Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Hidden Costs 2026
What they don't show you on the pricing page
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 costs $2 to $5 per user/month as of June 2026, with 2 plans available. Plans: Plan 1 at $2/user/month, and Plan 2 at $5/user/month. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers 2 pricing tiers: Plan 1, Plan 2. Paid plans include Plan 1 at $2/month, Plan 2 at $5/month. The Plan 2 plan is general users and teams.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 true cost runs NaN% above the listed $2-$5/user/month price as of June 2026. For a 25-person team, expect ~$NaN in year-one costs vs the $1,050 base license. Key hidden costs: microsoft 365 e3/e5 base subscription required: $36-57/user/month, audit log retention beyond 1 year: requires e5 compliance add-on, advanced compliance features: e5 compliance add-on at $12/user/month. Verified from 5 sources by CostBench.
Example: True Cost for 25 Users
| License (25 × $3.5 × 12) | $1,050/yr |
| Implementation (one-time) | +$15,000–$50,000 |
| Premium Support (20%) | +$210/yr |
| Training (25 × $500) | +$12,500 |
| Admin (part-time) | +$15,000–$25,000/yr |
| Estimated Year 1 Total | ~$NaN |