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Barracuda Email Threat Scanner vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint comparison

Barracuda Networks and Microsoft are both solutions in the Anti-Malware Tools category. Barracuda Networks is ranked #28 with an average rating of 9.0, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3. Barracuda Networks holds a 0.3% mindshare in Anti-Malware Tools, compared to Microsoft’s 17.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Barracuda Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
Barracuda Email Threat Scanner
Read 3 Barracuda Email Threat Scanner reviews
  • 158 Views
  • 116 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Microsoft Defender for Endp...
Read 192 Microsoft Defender for Endpoint reviews
  • 9,125 Views
  • 6,975 Comparison Views
94% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Barracuda Email Threat Scanner are competing products in cybersecurity, with Defender leading in seamless Windows integration, while Barracuda excels in email threat detection.

Features: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers features like endpoint detection and response, threat and vulnerability management, and automated investigation. Barracuda Email Threat Scanner provides features for advanced email threat identification, phishing detection, and email content analysis.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is easily deployed in Microsoft environments using integrated management tools. Barracuda Email Threat Scanner offers quick setup optimized for email security. Microsoft benefits from a broad support network, while Barracuda provides focused support for email security.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is often bundled with other Microsoft services, offering competitive pricing and favorable ROI for enterprises using Microsoft's ecosystem. Barracuda Email Threat Scanner offers scalable pricing models, providing good ROI for safeguarding email infrastructures.

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To learn more, read our detailed Barracuda Email Threat Scanner vs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Report (Updated: March 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Barracuda Email Threat Scanner vs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
March 2025
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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

Barracuda Email Threat Scanner
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
28th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Defender for Endp...
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
192
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (1st), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (2nd), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (3rd), Microsoft Security Suite (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Anti-Malware Tools category, the mindshare of Barracuda Email Threat Scanner is 0.3%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is 17.0%, down from 22.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Anti-Malware Tools
 

Featured Reviews

S. M. Rabiul Islam - PeerSpot reviewer
Works perfectly and filters almost 95% of spam mails
We had an incident last month where the PCs of one or two colleagues, who were outside of our factory and were using a defined network, got infected by some kind of malware. From their PCs, more than 1,000 mails were produced per hour, causing spamming on our mail server's IP. Barracuda blocked the full mail communication. Only one to two accounts were compromised, and for that, Barracuda blocked all incoming and outgoing mails. It created a great problem for other users and our office activities. Our mail server was partially blocked for three days, which we did not expected and suffered a lot. Technically, only one or two accounts should be blocked if those are compromised. When a domain or IP is blocked, communication becomes tough, mails are bounced by receiver server. It may be a configuration issue at our provider's end, where there was a mistake in configuring Barracuda. It could also be a problem related to Barracuda.
Read full review
AnuragSrivastava - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides detailed visibility into threats but the ability to add exceptions needs improvement
One major item for improvement is the ability to add exceptions. We can add some exceptions, but not at the level we need to. The second major area for improvement involves enhanced capabilities for different operating systems or platforms. That is, even though we have coverage for different operating systems or platforms such as Linux, we don't get all of the controls and enhanced capabilities that are available with Windows devices. Reporting could also be improved because, at present, we get limited results at times. For example, in an environment with more than 100,000 devices, you may just get 10,000 results when you run a report.
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

"The most valuable feature of Barracuda Email Threat Scanner is the security it provides by delaying the delivery of suspicious emails until they can be reviewed inside the Barracuda control panel."
"It was easy to learn the product."
"The main benefit that I am getting from this solution is that it filters almost 95% of my spam mail. Some spam mails bypass Barracuda Email Threat Scanner, but when I add those domains or addresses to the filter list, they get blocked. Some users on my premises do not understand which mail attachments or links should be opened. By filtering with Barracuda Email Threat Scanner, we are not getting any type of phishing mails. So, our infrastructure is safer, and as an IT person, I feel relaxed."
"The solution is highly scalable."
"It's effective against most types of infection, and the firewall is perfect for protection."
"The detection features are valuable, as is the fact that it is easier to port these logs into Sentinel. That is also useful for us. It is more comprehensive."
"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is quite good. We haven't really experienced any issues with it."
"The performance of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has been a valuable feature."
"The most important feature is the way it monitors the threats and blocks them. About 10 days ago, we were implementing SOC for a particular client. The SOC was not yet implemented, but they had Microsoft Defender. That organization was hit by some ransomware, but the hacker could not succeed. Because of the EDR, the hacker could not install the hacking tools. They were trying to do that, but Microsoft Defender completely blocked that. The hacker could log into the system, but they could not install anything."
"I like the real-time protection features. Windows Defender will detect if there's a threat like a Trojan or something like that but Kaspersky lets it run normally."
"The primary advantage is that you don't need to install it. It's included in the Windows 10 delivery."
More Microsoft Defender for Endpoint pros
 

