Barracuda Email Protection vs Trend Micro Email Security comparison

Barracuda Email Protection vs. Trend Micro Email Security

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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

Microsoft Defender for Offi...

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 13.1%, down from 19.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Barracuda Email Protection is 2.5%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trend Micro Email Security is 2.7%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security

Featured Reviews

Tolu Omolaja

Head of Department of Network Communications at Eko electricity

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.

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LeeMiles

Director, Information Technology at St Albans High School For Girls

Very good threat protection, spam filtering, and cloud backups

Considering it integrates with Azure, I would like to be able to effectively set up policies where people are by default included in certain settings. For instance, for email quarantine, I can't set up a global setting. Users must go through an induction session where I guide them in configuring quarantine alerts rather than having default settings based on group membership. This seems like an oversight since they already use Active Directory details. They should assign policies based on group membership, which configures these settings by default.

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Nadeem Syed

CEO at Haniya Technologies

Offers comprehensive security, easy integration, and good support

It integrated easily. About 99% of the time, we do not face any challenges in integrating any product of Trend Micro with the existing network. It is usually compatible with all kinds of networks. They have recently added AI to all Trend Micro products. It makes life a little bit easier by catching viruses, providing solutions, and helping out whenever you are stuck somewhere. It is one of the very good features they have right now. For example, one of our clients experienced a network attack and became confused about resolving the issues. The AI was helpful by suggesting initial steps to solve the problem.

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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

"The initial setup is straightforward. You just add the license, click it, and then you can set up the rules. It is quite simple."

"Defender enables us to secure all 365-related activity from a single place. It gives us visibility into everything happening in Outlook, protecting us against phishing and other email-based threats. Defender helps us detect any suspicious behaviors."

"It also gives me good visibility because, with Defender, I'm using a Microsoft product to defend Microsoft products. The integration was really seamless and I have wide visibility because it picks up almost everything. Literally, I can see almost every activity that happens, from the e-mail to the workstation itself."

"Defender for Office 365 has helped eliminate having to look at multiple dashboards and that is the aspect I like most about it. It is simpler, effective, and convenient. The users like the process efficiency."

"The most valuable feature is protection against malicious links, fishing, and impersonation. You can train people to be aware of these threats, but they're not always careful. When they're using their phones between meetings, they click on a link, and it's game over."

"Does a thorough job of examining email and URLs for malicious content."

"The product is not resource-intensive."

"The email protection is excellent, especially in terms of anti-phishing policies."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

"The most helpful aspect for me is the out-of-the-box configuration, which is fairly good."

"The most valuable features are security and ease of use."

"The most valuable aspect includes attempts to spoof or compromise domains from external sources."

"The solution is straightforward to set up."

"I'm quite satisfied with the graphical user interface for Barracuda products."

"We check the reports sometimes to see that frequent attacks and malicious emails are being blocked by the solution."

"The most valuable features of Barracuda Essentials are it's a trusted name and is rated very high on review sites. It blocks high percentages of spam and junk email and it's in the cloud. They have hardware appliances, but this is in the cloud. The solution is very effective at blocking malware and blocking spam and this is what we are looking for. There's not a whole lot of complexity, you want a solution that is very good at blocking out all of the unwanted emails."

"The archiving and search features are very good."

More Barracuda Email Protection pros

"I find the anti-phishing and anti-spam features most valuable because they reduce false positives and enhance security."

"The solution's most valuable feature is ATP (Advanced Threat Protection), which utilizes the machine learning algorithm."

"It does a good job of ensuring users are not compromised via email."

"Trend Micro has inter-domain security features that solutions from other vendors like Forcepoint lack."

"Trend Micro Email Security scans all email attachments because, nowadays, ransomware or malware files are sent through email attachments."

"The product is quite strong, and that is one reason most clients are replacing their existing email security solutions with it."

"The interface is really good."

"The most valuable feature of Trend Micro Email Security is the security level it provides. The solution is efficient."

More Trend Micro Email Security pros

Cons

"We need a separate license and we don't know how to get the license that is required."

"There is room for improvement in terms of reporting."

"The XDR dashboard has room for improvement."

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

"I'd like some additional features any product can give me to protect our environment in a better way."

"This product's effectiveness could be improved, in terms of detecting unwanted spam or even malware between the emails, compared to other products."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 should improve the troubleshooting tools. It's unclear whether the device is blocked at the firewall level or at the device itself. The granularity needed for troubleshooting is currently lacking. From my perspective, Microsoft should address this issue to benefit many users who likely share the same sentiment."

"The pre-sales cost calculations could be more transparent."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

"Two to three months back, we got fraudulent emails in which someone in the organization was being blamed."

"Barracuda Email Protection needs better reporting and more robust integration with security awareness training platforms and third-party solutions."

"They could simplify the licensing and the pricing."

"I would like to see better integration with other products."

"The solution's graphical user interface (GUI) could be improved visually."

"The customer service and support could be improved if the support were available directly in Europe. Currently, the support is often managed from India, so we sometimes need to wait due to the time zone difference. It would be quicker and better if the support were provided by European staff."

"I would like to see some additional functionality in terms of employee monitoring, as part of a work-from-home security solution."

"There is room for improvement, particularly in reaching out to technical support during deployment."

More Barracuda Email Protection cons

"While they are good, not 100% of email is protected just yet."

"I rate Trend Micro support four out of 10. The support in our region isn't very good. They do not respond quickly when we open up a case."

"In terms of improvement, reducing false positives would improve the system."

"There is a lot of room for improvement towards the phishing kind of email filtering, with the different hijacking attacks, and with the kind of password attacks which these phisher attackers do."

"There is room for improvement in threat detection, especially for advanced attacks and business email compromise."

