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Proofpoint Email Protection vs Sophos Phish Threat comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

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

Proofpoint Email Protection
Ranking in Security Awareness Training
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Email Security (2nd), Digital Risk Protection (3rd), Office 365 Protection (2nd), Secure Email Gateway (SEG) (3rd)
Sophos Phish Threat
Ranking in Security Awareness Training
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Security Awareness Training category, the mindshare of Proofpoint Email Protection is 8.7%, down from 13.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Phish Threat is 4.2%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Security Awareness Training
 

Featured Reviews

AhmedRamadan - PeerSpot reviewer
Optimize email security with effective sandboxing and auto Pull for quarantine
Proofpoint is used as an email security gateway for big enterprises, primarily for their on-premises servers. Many customers also use it alongside Office 365 Proofpoint offers a complete solution for email security with features like DLP, email archiving, and encryption. The most valuable…
Shaun Gordon - PeerSpot reviewer
Identifies vulnerable employees through customized simulations
Sophos Phish Threat effectively identifies susceptible employees. It depends on knowing my staff. For example, if I receive an email claiming my Facebook account is compromised, I immediately recognize it as suspicious, as I don't have Facebook. If I know my staff use LinkedIn, I utilize the LinkedIn simulation. Similarly, if they bank with Absa, I use the Absa simulation. There isn't a single 'one size fits all' approach. Sophos Phish Threat ensures users do not click on dodgy emails or dodgy links within an environment.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution offers very good flexibility. You can blacklist or whitelist with ease."
"Provides better control over emails, especially those sent via Office 365 on the cloud."
"I would recommend Proofpoint Email Protection to others because it is useful, simple to use, and provides whatever is required."
"The solution scales well."
"It's a mature product. It does a good job in detection."
"The tool has improved our workflow by ensuring people receive only the emails they need for work rather than being inundated with hundreds or thousands of unnecessary emails daily."
"The most valuable feature of Proofpoint Email Protection is the central location dashboard for viewing all the related information for risk."
"The most valuable features of Proofpoint Email Protection are the performance from being on the cloud."
"Sophos Phish Threat is valuable as it is easy to use and effectively educates end users on the threats they may face and how to identify them."
"The most valuable features of Sophos Phish Threat are internal web filtering and security."
"The installation is straightforward. You only need to upload the user's email address to the cloud and you can start using it."
"It is easy to use."
"I find the solution's reports very valuable."
"It is very simple to install and you can do it by yourself."
"The scalability is very good."
"I have found the implementation process to be simple and straightforward."
 

Cons

"We find the cost to be prohibitive."
"In terms of improvement, the price could be better. Additionally, more security could be implemented."
"Proofpoint Email Protection could improve by reducing the price."
"The setup requires expertise. It needs someone with experience on managing it, and I would rate the implementation as needing someone experienced."
"Pricing for the platform could still be cheaper."
"The solution could lower its price."
"There is room for improvement in detecting and preventing phishing attacks. While the solution performs well in some aspects, it struggles with phishing threats."
"The high cost of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The product's price is an area of concern, and it can be improved if Sophos reduces the prices by seven to nine percent, considering the current market price at which the product is offered."
"I would like to see more manager-level training that teaches what needs to be done after a phishing email attack is found."
"Sophos Phish Threat can improve by adding other languages, such as Mandarin or Cantonese to their online trainer video center, it would be helpful."
"Sophos should offer tests where we can emulate new attacks happening now."
"Sophos Phish Threat can improve load balancing."
"The security could be simplified within the product."
"The pricing of Sophos Phish threat can be improved."
"The security of the solution could improve."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is multiple times more expensive, which made it very much less attractive."
"The price is reasonable."
"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."
"It is on a yearly basis. Their floor for SMB doesn't matter. The user count is 100 users and below at $2,500 a year. Its cost is higher than other solutions. It is probably about 20% to 30% higher than what you would get with Microsoft. There are no additional costs. All costs are factored in. It can be improved pricing-wise so that it is affordable for the SMB market."
"In general, the pricing is competitive."
"They are competitively priced, but I have been forced to get quotes for other solutions now because they haven't been responding to requests to do the work that we would like them to do."
"The end customer is buying our solution, which can be for monthly or annual usage depending on our payment and business model."
"It is expensive."
"Licensing fees are paid annually."
"The license for the product comes with the firewall offered by Sophos, so a user need not buy it separately."
"The pricing is very good, and some of my customers who have used other vendors say that Sophos is priced well within the market."
"There is a license required for this solution and the cost depends on the number of users."
"There are monthly and annual subscriptions available to use Sophos Phish Threat. The price is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
18%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Proofpoint Email Protection?
In terms of pricing, it is okay compared to others. I would say it is normal. Additional costs do come in, but it enhances security.
What needs improvement with Proofpoint Email Protection?
In terms of improvement, the price could be better. Additionally, more security could be implemented.
What do you like most about Sophos Phish Threat?
I find the solution's reports very valuable.
What needs improvement with Sophos Phish Threat?
There is a need for improvement regarding false negatives dealing with Office 365. The issue stems from policies in Office 365 that prevent scanning certain elements, which might trigger errors. I ...
What is your primary use case for Sophos Phish Threat?
I use Sophos Phish Threat to test employee security awareness. Essentially, my clients utilize Phish Threat to ensure that users are not clicking on suspicious emails or links. It is a simulated ca...
 

Also Known As

Proofpoint Enterprise Protection, Cofense PhishMe, Proofpoint Digital Protection
Phish Threat
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Blocket, University of Waterloo, Lincoln Memorial University, WellSpan Health, U-Haul, Carestream Health, Westinghouse
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Proofpoint Email Protection vs. Sophos Phish Threat and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.