Manager, Infrastructure Services at a construction company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
Nov 20, 2025
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Microsoft Defender for Cloud was pretty straightforward. We did have a consultation with a third party to go over different tiers and product capabilities, but that was a pretty seamless experience. Buying the licensing was easy and implementing was pretty straightforward too.
Director, Cloud and Modern Workplace at Informanix Technology Group
Real User
Top 5
Nov 20, 2025
The pricing for Microsoft Defender for Cloud is not exorbitant. Some features have different plans available, such as API plans, and often Plan 1 is enabled for customers as they don't really need more than that for now. Based on the threat levels, the current plan is satisfactory. The pricing is reasonable because cloud services mean the cost is shared with multiple people, and you get the best for a fraction of the price you would have paid otherwise. There is no doubt that the value is justified. Those applications cannot even be purchased separately. Security has essentially no cost when compared to the cost of a breach. Security is like insurance for a country under threat; you have to put significant budget toward security to protect it. Otherwise, you have nothing because everything will be compromised and you will lose everything. This same philosophy is applied when talking to customers about the cost of security versus the cost of a breach affecting reputation and business.
Architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 10
Nov 20, 2025
My experience with the pricing, pricing setup cost, and licensing is mixed. Some things, such as Key Vaults or storage plans, are now priced better from the security alerting point of view, but others still lack good pricing or could be priced better. The amount billed for the amount of terabytes you're scanning is too high and will lead into security risks if somebody is limiting the amount of data to be scanned based on the cost, so this is something I would prefer to be changed.
System Administrator at a engineering company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 5
Nov 18, 2025
Regarding the pricing, setup cost, and licensing of the platform, what we have paid for is still to be determined, as we are about to renew our licensing at the end of this year. So far, it has been affordable. In comparison to Sophos that we were running, we have found that it will wind up being approximately the same amount of cost.
The cost is generally reasonable. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Plan 2 costs $15 per server, per month. For a normal customer with ten to twenty servers, the cost is about $300 per month, which is affordable.
The licensing is straightforward but can become expensive if you cover everything. You must balance the cost against the importance of what needs covering.
Programme Manager- Cyber Fusion- Group CISO at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 10
Nov 11, 2024
I don't have visibility into the specific costs, but it seems to be a significant concern for our organization. Every time we consider expanding usage, we carefully evaluate the necessity due to cost concerns.
Assistant General Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 10
Oct 4, 2024
The pricing is good. It is license-based, and we are not utilizing all of the features, like API and other functionalities, so the cost is not that high.
IT Advisor / Principal Architect at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Nov 8, 2023
Our clients complain about the cost of Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Microsoft needs to bring the cost down. What we're doing to their detriment is simply lowering the amount of log retention we're keeping, which is not what I want to do. Storage is so cheap in every other aspect of Azure except for Log Analytics, which makes it even more difficult to explain to clients why we're charging them so much for terabytes of storage. In comparison, data lakes and storage accounts store terabytes of data for much less cost.
My personal experience with Microsoft Defender for Cloud pricing involves considerations like the size of the organization and specific requirements. It's crucial to assess these factors for accurate cost estimates. For a more tailored approach, you can explore this mobile app development cost calculator: https://www.cleveroad.com/mobile-app-development-cost-calculator/.
Senior DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Dec 5, 2022
Currently, Microsoft offers only one plan at the enterprise level which is $15 per machine. This plan can be very costly for small and medium businesses and in some parts of the world, it is cheaper for an organization to hire a full-time security engineer instead.
Information Security Specialist-Associate Consultant at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Reseller
Oct 23, 2022
There are two different plans. We're using the secure basic plan, but we have used the end security plan as well. There are additional costs, but it gives us more functionalities compared to the basic plan. It provides threat detection and integration capabilities. We have not enabled that due to the cost, but it's a possibility.
Senior Information Technology Security Officer at CLEAR (clearme.com)
Real User
Oct 7, 2022
I don't typically handle the licensing. I do POCs and product evaluations. However, I know that Defender for Cloud is packaged with other Microsoft solutions. Most people with Defender ATP also have the E5 or F5 license. It comes with the package, so you only need to activate and configure the solution.
CEO / Owner at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Aug 31, 2022
The pricing is very difficult because every type of Defender for Cloud has its own metrics and pricing. If you have a Cloud for Key Vault, the pricing is different than it is for storage. Every type has its own pricing list and rules.