Cons

"We had an incident last month where the PCs of one or two colleagues, who were outside of our factory and were using a defined network, got infected by some kind of malware. From their PCs, more than 1,000 mails were produced per hour, causing spamming on our mail server. Barracuda blocked the full mail communication. Only one to two accounts were compromised, and for that, Barracuda blocked all incoming and outgoing mails. It created a great problem for other users and our office activities. Our server was blocked for three days, which we did not expect. Technically, only one or two accounts should be blocked. When a domain or IP is blocked, communication becomes tough. It may be a configuration issue at our provider's end, where there was a mistake in configuring Barracuda. It could also be a problem related to Barracuda."
"If the price were lower, perhaps we could purchase our own."
"The product must improve the features associated with creating a blacklist."
"The central console needs improvement. Both McAfee and Symantec antivirus have dashboards. These integrate with a server and work on my antivirus or some other product. However, with Microsoft Defender, you use Microsoft Group Policy Object. Defender does not provide a central console. Therefore, if you implement Defender, then maybe use another tool for the central view."
"I want Microsoft Defender to have the ability to deal with some issues automatically, so I don't need to address that issue manually."
"Integrating this with third-party systems has some complexity involved."
"Cortex... has good investigation capabilities, out-of-the-box, in case there is an event that you'd like to investigate. It's quite convenient. Microsoft has those capabilities as well, but you need a bit more training on the product to get the basic information that you can get out-of-the-box with Cortex."
"The onboarding and deployment could be more user-friendly, and there is room to grow in some of the reports. I don't want them to be oversimplified or overly complex, but there is room for improvement in the reporting it can do. It's relatively minor."
"Something that is unique to Microsoft is its licensing model. When you go out and you buy McAfee or Symantec, you know what you're getting out of the box, but with Microsoft, often, when you're looking to achieve a certain set of capabilities, those capabilities are spread across different products. You might try to do something you could do with CrowdStrike, but then find out that you also need to purchase Microsoft Defender for Identity or Microsoft Defender for Azure. You realize that when they talk about what they can offer within the Microsoft platform, it's really the suite of investments. So, sometimes, you may find yourself buying Defender for Endpoint thinking that it matches CrowdStrike, but then you find that Microsoft really needs to sell you something else. One plus one will equal three, but when you have a very concise platform, such as CrowdStrike, you know what you're going to get."
"More integration with different platforms is an area for improvement for this product, and should be included in its next release."
"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's licensing is confusing. It has conflicting information on the website. We also faced integration issues with other systems. It makes laptops slower than traditional antivirus systems."
More Microsoft Defender for Endpoint cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is a bit expensive."
"Barracuda Email Threat Scanner is provided by our IT service provider, who also provides all the support. The licensing fee that we pay to our provider is $200 per month, that is, $1 per user. There is no additional cost. Before taking the subscription from our provider, I researched the market for Barracuda. The cost is between $5,000 to $8,000 for three years. After that, the same cost is there for renewal. If you have 200 to 500 users, it is better to take a subscription from a provider. If you have more than 500 users, then you can own the Barracuda server through the cloud or on-premises deployments. It is costly for a lesser number of users. If you increase the usage or the number of users, then the overall cost decreases. They can reduce the cost of Barracuda Email Threat Scanner for a small number of users. We could not and would not have used this solution if we had not got the renting or subscription option."
"The nice thing about Defender and Sentinel is that the cost is based on the data logs that you ingest from the Defender endpoints and data connectors. I don't have to buy a 25- or 50- or 1,000-user or enterprise license. I can buy one license at a time."
"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is an expensive solution."
"This product is included in the pricing for Windows."
"You need a license to use this solution."
"The cost is competitive and reasonable because most of the expense is log analytics, storage, and data consumption and ingestion. These things can be throttled and controlled, so they are highly flexible. Defender has a lot of advantages over competing products."
"I pay for it through the Windows Professional or Standard license. It is a one-time cost for me, and I use the same license."
"Microsoft Defender is an expensive product in my country."
"Buying individual point products would've cost us a lot more money than one integrated solution that also capitalizes on Teams Voice and things of that nature. Given our size, buying individual products would have easily cost us a million dollars."
More Microsoft Defender for Endpoint pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
10%
Construction Company
8%
Educational Organization
27%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Barracuda Email Threat Scanner?
It was easy to learn the product.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Barracuda Email Threat Scanner?
I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Barracuda Email Threat Scanner?
The product must improve the features associated with creating a blacklist. Currently, to add a content block, I have to go to a different screen. It seems cumbersome. The solution sells Impersonat...
See all answers
How is Cortex XDR compared with Microsoft Defender?
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security solution. The tool reduces the attack surface, applies behavioral-based endpoint protection and response, and includes risk-ba...
See all answers
Which offers better endpoint security - Symantec or Microsoft Defender?
We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior solution. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security s...
See all answers
How does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint compare with Crowdstrike Falcon?
The CrowdStrike solution delivers a lot of information about incidents. It has a very light sensor that will never push your machine hardware to "test", you don't have the usual "scan now" feature ...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Barracuda Email Threat Scanner Logo
CrowdStrike Falcon vs Barracuda Email Threat Scanner
Compared 53% of the time
Huntress Managed EDR vs Barracuda Email Threat Scanner Logo
Huntress Managed EDR vs Barracuda Email Threat Scanner
Compared 33% of the time
More Barracuda Email Threat Scanner Competitors
CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Logo
CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Compared 8% of the time
Microsoft Intune vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Logo
Microsoft Intune vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Compared 5% of the time
Symantec Endpoint Security vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Logo
Symantec Endpoint Security vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Compared 5% of the time
F-Secure Total vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Logo
F-Secure Total vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Compared 4% of the time
HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Logo
HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Compared 4% of the time
More Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Anti-Malware Tools
January 2025
Barracuda Email Threat Scanner reportDownload Barracuda Email Threat Scanner product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
March 2025
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint reportDownload Microsoft Defender for Endpoint product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
Microsoft Defender ATP, Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection, MS Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender Antivirus
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
Barracuda Networks
Microsoft
 

