KerioConnect vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comparison

Why PeerSpot?

GFI and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Archiving category. GFI is ranked #7 with an average rating of 10.0, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.5. GFI holds a 3.3% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 9.2% mindshare. Additionally, 62% of GFI users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

KerioConnect

Read 11 KerioConnect reviews

2,286 Views
503 Comparison Views

62% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Offi...

Read 61 Microsoft Defender for Office 365 reviews

18,112 Views
1,811 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

KerioConnect

Microsoft Defender for Offi...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

KerioConnect and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 compete in the email security and collaboration space. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 appears to have an upper hand due to its robust security features, which justify the higher cost.

Features: KerioConnect focuses on email, calendar, and contact management, offering antivirus protection and cross-platform support. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 enhances security with advanced threat protection, anti-phishing, and investigation features.

Room for Improvement: KerioConnect could enhance its security capabilities, integration with third-party apps, and scalability for larger enterprises. Microsoft Defender may improve its user interface, reduce complexity in configuration, and optimize resource usage during deployment.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: KerioConnect is straightforward to deploy and offers responsive customer support. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 benefits from seamless integration within the Microsoft ecosystem and robust support infrastructure due to its larger network.

Pricing and ROI: KerioConnect is cost-effective and appeals to small and mid-sized businesses looking for communication solutions. Microsoft Defender for Office 365, while more costly, offers substantial ROI through enhanced security features suitable for larger enterprises prioritizing security.

To learn more, read our detailed KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

September 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 913,683 peers since 2012

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

KerioConnect

Ranking in Email Archiving

7th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Applications (9th)

Microsoft Defender for Offi...

Ranking in Email Archiving

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Security (2nd), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (3rd), Microsoft Security Suite (9th), Secure Email Gateway (SEG) (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Email Archiving category, the mindshare of KerioConnect is 3.3%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 9.2%, down from 32.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Archiving Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender for Office 365	9.2%
KerioConnect	3.3%
Other	87.5%

Email Archiving

Featured Reviews

Marcelino Mongcal

Senior Systems Tech/Admin at Samco Software Inc.

A seamless setup ensures smooth communication with comprehensive support

We remain a partner with Sophos and use XG S Firewalls without AWS implementation. We only use Sophos endpoint and Sophos Central. We host some clients on-premise while others we host remotely. The VPN connection is easy and proprietary, so it's not open to any other VPN clients. Communication with other mail servers is seamless. It can communicate with Gmail and Outlook without issues, provided the DNS settings are correct. We monitor our servers and security logs, implementing GeoIP blocking. We frequently block China and India IPs due to brute force attacks on our servers. We have extensive experience with KerioConnect. Backing up and maintaining it is straightforward compared to Microsoft Exchange, making it administrator-friendly. On a scale of 1-10, this solution rates an 8.

Read full review

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.

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

"Kerio Connect is secure, flexible, and easy to control from the user interface. It has many security features able to be controlled from one place, such as anti-spam. I have found it very convenient. Additionally, you can analyze log files and share folders which is helpful."

"We have contacted technical support a handful of times and received some assistance."

"It's relatively simple to use."

"The most valuable features are its ease of use, excellent pricing, and it is platform agnostic."

"Backing up and maintaining it is straightforward compared to Microsoft Exchange, making it administrator-friendly."

"We use the solution as a mail server. It connects with Outlook and is used for calendaring and similar tasks."

"This solution is our SMB alternative to Exchange, installed for more than forty SMB customers in a Linux environment with all of the collaboration features."

"The solution is easy to maintain, unlike Exchange. It's easy to create multiple domains and back up and restore if needed. It also has good security features like anti-spam and antivirus."

More KerioConnect pros

"The feature I like the most about Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is that it typically runs in the background—you do not know it is there until you need to access it."

"The good part is that you don't have to configure it, which is very convenient."

"My experience with customer support and technical support for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 has been excellent."

"It also gives the vulnerability status according to the versions you have selected. Let's say you have Google Chrome. It mentions the versions it has, and it updates. Within two hours of an update, it is reflected in the dashboard. That's really nice to have."

"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."

"Our customers are satisfied with Defender for 365 because Microsoft products are easy to use and customize to meet the client's needs. Everything is in one place, so we can adjust policies as needed for phishing, DLP, ATP, or any other security features that our clients want to apply."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 has improved my organization's security. It makes it easier to manage the infrastructure without the help of third-party applications."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

Cons

"The search and archiving documentation capabilities need to be stronger."

"I would like to see better support from their support team."

"This is just a cost, it's not something that's driving our business forward; it's just foundational."

"We are considering switching to Microsoft Exchange. One reason is that it doesn't improve our workflow and doesn't integrate well with Microsoft 365 applications."

"We cannot compete with them because they're fully integrated with their applications."

"Having a native Outlook map integration would make Kerio Connect better."

