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Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management vs Microsoft Entra ID Protection 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
5.6
Assessing financial benefits of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is difficult due to bundled services, partnerships, and diverse vendor use.
Sentiment score
4.8
Organizations saw ROI in three years with Entra ID, appreciating time savings and reduced login hassle despite high pricing.
Organizations typically do not rely solely on Microsoft products to avoid putting all eggs in one basket, which presents a challenge for maximizing ROI.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
As a Microsoft partner, we receive significant discounts, making the solution affordable for us.
COO at Floating-Dot Technology LTD
There is a return on investment in terms of time-saving, control, and ease of manageability of the environment.
Software Solutions Account Manager at First Distribution
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management support receives mixed reviews due to varying communication efficiency and outsourced team knowledge levels.
Sentiment score
6.6
Microsoft Entra ID Protection support is generally well-rated, but experiences vary based on subscription type and available resources.
They are sometimes responsive, however, often issues cannot be reproduced on their end, making it challenging.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
The support we receive from Microsoft is declining, and for example, after taking advanced support, we have not received satisfactory answers.
Microsoft Solutions Manager at Self-Employed
They are familiar with Microsoft products but are not direct Microsoft staff, which is an area needing improvement.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
We classified it as a critical problem, and they accepted our classification and helped us quickly.
Founder at AiALL
They often refer to internal blogs, which doesn't offer much new information and can limit our capabilities in troubleshooting.
AI Solution Architect at Bitscape Infotech Pvt. Ltd.
Tickets often bounce from person to person, requiring the sharing of information multiple times.
Software Solutions Account Manager at First Distribution
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management excels in scalability and integration, satisfying diverse enterprises with seamless cloud-based performance and expansion.
Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft Entra ID Protection efficiently scales from SMEs to enterprises, offering flexibility and seamless adjustment to varying business demands.
The integration is straightforward for those who understand it, though documentation needs improvement.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
It is scalable; I evaluated the product and decided to use Defender on over 700 of our company servers.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
Since it is a cloud computing product, it can accommodate a range of company sizes, from a few users to large businesses.
Security Analyst at UPCI
There are no issues with scalability up to your license limitations.
Senior Solution Architect DataCenter & Cloud at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
We haven't experienced problems with Microsoft Entra ID Protection.
Founder at AiALL
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Defender is generally stable but faces issues with false positives, resource intensity, and occasional logging errors.
Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Entra ID Protection is stable and reliable, though occasional bugs and infrequent outages occur during integrations and authentications.
There are compatibility issues occasionally arising with false positives when other security tools are not whitelisted in Microsoft Defender.
information Security and IT Manager at Discover Dollar Technologies Pvt Ltd.
It is very resource-intensive, consuming a lot of memory and CPU.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
If Microsoft experiences downtime, this solution goes down as it is a SaaS-based solution where we have no control.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management needs enhanced accuracy, better integration, user-friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and improved platform management and reporting.
Microsoft Entra ID Protection requires enhancements in user interface, scalability, third-party integration, documentation, and simplified management processes.
This scoring should be for specific industries as well. If I belong to the healthcare industry using Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, it should provide me with a risk score and show how I fare against the risk score of my industry.
DGM. Technical Security at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
A vulnerability I patch within 15 minutes takes 24 additional hours for an update.
information Security and IT Manager at Discover Dollar Technologies Pvt Ltd.
The product is not stable; it often uses excessive memory and CPU, which makes it slow.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
If there was some level of backup mechanism available with quick restore functionality, that would be beneficial.
Senior Solution Architect DataCenter & Cloud at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Microsoft has not offered control over how they calculate high or low-risk scenarios.
AI Solution Architect at Bitscape Infotech Pvt. Ltd.
There is no write-back feature from the cloud to local, which would allow me to use my own credentials from the cloud tenant securely.
Security Operations Team Leader at Yalla Security Srl
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise users report mixed views on Microsoft Defender's pricing, noting competitive rates, but caution significant costs without discounts.
Microsoft Entra ID Protection costs $5-$6 per user monthly, with pricing complexity varying by company size and included features.
Overall, every organization wishes for cheaper options, but we look at the security side as well, so we are good for now.
Senior Cloud Security Consultant at MetLife
For non-partners, however, the cost could be seen as higher, between seven to ten.