Overview

Find out what's hiding in your inbox.
It's critical to assess and understand your email security vulnerabilities. Using artificial intelligence and API integration with Office 365, the Barracuda Email Threat Scanner quickly and effectively finds social engineering attacks currently sitting in your mailboxes.

Barracuda Networks

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a comprehensive security solution that provides advanced threat protection for organizations. It offers real-time protection against various types of cyber threats, including malware, viruses, ransomware, and phishing attacks.

With its powerful machine-learning capabilities, it can detect and block sophisticated attacks before they can cause any harm. The solution also includes endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities, allowing organizations to quickly investigate and respond to security incidents. It provides detailed insights into the attack timeline, enabling security teams to understand the scope and impact of an incident.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint also offers proactive threat hunting, allowing organizations to proactively search for and identify potential threats within their network. It integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft security solutions, such as Microsoft Defender XDR, to provide a unified and holistic security approach. With its centralized management console, organizations can easily deploy, configure, and monitor the security solution across their entire network.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a robust and scalable security solution that helps organizations protect their endpoints and data from evolving cyber threats.

Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

Entisys 360,
Petrofrac, Metro CSG, Christus Health
Buyer's Guide
Barracuda Email Threat Scanner vs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
March 2025
Free Report: Barracuda Email Threat Scanner vs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Find out what your peers are saying about Barracuda Email Threat Scanner vs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
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