Senior Cloud Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
MSP
Jul 26, 2022
It is a ready-made solution that you just start using from the day one until whenever you want to use it, paying as you go. Or, you can do either a one-year or three-year RI. Pricing depends on your workload size, but it is very cheap. If you're talking about virtual machines, it is $5 or something for each machine, which is minimal. If you go for some agent-based solution for every virtual machine, then you need to pay the same thing or more than that. For an on-premises solution like this, we were paying around $30 to $50 based on size. With Defender, Microsoft doesn't bother about the size. You pay based on the number of machines. So, if you have 10 virtual machines, and 10 virtual machines are being monitored, you are paying based on that rather than the size of the virtual machine. Thus, you are paying for the number of units rather than paying for the size of your units. In case you want your own signatures in-built, you have the workbook where you can enable it to couple with your Defender solution. It will start analyzing your specific algorithm or signature. If there is data specific to your organization or your developer knows something that no one else knows, and you want to restrict that. So, you have a free hand to customize it and a standard way is already provided. Every day, you will get a security update by default. You don't need to bother doing it manually. This has already been given to you free of cost. There are no costs other than the Microsoft workload itself.
Principal Consultant - Cyber Security & Cloud Infra. at RPS Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
Real User
Mar 2, 2022
Defender for Cloud is pretty costly for a single line. It's incredibly high to pay monthly for security per server. The cost is considerable for an enterprise with 500-plus virtual machines, and the monthly bill can spike.
Senior Security Engineer at a tech company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Mar 2, 2022
Azure Defender is definitely pricey, but their competitors cost about the same. For example, a Palo Alto solution is the same price per endpoint, but the ground strikes cost a bit more than Azure Defender. Still, it's pricey for a company like ours. Maybe well-established organizations can afford it, but it might be too costly for a startup. They should try some open-source tools. That's how it is today.
It is bundled with our enterprise subscription, which makes it easy to go for it. It is available by default, and there is no extra cost for using the standard features.
Azure Solution Architect at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Nov 3, 2021
The licensing cost per server is $15 per month. This is the same for SQL which is also $15 per server. It covers the Defender licensing as well. According to my experience, it's a good deal.
The price of the solution is good for the features we receive and there is an additional cost for Microsoft premier support. However, some of my potential customers have found it to be expensive and have gone on to choose another solution. Additionally, if the customer does not take the full package from Azure Defender it makes it difficult for us to manage the solution for them.
Senior DevSecOps Engineer at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Jun 10, 2021
This solution is more cost-effective than some competing products. My understanding is that it is based on the number of integrations that you have, so if you have fewer subscriptions then you pay less for the service.
Cyber Security Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Consultant
Jun 8, 2021
I am not involved in this area. However, I believe its price is okay because even small customers are using Azure Security Center. I don't think it is very expensive.
Cloud Architect at a legal firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
May 25, 2021
Although I am outside of the discussion on budget and costing, I can say that the importance of security provided by this solution is of such importance that whatever the cost is, it is not a factor. Microsoft does a good job with respect to the pricing model, so anything comparable will cost almost the same. I don't think that there is really an alternative.
Cloud & Infra Security, Group Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
May 10, 2021
This is a worldwide service and depending on the country, there will be different prices. There is a price calculator for Azure Services. You select the service that you are interested in, and the basic or the standard is there immediately, which has support options. Different levels of support are available for different prices. A subscription is part of the Azure Service. You will need to find what type of service you need. If you need to negotiate the price, based on the enterprise agreement or per commitment, the price schema is available. You just need to speak with a partner. You can also pay with your credit card, but you will need to read the documentation online.
Sr Cybersecurity Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Vendor
Oct 4, 2020
I'm not privy to pricing information, but I know it's probably close to a million dollars a year. The pricing is comparable. The features that we're getting are tailored to what we need. It was the best fit for us.
Security architect at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jun 14, 2020
We don't have a say in pricing, it's up to the product vendor. When you compare with other CWPP or server cloud protection products, I believe the Center is well priced. The customer has flexibility to choose which modules they want to use. There is a free version and a paid version and the customer makes a choice based on the organization's security strategy. If you're going to use add-ons or anything more feature rich, then you'd have to pay extra, but the standard product is a fixed price.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a comprehensive security platform offering integration with Microsoft services, multi-cloud capability, AI-driven threat detection, compliance, and unified visibility for improved security operations. Microsoft Defender for Cloud manages security operations by integrating with Microsoft services and supporting multi-cloud environments. Its features include AI-driven threat detection, compliance oversight, and advanced threat protection. It simplifies processes...
