Cofense PhishMe vs. Microsoft 365

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cofense PhishMe
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Cofense PhishMe is a cyber threat and phishing simulator meant to be of use in training employees to be wary against threats and also to gain information about general employee threat knowledge and preparedness. A free trial is available for small business.N/A
Microsoft 365
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is a Microsoft Cloud subscription service that includes Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access). The software can be installed across multiple devices and ensures that users always have the most up-to-date version of the included Office applications.
$5
Per User Per Month
Pricing
Cofense PhishMeMicrosoft 365
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Business Basic
$5.00
Per User Per Month
Individual
$5.84
*Per Month
Business - Apps
$8.25
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - F3
$10.00
Per User Per Month
Business Standard
$12.50
Per User Per Month
Business Premium
$20.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E3
$32.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E5
$57.00
Per User Per Month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cofense PhishMeMicrosoft 365
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details*When billed annually.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cofense PhishMeMicrosoft 365
Considered Both Products
Cofense PhishMe
Chose Cofense PhishMe
PhishMe is a market leader in terms of phishing simulation solutions. The customization appears unmatched when compared with competitors and the support we have experienced from Cofense has been excellent. Phish me offers lots of realistic templates which are updated regularly …
Chose Cofense PhishMe
Cofense phishing simulation product is one of the best security awareness solutions that our security team has tested. The product is feature-rich and easy to navigate. Awareness templates are numerous to select from and in multiple languages, which is a big plus. Campaign …
Chose Cofense PhishMe
Cofense PhishMe was the first choice for us as the user interface as well as their bundle package with Cofense Triage and Vision has helped the organisation to alleviate the overall security awareness posture. The other vendors did not provide a vast range of phishing scenarios …
Chose Cofense PhishMe
Cofense PhishMe has a more robust offering and better pricing structure. We used Wombat prior to them being acquired by Proofpoint.
Chose Cofense PhishMe
Cofense PhishMe is price competitive and provides lots of value. We are also utilizing Cofense's other products such as Triage, Vision, and Report PhishMe. We are seeing lots of value from these products and hopefully, your company will see some value also. Support also is …
Chose Cofense PhishMe
I have not used similar kinds of products previously. So this is hard for me to compare anyone here. But as long as I used PhishMe I loved it. The ease of use, the neat designs, and distinct tabs help reduce the clutter. The learning curve to get comfortable with the tool is …
Chose Cofense PhishMe
Cofense provides more templates. We couple the reporter service with the Triage product & managed triage service.
Cofense's support is better and more engaged. We utilized Wombat before acquisition.
Chose Cofense PhishMe
Cofense is more comprehensive in its offerings given that the field of email security and email-related staff awareness is their focus area, while for Cymulate, it is only a component of testing and nothing else. Hence, it was quite beneficial to use Cofense in that regard.
Chose Cofense PhishMe
Cofense was selected as a vendor before I was in this role. Another vendor was evaluated for additional security awareness training but not to replace the Cofense PhishMe program. We also looked at Ninjio to supplement our phishing education program.
Chose Cofense PhishMe
We chose PhishMe due to its ease of use and integration. The many different scenarios available and the price point were the main selling points vs the competitors.
Chose Cofense PhishMe
For reporter, we've used GoSecure IDR. KnowBe4 is probably the biggest paid competitor I've seen and tried a demo.

For opensource, things like GoPhish or the Social Engineering Toolkit within Kali Linux aren't bad. Both require more effort, so you either pay Cofense for ease of …
Chose Cofense PhishMe
We haven't used another provider. However, we used our internal phishing simulation solution prior to contracting Cofense. The internal solution gives you more flexibility (you can send emails to any domain and can impersonate any company) but you'd be missing the Reporter …
Chose Cofense PhishMe
Our previously used product was SANS ACLP. This wasn't an altogether horrible product and for the time we used it the purpose for its use was served. We had multiple issues though with how this product delivered emails, captured clicks, and generated reporting once the …
Chose Cofense PhishMe
PhishMe had similar features and was less expensive.
Chose Cofense PhishMe
We closely looked at KnowBe4's platform as well when it came time to renew. We chose to continue with Cofense because we already had over a year's worth of data in the platform that we would lose by switching vendors.
