Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comparison

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

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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

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cloudflare One is 1.7%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is 1.2%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 6.9%, down from 12.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender for Office 365	6.9%
Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection	1.2%
Cloudflare One	1.7%
Other	90.2%

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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Heriberto Mendez Olivo

CEO at Cyber Internet Services (Pvt) Ltd.

Comprehensive email protection has secured sensitive communications and simplified threat management

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is a good product right now, and the report is available in Spanish, which is beneficial for Latin Americans who speak Spanish. They can continue to improve the pricing because it is the most important aspect, as another solution is aggressive with a lower cost and includes everything. While Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is good right now, it would be better to improve the price. At the end, the client sees the price, and in Puerto Rico, the market is different than in the United States since here the client sees price independent of security. I have more effort to explain the difference between price versus technology, which is important because in Latin America, the price may not be the same as in the US due to the company's increase not being the same volume. When clients have many mailboxes, the price is more important than the technology. I do not know why, but this really happens.

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Emeka Ndulu

Cloud Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Improves threat visibility and response while reducing manual tasks and training users against phishing

I appreciate the attack simulation feature whereby I get to train users and educate them on how to identify phishing emails and spam emails, as well as the anti-spam protection. It gives me visibility into my threat environment and threat landscape to ensure that I am one step ahead of any likelihood of threats within my environment. I get to detect it and respond, so the threat intelligence is very effective. Microsoft security solutions save my time. It saves money because once I protect my environment, I don't lose money. It has decreased my detection time and my time to respond.

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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

"Cloudflare, in my opinion, was easy to implement."

"Cloudflare DDoS mitigates DDoS attacks."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform removes the risk of exposing the applications to the public."

"Cloudflare DDoS is better than its competitors for its security, deployment, and scalability."

"Cloudflare One has assisted in securing my remote workforce through a SASE solution with Cloudflare One and the Workers part, although I am not currently using the Workers component."

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

"It is a stable solution."

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

More Cloudflare One pros

"I have a lot of control over spam and phishing emails."

"Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is an easy-to-use solution."

"Backup and restore are precious features."

"This service has allowed me to focus on my core environment and ensure the safety of my customer's data."

"My advice for people considering using Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is that the simplicity is the best option because Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection includes everything in one platform and provides a 360-degree view."

"The best part is, I rarely have to access the portal as everything is set up and tweaked the way I wanted it. But the feature set is incredibly granular and allows for deep levels of customization."

"The insights provided with Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are helpful because it comes with the E5 license, and by default, we can use a lot of capabilities."

"I appreciate the attack simulation feature whereby I get to train users and educate them on how to identify phishing emails and spam emails, as well as the anti-spam protection."

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

"It gives us visibility into threats and, for endpoints, it helps us to prioritize threats. We used to have a lack of visibility, but now our time to detect and respond has decreased."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a cloud-based email filtering service that helps protect our organization against unknown malware and viruses by providing robust zero-day protection and includes features to safeguard our organization from harmful links in real-time."

"I like its investigation capabilities, as that is what is most important to me. It is fairly simple with a user-friendly interface."

"Defender is a SaaS platform, so it offers more flexibility. Managing the permissions is easier. The solution's automated detection and response features are scalable."

"The ability to respond to threats if very important."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

Cons

"They don't have a person to provide support for customers using the solution under their free plan."

"I would like them to include a VPN feature to provide a secure connection to the data center."

"From a logging perspective, it is still a bit difficult to see exactly what users are being blocked with the current views."

"Feedback could be enhanced."

"Cloudflare DDoS has poor technical support."

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

"There are premium tier live service and lower tier live service, so we opted for the lower tier. But there is no medium tier where we pay a little extra and get a bit more service. So if that can be improved."

"Operating and tuning the product is difficult."

More Cloudflare One cons

"They can continue to improve the pricing because it is the most important aspect, as another solution is aggressive with a lower cost and includes everything."

"The solution’s pricing is not reasonable."

"A reduction of 10% in pricing can be an improvement."

"I guess I would say maybe quick access to training material for end-users. I know partners have access to this but I as an end-user do not have immediate access to new update information."

"The pricing is a little high compared to other products."

"I guess I would say maybe quick access to training material for end-users."

"The inbuilt analysis of false positives can be faster. It's not slow, but it can be faster."

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

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

"The only thing they should improve is the licensing model. They should stop changing it. A year ago, the five features I mentioned were included in one product. Now, three of them are bundled into one product, and you have to pay extra for the other two. I don't mind paying extra, but I don't want them to change it every year or every six months. I need to know what I'm looking at and not worry about it next year."

"The UI needs to be more user-friendly."

"From a development point of view, if I wanted to do development on my actual machine where Defender is, the organization can set certain policies or Defender makes that prohibitive."

"In some situations, it has not been able to pick impersonated emails having no attachments. Technical support definitely has a scope for improvement."

