires technical knowledge."

"I want Security Awareness Training in there as a package deal. A lot of companies are starting to value email security a little bit more and take it a little bit more seriously, and the great product that we link together with a lot of these sales is a training product called Security Awareness Training. It is an upsell that we do with Proofpoint, and it is definitely something that I recommend everybody with email security to look into. It would be great if Security Awareness Training is included with the email security."

More Proofpoint Email Protection cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing of the solution is cheap. The licensing cost is also very low. I rate the cost and pricing a three out of ten."

"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."

"The pricing is somewhere in the middle. I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

"My company has to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution. There are no hidden charges apart from the licensing costs of the solution."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform's pricing is good."

"The prices are slightly expensive."

"The solution is not that expensive."

"The price tag is no longer $200,000, but rather $300,000 to $400,000. It's twice."

"I know that the product is incredibly expensive."

"Compared to other brands, Microsoft Defender for Office 365's pricing is competitive."

"The product is expensive."

"I was working in the government and it was too expensive for us to use our Microsoft products."

"It's a user-base subscription."

"For licensing, it's usually a yearly package for customers who are subscribed to Office 365, but they can also pay on a monthly basis."

"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."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

"Customers pay around $90,000 yearly for a 1,000-user organization, with the subscription license being the main expense, apart from implementation fees."

"Proofpoint Email Protection is a reasonably priced product, which means that it is neither too low nor too high in terms of price."

"The licensing model for Proofpoint Email Protection is simple. It's based on the number of users. Price-wise, Proofpoint Email Protection is a five out of ten because it's a pretty expensive solution."

"Pricing has recently been increased and the cost is a downside"

"I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

"Annually, it costs us about $92,000. This is pretty much what it costs us. There is no additional cost."

"Proofpoint Email Protection has comparable pricing."

"The tool's pricing depends on the customer's preference, offering options for an annual license or a monthly subscription. The cost varies based on factors such as the number of users and specific requirements. Overall, the pricing is competitive."

More Proofpoint Email Protection pricing and cost advice

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Answers from the Community

Aishwarya Rm

Senior Software Engineer at Capgemini

Mar 3, 2023

Which solution do you prefer: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 or Proofpoint Email Protection?

See 2 answers

JohnBusch

Security Engineer at Kforce

Mar 2, 2023

Read full answer

Remy Ma

Network Security Services at ACE Managed Securty Services

Mar 3, 2023

If you're looking for Managed Email Security, it can be hard to decide between Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and Proofpoint Email Protection. It's like choosing between two delicious flavors of ice cream — both are good, but what flavor do you prefer? Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is managed by Microsoft’s Security & Compliance Center and provides managed email security for Office 365 customers. It offers comprehensive protection against malicious emails, phishing attacks, and other advanced threats. On the other hand, Proofpoint Email Protection is managed by a third-party provider and provides managed email security for businesses of all sizes. While it doesn't have as many features as Defender, Proofpoint still offers robust protection against malicious emails, phishing attacks, and other advanced threats. In the end, it comes down to personal preference. Do you prefer managed email security managed by Microsoft or a third party? It all depends on your individual needs. Whichever solution you choose, make sure that managed email security meets all of your requirements!

Read full answer

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	11

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	31

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	28
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	43

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access has strong integration with Microsoft, among other platforms. However, when it comes to Kaspersky, ...

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What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access provides secure access to internal applications for employees, external members of the organization...

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What advice do you have for others considering Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access is one of the best integrations available. While about two hundred vendors offer similar services, ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a little expensive.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Proofpoint Email Protection?

I do not handle the pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Proofpoint Email Protection, but I think it's a bit pricey...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Proofpoint Email Protection?

Some of the old portal features of Proofpoint Email Protection are missing in the new portal, so some of the settings...

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What is your primary use case for Proofpoint Email Protection?

Proofpoint Email Protection is primarily used for anti-spam purposes. As other companies receive a lot of malware, ph...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One

March 2026

Download Cloudflare One product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

March 2026

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 report

Download Microsoft Defender for Office 365 product report

Buyer's Guide

Proofpoint Email Protection

March 2026

Download Proofpoint Email Protection product report

Also Known As

Cloudflare Area 1 Email Security, Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Gateway, Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform, Cloudflare DDoS, Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform

MS Defender for Office 365

Proofpoint Enterprise Protection, Proofpoint Digital Protection

Overview

Cloudflare One is a comprehensive platform for security, performance, and connectivity. It provides features like rate limiting, DDoS protection, and application access, tailored to enhance user experience while securing internet access and accelerating communications.