My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing was that the license cost was the only consideration. Setup and support had no issues.
My experience with the pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Defender for Cloud is that it is very simple. It is just click and go, really.
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Microsoft Defender for Cloud was pretty straightforward. We did have a consultation with a third party to go over different tiers and product capabilities, but that was a pretty seamless experience. Buying the licensing was easy and implementing was pretty straightforward too.
I have no idea about the pricing, setup cost, and licensing because I don't handle that.
The pricing for Microsoft Defender for Cloud is not exorbitant. Some features have different plans available, such as API plans, and often Plan 1 is enabled for customers as they don't really need more than that for now. Based on the threat levels, the current plan is satisfactory. The pricing is reasonable because cloud services mean the cost is shared with multiple people, and you get the best for a fraction of the price you would have paid otherwise. There is no doubt that the value is justified. Those applications cannot even be purchased separately. Security has essentially no cost when compared to the cost of a breach. Security is like insurance for a country under threat; you have to put significant budget toward security to protect it. Otherwise, you have nothing because everything will be compromised and you will lose everything. This same philosophy is applied when talking to customers about the cost of security versus the cost of a breach affecting reputation and business.
My experience with the pricing, pricing setup cost, and licensing is mixed. Some things, such as Key Vaults or storage plans, are now priced better from the security alerting point of view, but others still lack good pricing or could be priced better. The amount billed for the amount of terabytes you're scanning is too high and will lead into security risks if somebody is limiting the amount of data to be scanned based on the cost, so this is something I would prefer to be changed.
Regarding the pricing, setup cost, and licensing of the platform, what we have paid for is still to be determined, as we are about to renew our licensing at the end of this year. So far, it has been affordable. In comparison to Sophos that we were running, we have found that it will wind up being approximately the same amount of cost.
The pricing is pretty standard.
The cost is generally reasonable. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Plan 2 costs $15 per server, per month. For a normal customer with ten to twenty servers, the cost is about $300 per month, which is affordable.
Initially, the cost was reasonable, but additional services from Microsoft sometimes incur extra expenses that seem higher than expected.
The licensing is straightforward but can become expensive if you cover everything. You must balance the cost against the importance of what needs covering.
I don't have visibility into the specific costs, but it seems to be a significant concern for our organization. Every time we consider expanding usage, we carefully evaluate the necessity due to cost concerns.
The pricing is good. It is license-based, and we are not utilizing all of the features, like API and other functionalities, so the cost is not that high.
The solution is subscription-based, and while it is generally affordable, there are often hidden costs. The overall pricing could be more competitive.
The solution is expensive, and I rate it a five to six out of ten.
Our clients complain about the cost of Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Microsoft needs to bring the cost down. What we're doing to their detriment is simply lowering the amount of log retention we're keeping, which is not what I want to do. Storage is so cheap in every other aspect of Azure except for Log Analytics, which makes it even more difficult to explain to clients why we're charging them so much for terabytes of storage. In comparison, data lakes and storage accounts store terabytes of data for much less cost.
I am not involved much with the pricing but the bundle offering is good.
My personal experience with Microsoft Defender for Cloud pricing involves considerations like the size of the organization and specific requirements. It's crucial to assess these factors for accurate cost estimates. For a more tailored approach, you can explore this mobile app development cost calculator: https://www.cleveroad.com/mobile-app-development-cost-calculator/.
We have the full E5 license. The tool is pretty expensive.
I rate Microsoft Defender a three out of ten for affordability. The price could be a little lower.
Currently, Microsoft offers only one plan at the enterprise level which is $15 per machine. This plan can be very costly for small and medium businesses and in some parts of the world, it is cheaper for an organization to hire a full-time security engineer instead.
There are two different plans. We're using the secure basic plan, but we have used the end security plan as well. There are additional costs, but it gives us more functionalities compared to the basic plan. It provides threat detection and integration capabilities. We have not enabled that due to the cost, but it's a possibility.
I don't typically handle the licensing. I do POCs and product evaluations. However, I know that Defender for Cloud is packaged with other Microsoft solutions. Most people with Defender ATP also have the E5 or F5 license. It comes with the package, so you only need to activate and configure the solution.
The pricing is very difficult because every type of Defender for Cloud has its own metrics and pricing. If you have a Cloud for Key Vault, the pricing is different than it is for storage. Every type has its own pricing list and rules.
