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Microsoft Defender for Identity vs Silverfort comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 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

Microsoft Defender for Iden...
Ranking in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (8th), Microsoft Security Suite (4th)
Silverfort
Ranking in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)
13th
Average Rating
0.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.9
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Authentication Systems (23rd), Privileged Access Management (PAM) (26th), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (30th), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (7th), Non-Human Identity Management (NHIM) (12th), Identity Security and Posture Management (ISPM) (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Identity is 11.1%, down from 19.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Silverfort is 5.3%, up from 4.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Identity11.1%
Silverfort5.3%
Other83.6%
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)
 

Featured Reviews

RK
Cloud Security & Governance at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Protect on-premises and hybrid environments with advanced threat detection and seamless integration
Our Active Directory implementation is a hybrid one. The advanced threat protection is one of the strengths of Microsoft Defender for Identity, as it utilizes user and entity analytics and can detect indicative attacks. It identifies lateral movements, privilege escalations, and alerts on potential attacks. The tool is also used for security posture assessment. The seamless integration with other Microsoft solutions within our Microsoft-centric environment is also a major advantage.
reviewer2342856 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Solutions Specialist at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Positive feedback highlights lightweight design and compatibility while suggesting more AI integration
Silverfort helps identify blind spots in your identity and access management, covering areas that traditional systems don't, such as command line tools. It checks your Active Directory authentication and continues only if the check is okay, plus it works with older protocols such as NTLM, which is a significant advantage. It's complementary to other tools you may have, whether they are TAM solutions such as Delinea or Xerox. Silverfort also has a lightweight adapter for domain controllers, and it finds gaps in security. Its capabilities are expanding regularly, with new features voted on every few months. For companies with large Active Directory implementations and zero staff, Silverfort provides instant results in identifying risks and blind spots. It also includes built-in virtual features, and while I don't know the exact pricing, it's not expensively priced, making it an attractive option.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution has advanced a lot over the last few years."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Defender for Identity are the simulations; whenever something happens, it provides complete step-by-step process details, including the hierarchy, how it happens in the environment, and the lateral movement, which is amazing."
"We do not see any issues with the stability of Microsoft Defender for Identity. I can say it is 100% stable."
"Defender for Identity has not affected the end-user experience."
"In the security portfolio that we manage, Microsoft Defender for Identity is very important because it is the professional service that we sell the most."
"The basic security monitoring at its core feature is the most valuable aspect. But also the investigative parts, the historical logging of events over the network are extremely interesting because it gives an in-depth insight into the history of account activity that is really easy to read, easy to follow, and easy to export."
"The integration into the Microsoft Defender ecosystem is the most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender for Identity."
"I recommend Microsoft Defender for Identity because it is easy to implement."
"Silverfort helps identify blind spots in your identity and access management, covering areas that traditional systems don't, such as command line tools."
 

Cons

"The tracking instance needs to be configured appropriately."
"They should improve the automation for impossible travel detection. When connected to Wi-Fi and then to VPN, the system sometimes interprets the IP address change as impossible travel."
"The impact of the sensors on the domain controllers can be quite high depending on your loads. I don't know if there's any room for improvement there, but that's one of the things that might be improved."
"When the data leaves the cloud, there are security issues."
"The solution should provide more detailed data regarding anomaly detections."
"The documentation provided by Microsoft is often seen as a waste of time."
"Microsoft Defender for Identity does not save me time, but I think it is the way that I secure the data."
"One improvement I would recommend is the integration of an admin application within Teams, allowing easy access to attack information on a mobile platform to promptly alert affected users and their friends."
"If Silverfort could integrate a gentle type of AI similar to Microsoft Copilot or enable workflow creation similar to Salesforce, it would further improve user navigation, even though the platform is already simple."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft Defender for Identity comes as part of the Microsoft E5 licensing stack."
"Defender for Identity is a little more expensive than other Microsoft products. Identity and Microsoft Defender for Cloud are both a bit costly."
"You won't be able to change your tenants from where you deploy them. For example, if you select Canada, they will charge you based on Canadian pricing. If you are also in London, when you deploy in Canada, the pound is higher than Canadian dollars, but your platform resources are billable in Canadian dollars. Using your pounds to pay for any of these things will be cheaper. Or, if you deploy in London, they will charge you based on your local currency."
"It is very affordable considering that other SIEM solutions are much more expensive and have many more licensing restrictions and fees."
"The product is costly, and we had multiple discussions with accounting to receive a discounted rate. However, on the open market, the tool is expensive."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise14
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Identity?
I really would have to sit down to think about how Microsoft Defender for Identity can be improved. I didn't take stock in what needs to be improved because I appreciated having the tools right the...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender for Identity?
My main use cases for Microsoft Defender for Identity include Conditional Access, checking risky users, remediating risky users, and user sign-ins. I can easily remediate or determine what the user...
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender for Identity?
I don't really use Microsoft Defender for Identity a lot because my new role doesn't allow me to take time to do so. I don't really use the threat intelligence feature of Microsoft Defender for Ide...
What needs improvement with Silverfort?
I think Silverfort is actually a really good product. I might suggest adding more AI to it, which I believe could enhance its functionality. If Silverfort could integrate a gentle type of AI simila...
What is your primary use case for Silverfort?
I'm calling from PeerSpot, and we're resellers in the identity space, offering products such as Savient, SailPoint, CyberArk, and Silverfort. We are resellers, and I work in presale, focusing on fi...
What advice do you have for others considering Silverfort?
I prefer to remain anonymous. Please don't use my name; just label it as anonymous. I would prefer both my name and the company name to be kept anonymous. If you could just put identity presales sp...
 

Also Known As

Azure Advanced Threat Protection, Azure ATP, MS Defender for Identity
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Identity is trusted by companies such as St. Luke’s University Health Network, Ansell, and more.
Singtel, Egan, Agilisys, Reliance Worldwide Corporation, Indosat, ZOL Hospital
Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Huntress and others in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR). Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.