Chose Cofense PhishMe
I have not used any other products that do the same thing as PhishMe. I was not the decision maker in deploying PhishMe so I can not comment as to why we chose it or any other similar competitors in the field. PhishMe works well for what we use it for.
Chose Cofense PhishMe
Cofense PhishMe is a very usable and customizable suite and compared to a previous product, it's hard to go back. After using [Cofense] PhishMe, I don't want to look for another product since the features are rich and the usability is relatively straightforward. Information and …
Microsoft 365
Chose Microsoft 365
It is one of a kind in my eyes.
Chose Microsoft 365
BTE, this search bar is not the best; I couldn't find Google Suite. In any case, it's challenging to find a suite with advanced tools that serves as an office. Google comes close, no one uses OpenOffice (hyperbole), and there isn't much else to use. If you add to that the …
Chose Microsoft 365
In my opinion Microsoft 365 is the most complete out of the bunch because of the cloud and desktop apps, the easy expandability it brings in combination with Azure and Entra/Intune. I must say that Google Workspace is a close contender but the desktop apps are less complete in …
Chose Microsoft 365
Thunderbird is very nice tool but in my case not used because I have several issues with his calendar.
Zoom is very good tool, providing you low band usage and good video and sound quality.
I have tested OpenOffice but not nice UI experience.
Chose Microsoft 365
Its very user-friendly, collaborative and efficient that boosts productivity using cloud tools. their security is strong and it provides data protection. There are regular updates that shields us from attackers too. It offers a wealth of learning resources, including tutorials, …
Chose Microsoft 365
All the features in Microsoft Office 365 are better than any other product in the market except the protection feature. This is the only weakness in Microsoft 365 where had to stop their protection and buy Proofpoint Advanced Threat Protection.

The Exchange Online feature is …
Chose Microsoft 365
Device compatibility and enterprise level voice isn't as readily available with Google Voice.
Chose Microsoft 365
Google sheets is better for sharing and collaborative editing. Versioning of the same file is also one of Google Sheets strong points.
Microsoft 365 is better for working with local files. It is much easier to store the file in multiple places and backup multiple versions in …
Chose Microsoft 365
I really don't know of anything that is a competitor for Microsoft 365 - that's both good and bad.
Chose Microsoft 365
I used to like Google more than Microsoft because I used it more, but now I think they are very similar. I am able to use both on my phone, both have Clouds, and both have synced calendars, documents, and sheets. The reason I use Microsoft is [that] my company uses it, and I …
Chose Microsoft 365
Google Sheets, doesn't give me the same flexibility that Excel does. I have been frustrated when trying to work in Sheets to build complex spreadsheets. It is easier to manipulate and the spreadsheet can still be shared with a team member when cooperation needs to be had in …
Chose Microsoft 365
Compared to Docs & Sheets, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Sheets offer more functionality. Notepad is almost always pre-installed on Microsoft Word-enabled computers. This alternative to Microsoft Word isn't as robust, but it's free. Microsoft Publisher is incompatible with Adobe …
Chose Microsoft 365
I was not in charge of choosing Microsoft 365, but I have used Google Drive extensively in the past. Google Drive and OneDrive are VERY similar. you can hook them up to your file explorer and share links, auto-sync files, and access them on your mobile/tablet, etc. Google Docs …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and Google Drive have a very similar structure. Both have apps that can provide the same performance. For example, Google Docs and Microsoft Word are alike. Likewise, Google Sheets and Excel, Google Meet and Teams, Google Slide and …
Chose Microsoft 365
While I do like Microsoft, I miss using Google. I think it’s faster and just a little less clunky. However, OneNote and Teams are a huge advantage for the way we use Microsoft products at my school.
Chose Microsoft 365
None -- we always used some version of Office.
Chose Microsoft 365
Zoho does a decent job but is lacking in the refinement of its product. The cost point is much lower so this is not really unacceptable if you realize that when purchasing. The feature uses are harder to navigate and making changes requires a little more digging as they are …
Chose Microsoft 365
From a management standpoint, Microsoft 365 is far easier to use than Exchange. No, it is not as robust but for day-to-day use, I would choose Microsoft 365 every time.
Chose Microsoft 365
Because 365 connects most of my work apps such as OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams.