It is a ready-made solution that you just start using from the day one until whenever you want to use it, paying as you go. Or, you can do either a one-year or three-year RI. Pricing depends on your workload size, but it is very cheap. If you're talking about virtual machines, it is $5 or something for each machine, which is minimal. If you go for some agent-based solution for every virtual machine, then you need to pay the same thing or more than that. For an on-premises solution like this, we were paying around $30 to $50 based on size. With Defender, Microsoft doesn't bother about the size. You pay based on the number of machines. So, if you have 10 virtual machines, and 10 virtual machines are being monitored, you are paying based on that rather than the size of the virtual machine. Thus, you are paying for the number of units rather than paying for the size of your units. In case you want your own signatures in-built, you have the workbook where you can enable it to couple with your Defender solution. It will start analyzing your specific algorithm or signature. If there is data specific to your organization or your developer knows something that no one else knows, and you want to restrict that. So, you have a free hand to customize it and a standard way is already provided. Every day, you will get a security update by default. You don't need to bother doing it manually. This has already been given to you free of cost. There are no costs other than the Microsoft workload itself.
The cost is fair. There aren't any costs in addition to the standard licensing fee.
The solution has a license renewal on a yearly basis. The licensing part is not my area of interest. It is a different team that looks after that.
Defender for Cloud is pretty costly for a single line. It's incredibly high to pay monthly for security per server. The cost is considerable for an enterprise with 500-plus virtual machines, and the monthly bill can spike.
Azure Defender is definitely pricey, but their competitors cost about the same. For example, a Palo Alto solution is the same price per endpoint, but the ground strikes cost a bit more than Azure Defender. Still, it's pricey for a company like ours. Maybe well-established organizations can afford it, but it might be too costly for a startup. They should try some open-source tools. That's how it is today.
The pricing is mid to high. It's not the cheapest or least expensive option.
It is bundled with our enterprise subscription, which makes it easy to go for it. It is available by default, and there is no extra cost for using the standard features.
The licensing cost per server is $15 per month. This is the same for SQL which is also $15 per server. It covers the Defender licensing as well. According to my experience, it's a good deal.
Microsoft's licensing and pricing are sometimes complicated. If someone is new to Microsoft's licensing, they might have difficulty with it.
The price of the solution is good for the features we receive and there is an additional cost for Microsoft premier support. However, some of my potential customers have found it to be expensive and have gone on to choose another solution. Additionally, if the customer does not take the full package from Azure Defender it makes it difficult for us to manage the solution for them.
It has global licensing. It comes with multiple licenses since there are around 50,000 people (in our organization) who look at it.
The cost of the license is based on the subscriptions that you have.
This solution is more cost-effective than some competing products. My understanding is that it is based on the number of integrations that you have, so if you have fewer subscriptions then you pay less for the service.
I am not involved in this area. However, I believe its price is okay because even small customers are using Azure Security Center. I don't think it is very expensive.
Although I am outside of the discussion on budget and costing, I can say that the importance of security provided by this solution is of such importance that whatever the cost is, it is not a factor. Microsoft does a good job with respect to the pricing model, so anything comparable will cost almost the same. I don't think that there is really an alternative.
This is a worldwide service and depending on the country, there will be different prices. There is a price calculator for Azure Services. You select the service that you are interested in, and the basic or the standard is there immediately, which has support options. Different levels of support are available for different prices. A subscription is part of the Azure Service. You will need to find what type of service you need. If you need to negotiate the price, based on the enterprise agreement or per commitment, the price schema is available. You just need to speak with a partner. You can also pay with your credit card, but you will need to read the documentation online.
Azure Defender is a bit pricey. The price could be lower.
The licensing costs are included and wrapped up in a suite of other products that we are also using.
We are using the free version of the Azure Security Center.
I'm not privy to pricing information, but I know it's probably close to a million dollars a year. The pricing is comparable. The features that we're getting are tailored to what we need. It was the best fit for us.
I don't have any idea what the cost of the solution is. That aspect of the product is handled by a separate department.
We don't have a say in pricing, it's up to the product vendor. When you compare with other CWPP or server cloud protection products, I believe the Center is well priced. The customer has flexibility to choose which modules they want to use. There is a free version and a paid version and the customer makes a choice based on the organization's security strategy. If you're going to use add-ons or anything more feature rich, then you'd have to pay extra, but the standard product is a fixed price.