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Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence vs Symantec Advanced Threat Protection comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

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 Threat I...
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
Threat Intelligence Platforms (4th), Microsoft Security Suite (15th)
Symantec Advanced Threat Pr...
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
20th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence is 1.7%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Advanced Threat Protection is 2.1%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
 

Featured Reviews

TapabrataSamanta - PeerSpot reviewer
A cost-effective solution for monitoring and security but lacks supports for non-Microsoft products
There are weaknesses, and Microsoft is working on addressing them. Over the past three to four years, the ATP and other components have improved significantly, and the integration has also advanced. We are using third-party services. While we have Microsoft Threat Intelligence, which leverages Microsoft's facilities, we also utilize additional third-party threat intelligence. As of today, we don't completely rely on Microsoft for certain regions. This is an area where Microsoft needs to improve. Consequently, we use Anomali, a third-party threat intelligence provider. We integrate our product's intelligence with Anomali, from which we obtain threat insights. Microsoft products offer significant advantages, especially in the realm of threat intelligence. It works very well with Microsoft products. However, you might need additional services if you have non-Microsoft products in your environment. For instance, if you use Apple or Linux, Microsoft's solutions alone might not be sufficient. If they can work more effectively, especially with zero-day attack speed and other sophisticated threats, it will help us provide our customers with timely newsletters about new attacks.
TapabrataSamanta - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable platform with effective integration capabilities
Our primary use case for the product is to provide advanced threat protection to our clients, primarily in the banking and financial sectors Symantec ATP has been beneficial in ensuring robust security for our clients. Its effectiveness in detecting and mitigating threats has improved customer…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"You can use it to monitor third parties and ensure they are not under threat attacks. It is beneficial in the GRC model."
"It just runs in the background. I don't have to worry about, making sure it's Intelligence. So, you know, this kind of makes it very easy, have to worry about installing. It is easy to use."
"I value how Threat Intelligence integrates with the different platforms in Microsoft."
"Its user-friendliness is its most valuable aspect."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."
"They have a very transparent roadmap for the product."
"The technical support services are excellent."
"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the insight it provides."
"Endpoint to network protects the line."
"The Application Control code and the easy integration are valuable features."
"You don't have to buy a separate email security platform. You can enable that using their endpoint, and I like that. You don't have to have two agents running on the same box."
"It has certainly helped out our audit efforts because we each stay compliant in terms of various security standards."
"Symantec Endpoint Protection provides end-to-end protection. Along with antivirus protection, it has a lot of key areas, including intrusive prevention, firewall features, and application and device control."
"Currently we have 800-plus nodes connected with this solution, without any issues. The solution is scalable."
"Real-time threat analysis is quick and takes action on threats immediately."
"The most valuable feature is NetFlow threat protection."
 

Cons

"Non-Microsoft products may not integrate as smoothly."
"I would like to see more AI features and capabilities."
"From the telemetry data standpoint, I would prefer Defender data to be more open in future updates."
"There could be AI functionality included for features like reporting and dashboard preparation."
"The product's dashboard and incident reports functionality needs enhancement."
"A stable licensing model is absent"
"The price could be improved."
"Some of the customization features could be improved by providing a portion of it as open source."
"It also needs network-based threat protection for shared folders and files."
"An improvement could be made on the reporting because then it would be easier to collect information and submit it for compliance."
"It should be able to collect information if the agent is disabled."
"The security features need to be improved."
"Scalability could be better."
"There are some ‎features that would add value to this product. One of them would be a graphical presentation of threats that the system has encountered."
"The cloud platform needs to have improvement in terms of the user interface and the different capabilities it has available. It needs to match the other leading next-gen EDR products that are available in the market. That's the reason why we are stepping away from Symantec. Their cloud environment is just generally lacking in comparison to others."
"It's a strange situation where the infrastructure of the consumer or customer is behind some kind of firewall and they have always used some kind of customized proxy. In this situation, the ATP has a very tough time to pass the information to the cloud and back. To fix, it requires a more elaborate and complex configuration for that particular case."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft's pricing structure involves annual fees."
"The solution can be licensed, but most users would already have it in their Office 365 license."
"The solution's pricing is reasonable and not very expensive."
"Considering Microsoft is constantly changing licensing, I would give it a seven out of ten. It can be difficult to get your head around it, especially for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)."
"They offer two license plans: Microsoft Defender for endpoints and Microsoft Defender for businesses."
"The product’s pricing is worth it."
"I use the product's default version, which is a free one and not the licensed version."
"The product is a part of my Microsoft 365 subscription, so there is no additional cost. It is cost-effective."
"Symantec Advanced Threat Protection's pricing is comparable."
"Symantec Endpoint Protection has an average price."
"Pricing is good. It is nice to have a great product at a fair price."
"The pricing of this solution is inexpensive and affordable."
"The price is quite expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
15%
Educational Organization
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
12%
University
10%
Insurance Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence?
It just runs in the background. I don't have to worry about, making sure it's Intelligence. So, you know, this kind of makes it very easy, have to worry about installing. It is easy to use.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence?
From the telemetry data standpoint, I would prefer Defender data to be more open in future updates.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence?
We have tried Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence. I have expertise with Microsoft Defender products. I am not familiar with Microsoft Defender for IoT because we did not use that in our environ...
What do you like most about Symantec Advanced Threat Protection?
Symantec Endpoint Protection provides end-to-end protection. Along with antivirus protection, it has a lot of key areas, including intrusive prevention, firewall features, and application and devic...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec Advanced Threat Protection?
The price is quite expensive because a different entity has taken over the company.
What needs improvement with Symantec Advanced Threat Protection?
One area for improvement could be the pricing model. Future releases could further enhance integration capabilities with other platforms and simplify the licensing model to compete more with Micros...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
ECI
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence vs. Symantec Advanced Threat Protection and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.