Designed to integrate security measures with ease of use and scalability, Cloudflare One offers a secure web gateway and zero trust network access. These features ensure seamless setup and operation, making connectivity reliable and protected. Users appreciate its integrated console, intuitive interface, and the ability to manage risk effectively. It offers straightforward deployment, improves latency, and boasts cost-effectiveness. While its onboarding process and documentation need enhancement, its value in content delivery and application shielding is notable. Despite challenges in integrating Cloudflare Access with existing VPNs and the need for better automation and support, it remains vital for DNS and infrastructure protection.

What features make Cloudflare One stand out?

Rate Limiting: Controls the traffic rate to prevent abuse.
DDoS Protection: Shields applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Secure Web Gateway: Provides secure internet access with seamless operation.
Zero Trust Network Access: Ensures secure, application-based connectivity without relying on traditional VPNs.
Access for Connectivity: Facilitates access to internal applications securely.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Security: Robust measures for DNS and browsing protection.
Performance: Enhanced site accessibility and communication speed.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing for its features.
Ease of Deployment: Straightforward and efficient setup process.

In industries like finance, retail, and technology, Cloudflare One is crucial for enabling secure remote access and protecting web applications against dynamic threats. It supports compliance access policies and enhances content delivery, playing a key role in safeguarding digital infrastructure.

Cloudflare

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a comprehensive security solution designed to protect organizations against advanced threats in their email, collaboration, and productivity environments. It combines the power of Microsoft's threat intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral analytics to provide real-time protection against phishing, malware, ransomware, and other malicious attacks.

With Microsoft Defender for Office 365, organizations can safeguard their email communication by detecting and blocking malicious links, attachments, and unsafe email content. It employs advanced anti-phishing capabilities to identify and prevent sophisticated phishing attacks that attempt to steal sensitive information or compromise user credentials.

This solution also offers robust protection against malware and ransomware. It leverages machine learning algorithms to analyze email attachments and URLs in real-time, identifying and blocking malicious content before it reaches users' inboxes. Additionally, it provides advanced threat-hunting capabilities, allowing security teams to proactively investigate and respond to potential threats.

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 goes beyond email protection and extends its security features to other collaboration tools like SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. It scans files and documents stored in these platforms, ensuring that they are free from malware and other malicious content. It also provides visibility into user activities, helping organizations detect and mitigate insider threats.

Furthermore, this solution offers rich reporting and analytics capabilities, providing organizations with insights into their security posture and threat landscape. It enables security administrators to monitor and manage security incidents, track trends, and take proactive measures to enhance their overall security posture.

Microsoft

Proofpoint Email Protection provides powerful filtering against spam, phishing, and malware, leveraging effective threat detection and blocking capabilities. This solution integrates smoothly with platforms like Office 365, offering a user-friendly dashboard for seamless operations.

Proofpoint Email Protection focuses on email security, ensuring protection against phishing, malware, and spam. It includes features like URL scanning, anti-phishing, anti-virus protection, and sandboxing for comprehensive threat analysis. Its advanced analytics through TAP and TRAP, along with strong integration abilities, make it appealing for handling email threats. While scalability and ease of deployment are advantages, challenges such as integration in complex environments, the cost, and limited local support require attention. Enhancements in search functionality, email encryption, and improved phishing detection are also needed.

What are the key features of Proofpoint Email Protection?

Effective Filtering: Blocks spam, phishing, and malware with high accuracy.
URL Scanning: Protects against malicious links.
Advanced Analytics: Provides insights through TAP and TRAP.
Seamless Integration: Compatible with platforms like Office 365.
User-friendly Dashboard: Simplifies email management and monitoring.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?

Scalability: Adaptable to organizational growth without losing performance.
Strong Threat Protection: Comprehensive defense against email threats.
Easy Deployment: Streamlined setup process for smooth integration.
Advanced Threat Analysis: Identifies and neutralizes threats efficiently.

Industries adopting Proofpoint Email Protection include finance, healthcare, and education sectors, which benefit from its robust email security measures. Educational institutions prioritize safe communication for staff and students, while healthcare organizations focus on protecting sensitive patient data. Financial services benefit from preventing data breaches and fraud through advanced threats management.

Proofpoint

Sample Customers

23andMe

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.

Blocket, University of Waterloo, Lincoln Memorial University, WellSpan Health, U-Haul, Carestream Health, Westinghouse

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs. Proofpoint Email Protection

February 2026

Free Report: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs. Proofpoint Email Protection

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs. Proofpoint Email Protection and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.

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