COO at Floating-Dot Technology LTD
The pricing is reasonable, and it's included in the whole Microsoft E5 bundle, so it's all-inclusive.
Corporate Planner at MISC Berhad
Entra ID Protection is not badly priced, but some clients, especially in medium to smaller scale companies in third-world countries, find it quite expensive.
Software Solutions Account Manager at First Distribution
Microsoft Entra ID requires additional licensing components.
AI Solution Architect at Bitscape Infotech Pvt. Ltd.
The pricing for Microsoft Entra ID protection is not expensive.
Security Analyst at UPCI
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Defender provides compliance, integration, threat identification, accurate assessments, and streamlined management for enhanced security and efficient vulnerability handling.
Microsoft Entra ID Protection enhances security with multifactor authentication, identity governance, and adaptive threat detection integrated with Azure.
The main advantage of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is that it can locate and prevent most threats even when the endpoints are not connected to the corporate network, as long as the internet is available.
DGM. Technical Security at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The feature for customizing to region-specific and domain-specific requirements in healthcare is particularly beneficial.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
The most valuable aspect is the kind of assessment results I get, and the recommendations provided in Microsoft products really help in taking care of the resources.
Senior Cloud Security Consultant at MetLife
Having a single sign-on feature with Entra ID ensures seamless access to various applications, even those with significant security constraints.
AI Solution Architect at Bitscape Infotech Pvt. Ltd.
These features ease the job of security analysts, providing a better vision of user activities and potential risks.
Security Operations Team Leader at Yalla Security Srl
We use automated remediation for logon purposes and error purposes. It remediates issues and provides just-in-time access when applicable.
Senior Solution Architect DataCenter & Cloud at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender Vulnerab...
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
19th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (12th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (18th), Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (6th)
Microsoft Entra ID Protection
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
Identity Management (IM) (8th), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is 1.0%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID Protection is 3.1%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsoft Security Suite Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Entra ID Protection3.1%
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management1.0%
Other95.9%
Microsoft Security Suite
 

Featured Reviews

OB
Microsoft Solutions Manager at Self-Employed
Ensures strong threat and vulnerability management with continuous risk assessment
The major priority is identity, which is crucial; we have lots of companies in manufacturing, energy, or various sectors, and it varies from one to another. I assess Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management as very effective in continuously assessing vulnerabilities without requiring scans. We use automatic investigation and remediation features, safe attachments, safe links, and real-time reports, which are also very effective. For Active Directory, Defender has threat intelligence, and we are using that. The risk-based prioritization within Vulnerability Management affects my ability to manage vulnerabilities, particularly in relation to the Zero Trust Model utilized by our customers. The end-users often do as they please in their systems.
reviewer2133984 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Security Analyst/Incident Response at a retailer with 5,001-10,000 employees
Conditional access provides detailed security customization
The best features of Microsoft Entra ID Protection are the conditional aspects, particularly the conditions that can be created. Microsoft Entra ID Protection has helped us because it gives us conditions that we can filter on or support, providing us more granularity. Microsoft Entra ID Protection allows blocking based on geolocation and similar parameters. The protections for handling identity threats in Microsoft Entra ID Protection, such as the automated remediation, are working effectively. With Microsoft Entra ID Protection, we are able to pivot off of particular alerts and stay abreast of them, which works to enhance our organization's security strategy. They definitely aid in threat detection with Microsoft Entra ID Protection.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?
The documentation from Microsoft needs significant improvement. The documents are disorganized, with one document linking to another, making the steps unclear and difficult to follow. Regarding upd...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Active Directory Identity Protection?
The pricing for Microsoft Entra ID protection is not expensive. It varies based on the company's size and quality.
What needs improvement with Azure Active Directory Identity Protection?
We explore the possibilities to use Purview to control our applications, though not very deeply as it's not very helpful at this moment.For us, the most important problem is access; we need an easy...
What is your primary use case for Azure Active Directory Identity Protection?
We are still deep involved in the use of Microsoft technology for databases and business intelligence, and in the last three years with Power Apps and Power Automate, all that means Azure services,...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Azure Active Directory Identity Protection, Azure AD Identity Protection
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management vs. Microsoft Entra ID Protection and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.