"Sometimes malicious email gets past the email gateway."

"There needs to be more documentation for the product."

"I would like to see more integration of Trend Micro Email Security with different platforms."

More Trend Micro Email Security cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Defender for 365 comes in various plans and licenses, along with other Microsoft security solutions. Purchasing this kind of package or security bundle gives good value for money, and that's what I recommend."

"It is much more expensive than using another solution because we have had to include some options and upgrade our license."

"I know that the product is incredibly expensive."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comes with Microsoft Windows. It is free with the operating system."

"Microsoft Defender is expensive. I typically recommend it only if clients have the budget. Otherwise, I would suggest an alternative."

"From the pricing point of view, like any other product in the market, there is scope for negotiation."

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

"The product is expensive."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

"We didn't have to pay a lot for the solution because we got it from a good vendor with a good user volume."

"The solution's pricing is moderate, where it is neither cheap nor expensive."

"Price-wise, this product is middle-of-the-road."

"The product is expensive."

"The price of Barracuda Essentials is better than some of the competing products."

"We pay annually. They never charged us for anything else. And they were quite a bit under that $20,000 mark. It was $19,074. And they've been pretty good about not skyrocketing the price or anything like that. It has gone up. It's gone up to $24,000 in 2020."

"The price is similar to that of Microsoft 365."

"Despite a list price possibly around $40 per user, their market price allows customers to easily buy the solution."

More Barracuda Email Protection pricing and cost advice

"The solution is inexpensive so we recommend it to small to mid-sized businesses."

"The solution's pricing is very optimum, given its quality, features, and stability."

"It is expensive. The cost is per box, and it depends on how big your environment is. Prices range from 11 to 12 dollars for licenses and can fluctuate up and down, but for environments with 4,000 to 5,000 users, it can be between 6 to 8 dollars."

"It's a VPN solution. Trend Micro is reasonably priced."

"The price of Trend Micro Email Security is annual. There are no additional fees."

"The price of Trend Micro Email Security is more than Sophos' similar solution."

"Trend Micro Email Security's pricing is reasonable."

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

More Trend Micro Email Security pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Email Security solutions are best for your needs.

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845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

17%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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 variou...

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

I don't have detailed specifics on pricing, setup cost, or licensing.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

I am generally satisfied with how it currently is. If I could improve anything, I would reduce the cost.

What do you like most about Barracuda Email Protection?

Barracuda Email Protection is easy to deploy and maintain. It doesn't require a specialized resource to manage this t...

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

Their list price is too high, but in India, the selling price is affordable at around $10 per user per year. Despite ...

What needs improvement with Barracuda Email Protection?

Considering it integrates with Azure, I would like to be able to effectively set up policies where people are by defa...

What do you like most about Trend Micro Email Security?

The tool provides a strong defense against attacks. It is also easy to use. Trend Micro Email Security's integration ...

What needs improvement with Trend Micro Email Security?

There is room for improvement in mobile device management. The company also needs to work on pricing because it is qu...

What advice do you have for others considering Trend Micro Email Security?

I would definitely recommend it. Trend Micro is better than any of its competitors. I would rate it a nine out of ten...

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Comparisons

Compared 14% of the time

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 7% of the time

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 5% of the time

Mimecast Email Security vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Competitors

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 23% of the time

Abnormal Security vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 5% of the time

Avanan vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 5% of the time

More Barracuda Email Protection Competitors

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Trend Micro Email Security

Compared 12% of the time

Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security vs Trend Micro Email Security

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail vs Trend Micro Email Security

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Trend Micro Email Security

Compared 7% of the time

More Trend Micro Email Security Competitors

Product Reports

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Download Microsoft Defender for Office 365 product report

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 report

Barracuda Email Protection

Download Barracuda Email Protection product report

Trend Micro Email Security

Download Trend Micro Email Security product report

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365

Barracuda Essentials

No data available

Overview

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

The popularity of Microsoft 365 means criminals test and design their attacks to bypass its native security features. And that means you need additional layers of defense. With Advanced Threat Protection enabled, Barracuda uses multiple layers of detection, including signature, static, and behavioral analysis, along with CPU-emulation sandboxing to accurately detect and block zero-hour targeted attacks and ransomware.

Traditional email gateways use static rules and policies—reputation analysis, block lists, and malicious payloads—to determine if an email is malicious.

Barracuda protects your Microsoft 365 inbox against evasive threats with a powerful AI engine that learns the unique communication patterns within your organization through access to internal and historical emails. Once it understands what legitimate emails looks like for each user, it can detect anomalies that signal malicious intent. This context-based detection is more effective at blocking targeted attacks, which are designed to bypass traditional rule-based email security.

Barracuda Networks

Trend Micro Email Security is a comprehensive solution designed to protect organizations from email-based threats. With advanced threat intelligence and machine learning algorithms, it provides real-time protection against spam, phishing, malware, and other email-borne attacks.

This product offers multi-layered security, including content filtering, URL reputation analysis, and attachment scanning, ensuring that malicious emails are blocked before they reach the users' inbox. It also includes data loss prevention capabilities, preventing sensitive information from being leaked via email.

Trend Micro Email Security is easy to deploy and manage, with a centralized management console that allows administrators to set policies, monitor email traffic, and generate reports.

With its robust security features and user-friendly interface, this product is an essential tool for organizations looking to safeguard their email communications.

Trend Micro

Sample Customers

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

ACT Government, Acumen Group, AGIP, Delta Dental Plans Association, Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers, Inc., Equinox Information Systems

MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Air21, Azra Solutions, CBOSS, De Montfort University, Depaeuw, DHR Health, Fukui University Hospital

Barracuda Email Protection vs. Trend Micro Email Security