# Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs IRONSCALES: which do AI models recommend for email security, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Email security. Three of fourteen models named Microsoft Defender for Office 365 first on the direct prompt; one named IRONSCALES. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/security/email-security/microsoft-defender-for-office-365-vs-ironscales/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 32% | #1 of 9 | 6% | 51 | 14 of 14 |
| IRONSCALES | 2% | #8 of 9 | 0% | 26 | 12 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- GPT-5.4 mini: microsoft defender for office 365 first (first choices: Microsoft Defender for Office 365) (alternatives: Abnormal AI, Mimecast Email Security, Proofpoint Email Protection)
- Perplexity Sonar: microsoft defender for office 365 first (first choices: Microsoft Defender for Office 365) (alternatives: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, Mimecast Email Security)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: microsoft defender for office 365 first (first choices: Microsoft Defender for Office 365) (alternatives: Abnormal AI, Barracuda Integrated Email Protection, IRONSCALES, Proofpoint Email Protection)
- Kimi K2: ironscales first (first choices: IRONSCALES) (alternatives: Abnormal AI, Mimecast Email Security, Proofpoint Email Protection)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Barracuda Email Protection) (alternatives: IRONSCALES, Mimecast Email Security, Proofpoint Email Protection)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration) (alternatives: Abnormal AI, Barracuda Email Protection, IRONSCALES)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Abnormal AI) (alternatives: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Proofpoint Email Protection)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Proofpoint Email Protection) (alternatives: Abnormal AI, IRONSCALES, Microsoft Defender for Office 365)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: Abnormal AI) (alternatives: Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Mimecast Email Security, Proofpoint Email Protection)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Proofpoint Email Protection) (alternatives: Abnormal AI, Barracuda Email Protection, Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, Guardian Digital, Microsoft Defender for Office 365, ThreatDown Email Security, Trustifi)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Proofpoint 365 Total Protection) (alternatives: Abnormal AI, Mimecast Email Security)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, Proofpoint Email Protection) (alternatives: Mimecast Email Security, Symantec Email Security.cloud)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, Mimecast Email Security)

## What the models said about Microsoft Defender for Office 365

- "Microsoft's published comparison, for example, uses different "missed threat" criteria for Defender than for competing gateways, so it shouldn't be treated as a neutral head-to-head ranking." (GPT-6 Luna, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "strong execution but limited vision for evolving threats. Complaints include high false positives, poor internal email scanning" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "relying *solely* on native cloud email security is a risk for organizations with high threat profiles" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is the default choice for most Microsoft-365 shops—it's deeply integrated, cost-effective, and provides a solid baseline." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Start with what you already have — if you're on Microsoft 365 E5, check if Defender for O365 Plan 2 is already included before paying for a new platform." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)
- "Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is the most pragmatic starting point—low cost, deep integration, and solid baseline protection." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about IRONSCALES

- "prioritize Behavioral AI (like Abnormal AI or IRONSCALES) over signature-based gateways" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, first choice)
- "For most mid-market B2B companies, I'd recommend IRONSCALES as the top choice" (Kimi K2, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Modern solutions (like Abnormal Security, Check Point/Avanan, Ironscales, or Sublime Security) connect directly to Microsoft or Google via API." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, scale prompt, alternative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.