"The custom alerts have to improve a lot."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 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 solution's pricing lacks transparency."

"The prices are slightly expensive."

"The solution is not that expensive."

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

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

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

"The pricing is acceptable and falls into the medium range, neither cheap nor overly expensive."

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

"The solution could be better by simplifying the business model of their licensing. It was hard to figure out how to get the licensing done for the environment, initially."

"It's a user-base subscription."

"Compared to other brands, Microsoft Defender for Office 365's pricing is competitive."

"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."

"I know that the product is incredibly expensive."

"Defender is a little bit more expensive as compared to others. We are in the manufacturing environment. So, we don't have a high budget for all of our endpoint devices. Its cost is a major concern for us."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is an add-on to the Office license. Many customers are purchasing this solution."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

20%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	12

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	32

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, ...

What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access provides secure access to internal applications for employees, external members of the organization...

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, ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection?

The pricing is acceptable and falls into the medium range, neither cheap nor overly expensive.

What needs improvement with Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection?

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is a good product right now, and the report is available in Spanish, which is ben...

What is your primary use case for Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection?

Our use case with Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is to protect the 365 email.

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

My experience with pricing, setup, and licensing is that it's actually quite reasonable even on the licensing side as...

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

I think Microsoft Defender for Office 365 can be improved by creating more educational pieces about not just looking ...

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

My main use cases for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 include email hygiene.

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Mimecast Email and Collaboration Threat Protection vs Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection

Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 2% of the time

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Product Reports

Download Cloudflare One product report

Cloudflare One

May 2026

Office 365 Protection

Download Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection product report

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection report

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Download Microsoft Defender for Office 365 product report

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 report

Also Known As

Cloudflare Area 1 Email Security, Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Gateway, Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform, Cloudflare DDoS, Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform

No data available

MS Defender for Office 365

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

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection provides comprehensive email security with features like spam control, automatic encryption, and backup and restore, ensuring a safe communication environment.

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection offers a robust suite of tools to safeguard email communications effectively. With advanced threats like fraud and name spoofing on the rise, users find value in its spam filtering, ATP, and encryption capabilities. The platform's intuitive interface and live tracking system facilitate seamless management of email security. While pricing is a noted concern, especially in certain regions like Latin America, the platform’s high email security coverage of 99.9% and effective backup and restoration options are highly regarded. The call for improved access to training materials is noted among users seeking to maximize feature usage.

What key features does Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection offer?

Spam Control: Filters unwanted emails proficiently.
Automatic Encryption: Secures sensitive communications seamlessly.
Advanced Threat Protection: Tackles fraud and spoofing effectively.
Backup and Restore: Ensures quick data recovery, including SharePoint.
Live Tracking: Enhances email management.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Email Security Coverage: Offers 99.9% protection against threats.
Customizable Protection: Tailors security without frequent portal access.
Data Restoration: Quickly recovers accidentally deleted data.

In industries handling sensitive information, Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection is implemented to ensure robust data security and compliance. Organizations value its tailored protection and data recovery features that meet industry-specific security requirements, making it a strategic choice for managing email threats efficiently.

Hornetsecurity

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers real-time email security, enhancing threat detection through integration within the Microsoft ecosystem. Its user-friendly interface and central management streamline operations, providing robust protection against phishing, ransomware, and malware.

Defender for Office 365 is focused on efficiently securing email communication by safeguarding against phishing, malware, and spam threats. With its strong integration with other Microsoft services, it is tailored to improve endpoint security and identity protection. Its centralized management tools simplify threat prioritization, while the automated threat response capabilities ensure swift actions against potential risks. Organizations leverage its capabilities to efficiently manage their cybersecurity efforts, particularly in remote work environments, while maintaining a secure system across Office 365 applications and Azure-hosted services.

What are the key features?

Real-time Email Protection: Continuously monitors and protects email communications.
Safe Attachments and Links: Scans attachments and links for potential threats.
Anti-Phishing Measures: Provides tools to detect and block phishing attempts.
Integration with Microsoft Services: Seamlessly connects with other Microsoft applications for enhanced security.
Automated Threat Responses: Activates immediate responses to detected threats.

What benefits should users expect from reviews?

Time Savings: Automates processes to reduce manual threat management efforts.
Improved Cybersecurity: Strengthens organizational defenses against various cyber threats.
Efficient Remote Work: Enhances protection for remote teams and virtual collaborations.
Comprehensive Coverage: Extends protection across Office 365 and Azure services.

Implementations of Defender for Office 365 vary across industries, optimizing email security for sectors such as finance, healthcare, and education. In finance, it aids in protecting sensitive financial data from phishing and fraud. Healthcare benefits from secure communications, ensuring patient data privacy. Educational institutions use it to maintain secure virtual learning environments against cyber threats.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

23andMe

concordia, fraunhofer, mazars

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

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365