Cloudflare One vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) comparison

Cloudflare and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Security category. Cloudflare is ranked #20 with an average rating of 9.0, while Microsoft is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.4. Cloudflare holds a 1.4% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Microsoft’s 4.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cloudflare users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Cloudflare One

Read 22 Cloudflare One reviews

10,156 Views
1,320 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange Online P...

Read 42 Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) reviews

5,875 Views
4,289 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Cloudflare One

Microsoft Exchange Online P...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 4, 2026

Cloudflare One and Microsoft Exchange Online Protection compete in the cyber protection domain. EOP is preferred for its robust email security capabilities, while Cloudflare One stands out with network performance enhancements.

Features: Cloudflare One provides strong network security and performance enhancements, offering Zero Trust network access, threat protection at the edge, and fast DNS services. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection focuses on advanced phishing protection, malware detection, and comprehensive reporting for email security.

Room for Improvement: Cloudflare One can improve in offering more email-specific security features and user interface customization. Enhancing third-party integrations and reducing costs for some businesses would be beneficial. EOP could improve by expanding network optimization capabilities, offering more robust customer support outside the Microsoft suite, and enhancing customization for security policies.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cloudflare One offers a streamlined deployment process with extensive documentation and responsive customer support. EOP benefits from integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, making it easy for Microsoft 365 users through familiar interfaces.

Pricing and ROI: Cloudflare One's transparent pricing model offers good ROI with its wide range of security features at competitive rates. EOP is cost-effective for Microsoft users, often bundled with Microsoft 365, providing substantial email security returns.

To learn more, read our detailed Cloudflare One vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

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

Ranking in Email Security

20th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (16th), Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (21st), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (11th), Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection (7th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (13th), Access Management (11th), Bot Management (3rd), ZTNA as a Service (8th), ZTNA (2nd), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (10th), Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) (3rd)

Microsoft Exchange Online P...

Ranking in Email Security

7th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Anti-Malware Tools (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cloudflare One is 1.4%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is 4.3%, down from 7.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)	4.3%
Cloudflare One	1.4%
Other	94.3%

Email Security

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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NancyHartman

Business Process Manager/ Educational Technologist at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees

Layered email security has protected sensitive research and still flags phishing in real time

The valuable features of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) include providing an additional layer of protection, as it builds on the basic Exchange level of security that allows us to get our work done. Another feature I appreciate is the ability to question things, as our Exchange server allows us to identify in real-time if an email is a phishing email or spam email. It really helps us identify risks, especially through our external exchanges via email or through our cloud-based platforms. Our Exchange system blocks any embedded AI from all our applications and products, so we cannot use embedded AI in our daily work from our official laptops because we have secure information. The system is quite locked down.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

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

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

"The best feature is rate limiting. If I'm expecting 500 visits per hour, Cloudflare will limit the requests if I suddenly get 50,000."

"Cloudflare DDoS mitigates DDoS attacks."

"The tool also offers good scalability, and the dashboard, along with real-time analytics, is very good."

"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."

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

More Cloudflare One pros

"We use the solution in all our environments. We use it for remedy tickets and give them updates. It was our main communication point."

"Microsoft Exchange Online Protection has features like DLP (data loss protection), Safe Attachment, and Safe Links."

"I like the product's ZAP feature."

"The pre-set policies and configuration analyzer are the most valuable features."

"The solution uses artificial intelligence and machine learning, so you don't need train it to detect something. The detection and response times are short. It's an excellent product."

"We can migrate seamlessly without any disruptions to our operations."

"Microsoft EOP's most valuable feature is a shared mailbox."

"The initial setup was easy. The configuration process is very straightforward."

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) pros

Cons

"Operating and tuning the product is difficult."

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

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

"The response time for support must be reduced."

"The software has automated alerts, but the automated alerts are not available in the mobile app."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform needs to improve its documentation. It took time to do the implementation."

"Cloudflare DDoS has poor technical support."

"The tool should provide on-premise versions. Currently, all versions are cloud-based."

More Cloudflare One cons

"It wasn't easy or intuitive enough for me to start using it. So, the reason was that the solution changed."

"It doesn't protect against everything. We do need protection for, for example, endpoints."

"The product could be more stable. Microsoft products could be more stable because sometimes, even though they are updating some things, we cannot find those updates."

"The security features could be better."

"If a company wants to put in line back-to-back anti-spam solutions, they need to work on that part because Microsoft recommends either you use EOP as a front line or you don't use it."

"They should specify the difference between Defender for Office 365 and Exchange Online Protection."

"The tool is not 100% stable."

"The security compliance features need to be improved. Sometimes, a client's mailbox becomes full because of retained information and not because of mail. I would like to see improvement in block rules as well."

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."

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

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

"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."

"The prices are slightly expensive."

"The solution is not that expensive."

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

"Online Protection is fairly expensive."

"Apart from the license fee for the solution, there are no additional costs."

"The solution's pricing is subscription-based rather than a yearly licensing cost. Pricing is based on the size of the environment and company and can be expensive."

"The product's pricing is competitive for the US market."

"The solution falls on the higher or more expensive side of the spectrum."

"The pricing for the solution depends on what you are trying to achieve with the use of the product, but I know that it is not a cheaply priced product. Yearly payments have to be made towards the licensing fees of the solution."

"It is a low-price solution."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is very expensive, I rate the pricing a six. For licensing, we can make monthly or yearly payments. Right now, we pay 5 USD per month to secure a person's license."

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	11

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, we have clients who typically encounter challenges. The usual setup involves con...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access provides secure access to internal applications for employees, external members of the organization, or third-party providers. It acts similarly to a VPN but uses a different kind...

See all answers

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, Cloudflare's approach as a SASE solution stands out. Clients prefer a single pla...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?

The initial setup was easy. The configuration process is very straightforward.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?

The user interface of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) has room for improvement, as at times it doesn't make sense where to go to access certain features.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?

My use case for Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is basically to protect ourselves from phishing emails and to improve our email security.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cloudflare One

Compared 5% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

FortiSASE vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

Twingate vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

More Cloudflare One Competitors

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 6% of the time

Mimecast Advanced Email Security vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One

February 2026

Download Cloudflare One product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

January 2026

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) report

Download Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) 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

Microsoft EOP, MS Exchange Online 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 Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is a comprehensive email filtering and security service designed to protect organizations from spam, malware, and other email-based threats. It provides advanced threat protection, anti-malware and anti-spam filtering, and data loss prevention capabilities.

With EOP, organizations can ensure the security and integrity of their email communications. It uses multiple layers of filtering and scanning to detect and block malicious content, including phishing attempts, viruses, and ransomware. EOP also leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence to continuously improve its threat detection capabilities.

In addition to its robust security features, EOP offers advanced anti-spam filtering to reduce unwanted and unsolicited emails. It uses a combination of reputation-based filtering, content filtering, and sender authentication techniques to identify and block spam messages.

EOP also includes data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities to prevent sensitive information from being leaked or shared inappropriately. It allows organizations to define policies to detect and prevent the transmission of sensitive data, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers, via email.

Furthermore, EOP integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Exchange Online and other Office 365 services, providing a unified and integrated email security solution. It can be easily managed through the Exchange admin center, allowing administrators to configure and monitor security settings, review reports, and manage quarantined emails.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

23andMe

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

February 2026

Free Report: Cloudflare One vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

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