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Microsoft Defender XDR vs Wazuh comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Defender XDR delivers substantial ROI by streamlining operations, reducing costs, and enhancing security with consolidated functionalities.
Sentiment score
5.6
Wazuh provides significant ROI with fast detection and response times, cost savings, and benefits for SMBs and MSPs.
We can quarantine and isolate a device within minutes.
Microsoft Defender XDR has saved me at least 50% of my time.
Ever since we turned on the M5 feature set back in June, we have seen a reduced number of potentially malicious clicks and faster alerting when incidents occur.
I have seen value in security cost savings with Wazuh, as using proprietary EDR versions could save us substantial money.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.2
Microsoft Defender XDR support is responsive but varies; premium users receive faster resolutions than smaller organizations or basic plans.
Sentiment score
6.0
Wazuh support receives mixed reviews; commercial support excels but free users face delays and time zone challenges.
You get stuck in low-level support for way longer than you should, instead of them escalating the issue up the chain.
It's critical to escalate SEV B issues immediately to a domestic engineer.
Once issues are escalated to the second or third layer, the support is much better.
They responded quickly, which was crucial as I was on a time constraint.
We use the open-source version of Wazuh, which does not provide paid support.
The documentation is good and provides clear instructions, though it's targeted at those with technical backgrounds.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Microsoft Defender XDR offers scalable adaptability for large enterprises, accommodating diverse needs by leveraging flexible cloud infrastructure and licensing.
Sentiment score
7.5
Wazuh is scalable, ideal for SMBs and enterprises, but requires technical knowledge and resources for complex deployments.
Microsoft Defender XDR shows tremendous scalability, much more so than on-premises solutions.
Microsoft Defender XDR scales pretty well.
It is suitable for enterprise-level deployment but has room for improvement.
It can accommodate thousands of endpoints on one instance, and multiple instances can run for different clients.
Currently, I don't see any limitations in terms of scalability as Wazuh can still connect many endpoints.
Scalability depends on the configuration and the infrastructure resources like compute and memory we allocate.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Defender XDR is highly reliable but has occasional performance issues on macOS/Linux and alert misclassifications.
Sentiment score
6.6
Wazuh offers stable performance with proper maintenance, yet frequent updates and configuration challenges can cause occasional issues.
The service has remained consistently online, with any issues isolated to specific components, suggesting a well-designed and modular architecture.
The services within our ecosystem have been reliable, meeting their SLAs.
It provides high-fidelity signals.
The stability of Wazuh is strong, with no issues stemming from the solution itself.
The stability of Wazuh is largely dependent on maintenance.
The indexer frequently times out, requiring system restarts.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Defender XDR requires improved UI, integration, clarity, support, AI, and threat detection for better user experience.
Wazuh needs enhancements in UI, scalability, and integration, with focus on AI, log analysis, and efficient user management.
The licensing process needs improvement and clarification.
Improvements are needed in automated response capabilities.
Some inconsistencies exist between blades, which could be improved for a more seamless user and UI experience.
The integration modules are insufficiently developed, necessitating the creation of custom integration solutions using tools like Logstash and PubSub.
I think Wazuh should improve by introducing AI functionalities, as it would be beneficial to see AI incorporated in the threat hunting and detection functionalities.
Wazuh could improve by creating videos on YouTube covering installation, use cases, and integration of third-party APIs for different scenarios that other SAAS services provide.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Defender XDR pricing varies; it's cost-effective with Microsoft 365, but potentially expensive standalone for smaller businesses.
Wazuh is a cost-effective, open-source security solution with optional support, but consider additional infrastructure and third-party service costs.
There are certainly savings when using Microsoft Defender XDR, which can range from 30%, 40%, and even up to 50%.
I would rate the pricing as eight out of ten, indicating it is a reasonable cost for the product.
Microsoft purposefully obfuscates this through marketing ploys to hide costs.
Wazuh is completely free of charge.
Totaling around two lakh Indian rupees per month.
Wazuh is free to use, but there are licensing fees for third parties.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Defender XDR offers seamless integration, advanced threat management, and automation, enhancing security efficiency while reducing costs and tool complexity.