"You cannot integrate with other services like Google Docs, Google Assistant, Google Calendar, etc."

"The solution could improve the redundancy because we only have one copy of the Kerio Connect server on our hardware. The next step for us is to move to the cloud and if Kerio does not have a cloud version available they should release one"

More KerioConnect cons

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 must improve the overall management style, including the GUI. It also needs to change the filters so that it is easy to whitelist and blacklist data."

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

"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 changes to customer service, specifically the new model for support agreements, are not favorable."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 could improve by giving customers information on techniques to prevent threats. For example, information about best practices on how to protect their own devices against hackers and scammers, such as educational information or training. This would help others have a better understanding of cyber security. Additionally, there can be more security features added."

"Configuring the default strategies and policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps generates a lot of noise and false positives."

"We are waiting for better software to block viruses."

"I think that Microsoft Defender for Office 365 could be improved if it could use VirusTotal to compare the programs or anything that I download."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's pricing depends on how long you plan to keep it because you pay on a per-year basis. You might have a one-time setup cost for something like Microsoft Exchange or a Linux mail server. I'd say this solution is expensive on a per-year basis, almost 2000-3000 dollars annually. It doesn't seem to pay off yet, so we're considering switching to another product."

"The pricing is about $3 per mailbox per month."

"KerioConnect has a first-time cost and yearly subscription. It is not expensive."

"The price of Kerio Connect is better when comparing it to others solutions."

"The product is very expensive."

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

"It's a user-base subscription."

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

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

"For large enterprise organizations, they can definitely afford it, but for small and medium organizations, they might struggle to cover the expenses."

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

"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."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Outsourcing Company

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	2

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

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for KerioConnect?

The pricing is very easy to understand. As a partner, we have a monitoring system that informs us when subscriptions expire, allowing us to handle renewals. The pricing is very competitive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with KerioConnect?

Since KerioConnect is a setup and go solution, everything works on its own. The only administrative tasks required are keeping it up to date, monitoring security logs, and ensuring protection from ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for KerioConnect?

Small medium-sized businesses are our primary focus, particularly in warehouse distribution and retail sectors. We are a reseller and purchase directly from Sophos.

See all answers

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 a standalone product. It's very competitive compared to what competitors are ch...

See all answers

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 for malware. We are seeing a lot more malware-less emails that Defender for Offi...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Exchange vs KerioConnect

Compared 14% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs KerioConnect

Compared 10% of the time

Open-Xchange vs KerioConnect

Compared 9% of the time

IceWarp vs KerioConnect

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs KerioConnect

Compared 7% of the time

More KerioConnect Competitors

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 5% of the time

Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

Mimecast Advanced Email Security vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

Barracuda Email Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

KerioConnect

September 2026

Download KerioConnect product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

September 2026

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 report

Download Microsoft Defender for Office 365 product report

Also Known As

No data available

MS Defender for Office 365

Overview

KerioConnect delivers easy-to-use and secure email, calendar, and collaboration tools compatible with Office, Apple, and ActiveSync. Cost-effective and flexible, it suits on-premise installations, especially for SMBs seeking privacy and security.

KerioConnect offers a comprehensive email server experience with minimal resource needs and effective spam filtering. Compatible across platforms, it supports Outlook, enabling organizations to manage corporate communications efficiently. Its ability to host multiple domains makes it suitable for sectors like warehouse distribution and retail, with installation options that enhance security and privacy. However, faster Outlook integration, improved MS Teams and CRM system integration, and AI functionalities are sought after by users. Some demand a cloud version, Linux support, and better documentation. Still, KerioConnect remains a reliable choice for those needing on-premise capabilities.

What are KerioConnect's Key Features?

Ease of Use: Simplified interface for seamless navigation.
Robust Security: Advanced protection measures to safeguard data.
Spam Filtering: Efficiently reduces unwanted emails.
Platform Compatibility: Integrates with Office, Apple, and ActiveSync.
Log Analysis: Offers detailed insights for server management.
Multiple Domain Support: Manages diverse domains with ease.

What Benefits Should Users Expect?

Cost Efficiency: Lowers operational costs compared to alternatives.
Resource Minimization: Requires minimal system resources.
Deployment Flexibility: Allows tailored on-premise installations.
Enhanced Security: Provides privacy through internal hosting options.
Reliable Support: Access to reseller services from Sophos.

KerioConnect is widely utilized in SMBs across sectors like retail and warehouse distribution for its capability to handle multiple domains and integrate with Outlook for communication management. Resellers offer it as a dependable on-site email management solution, letting businesses maintain oversight and security control.

GFI

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

Southern Tier Brewing Company, Innotta, Baustoff + Metall, Hamifleurs, Chanson TV, Ryman Stationery

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

Buyer's Guide

KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

September 2026

Free Report: KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Find out what your peers are saying about KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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