Wazuh offers robust security features, easy integration, and scalability, excelling in compliance and intrusion detection across environments.
With Microsoft threat intelligence information, it detects various types of threats, including insider attacks, malicious content, and data exfiltration.
This allows us to secure our systems in advance and proactively improve security, rather than waiting for incidents to occur.
Once we have it on the security dashboard, we can see a real-time storyline.
Wazuh is a SIEM tool that is highly customizable and versatile.
The system allows us to monitor endpoints effectively and collect security data that can be utilized across other platforms such as SOAR.
With this open source tool, organizations can establish their own customized setup.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender XDR
Ranking in Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
101
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (5th), Microsoft Security Suite (3rd)
Wazuh
Ranking in Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
5th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
Log Management (1st), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Extended Detection and Response (XDR) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender XDR is 6.2%, down from 8.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Wazuh is 11.6%, down from 11.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Gabor Nyerd - PeerSpot reviewer
Includes four services and four products, which can help organizations a lot
We found that sometimes integrations work, but testing them can take some time. Sometimes, configurations take much longer than expected. We have a configuration in place that needs to be synchronized with another server. However, the servers are four hours apart, so this can cause delays. In general, I believe that the time it takes to configure and test a service should be shorter. Sometimes, it can take a couple of hours to test a single configuration setting. Other times, it is only ten or fifteen minutes, which is normal. However, sometimes, even immediate actions can be triggered by configuration changes, and some settings can take up to eight hours to complete. I believe that this time can be improved. Microsoft is making a lot of improvements to its services in a short period of time. This is a good thing, as it means that the services are constantly being updated and improved. However, it can be challenging for customers to keep up with the changes. For example, a customer may read about an update, understand it, and share it with their colleagues and boss. However, it may take days or weeks to test the update and get the necessary approvals. This can be especially challenging for large customers with many users or machines. In some cases, Microsoft may change a service before the customer has had a chance to implement the previous update. This can be frustrating for customers, as it means that they have to constantly learn new things and adjust their workflows. On the one hand, it is important for Microsoft to keep updating and improving its services. This helps to ensure that the services are meeting the customers' needs and that they are staying ahead of the competition. Microsoft should also be mindful of the challenges that these changes can create for customers. One way to address this challenge is to provide customers with more time to implement changes. Microsoft could also provide more information about upcoming changes so that customers can plan ahead. Ultimately, Microsoft needs to strike a balance between keeping its services up-to-date and providing customers with a smooth transition to new features.
Sandip_Patel - PeerSpot reviewer
Evaluating robust file monitoring with insights for community support improvements
Wazuh's most valuable features include file monitoring and compliance reporting, which do not require excessive costs. These aspects are vital as they provide alerts for changes and facilitate the monitoring of compliance. The platform is also relatively easy to set up and operate. Reports are straightforward to extract and prove useful for compliance requirements.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions are best for your needs.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
9%
University
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft 365 Defender?
Microsoft Defender XDR provides strong identity protection with comprehensive insights into risky user behavior and potential indicators of compromise.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft 365 Defender?
The pricing for Microsoft Sentinel operates on a pay-as-you-go model based on data ingestion. I recall that Defender XDR pricing is based on the number of endpoints.
What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Defender?
For Microsoft Defender XDR ( /categories/extended-detection-and-response-xdr ), there is currently no ability to reset passwords for on-premises accounts, which is a key challenge. Incident managem...
What do you like most about Wazuh?
Wazuh is its flexibility and open-source nature, which allows us to tailor threat detection and response across diverse client environments. Its integration capabilities with SOAR, cloud platforms,...
What needs improvement with Wazuh?
That would require me to discuss with the Wazuh team regarding areas that could be improved, as I have numerous ideas. From a developer's perspective, this is a Linux system with an active communit...
What is your primary use case for Wazuh?
Wazuh is a SIEM platform with various applications in today's environment. Compliance checks have helped with regulatory requirements. I pulled in PCI DSS to check for file integrity monitoring. I ...
 

Also Known As

Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Threat Protection, MS 365 Defender
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Accenture, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, General Electric, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and many others.
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender XDR vs. Wazuh and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.