Chose Microsoft 365
I have apple products at home and they work well for what we use them for but the problem is not all products work with Mac products. My main design software will export file formats that are 100% compatible with Microsoft but not Mac. This plays a huge role in deciding what …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is far superior to Google Sheets in terms of functionality and ease of use. Google Workspace facilitates document sharing. [Microsoft] 365, on the other hand, is more powerful in terms of the functions it supports, such as Excel and Power BI. Though Microsoft 365 …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 has very good security features and is one of the reliable product when it comes to security. It is very user friendly which makes it a popular choice amongst all users. Its frequently enhanced versions with new features added each time makes it a hot product in …
Chose Microsoft 365
Personally I would prefer Google Workspace because it integrates better with the Android based tools that I already use. I also like how Google's Docs, Sheets, and Slides online functionality is their focus rather than an addon to get to the cloud. Google Workspace's sharing …
Chose Microsoft 365
We did not, we knew exactly what we wanted and needed.
Chose Microsoft 365
Both Google and Dropbox have programs for creating content. They can get the job done but there is a reason Microsft 365 is an industry standard. You can pull together a bunch of different apps and try to get them to communicate together if you want. But it will be a headache. …
Features
Cofense PhishMeMicrosoft 365
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Cofense PhishMe
7.8
Ratings
9% below category average
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Single sign-on capability7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Security Awareness Training
Comparison of Security Awareness Training features of Product A and Product B
Cofense PhishMe
7.3
Ratings
15% below category average
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Training Content Library7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Multilingual Training Content7.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Training Gamification7.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Industry-Specific Security Training7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Individualized Security Training Plans6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Phishing Simulations7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Security Reporting8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Security Tech Stack7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cofense PhishMeMicrosoft 365
Small Businesses
Barracuda Email Protection
Barracuda Email Protection
Score 10.0 out of 10
Google Workspace
Google Workspace
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Hoxhunt
Hoxhunt
Score 9.5 out of 10
Google Workspace
Google Workspace
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Hoxhunt
Hoxhunt
Score 9.5 out of 10
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cofense PhishMeMicrosoft 365
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.3
(0 ratings)
7.2
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.2
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cofense PhishMeMicrosoft 365
Likelihood to Recommend
It's a very apt tool for the scenario where there are multiple users and verticals in an organisation. Phishing Campaigns and recording their response actions is quite easier through this tool. Not suitable for a small organization (less than 500) that can maybe use some open tools or self-made emails for campaigns.
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I usually recommend Microsoft 365 to my clients to keep them away from the Exchange server (sorry!) Our business has a lot of issues with exchange email functions and copy machines. I always recommend they download the desktop version and use the online version as needed. You never know when you will be without an internet connection, but you can usually trust your laptop will have a decent charge, and you can still be productive! Let it sync when the powers are back on - or your connection is alive.
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Pros
  • Easy to Navigate GUI - easy to create and run scenarios
  • In depth reporting - Ability to provide detailed reports by department, title, etc. for follow-up training
  • Adoption of new technology - new additions such as Responsive Delivery and Recipient Sync allow less overhead for running scenarios
  • Introduction of new templates - new templates being introduced all the time to keep up with currently seen campaigns
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  • keeps me extremely organized. It is so easy to link calendars, emails, and documents.
  • keeps me well connected. It is so easy to send a quick message on teams or send an email to a group (for example, my particular team within the company).
  • easy to use. Everything is straightforward, making it easy to find an answer to a question. There is even a search option to figure out how to do something within Microsoft.
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Cons
  • Many of the URLs come in with an unknown reputation and although it may be challenging from threat intel feeds, somehow allowing a more in-depth analysis of the URL can provide better/quicker decision making or validation.
  • Adjustable widgets for reporting, although the provided are already built very well.
  • Provide in-house templates or summaries of actionable items, such as a single brief on a major phish.
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  • I wish it was a little simpler to integrate things from one Microsoft Feature into another one. Perhaps I just don't know the tricks for that yet...after all these years of using it.
  • I didn't like how it defaulted to saving the document automatically with changes, like Google Docs, but it seems that has now changed, and is better now.
  • Generally, I really like how the suite works as is.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
I am completely satisfied with the product, and helps me on a daily basis. I do not the exact cost (it is not a cheap suite) but on the medium and long term the return on investment is guaranteed.
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Usability
Its built with UX in mind and is aimed at non-tech people, to ensure that almost everyone can run the campaign. But if we go deeper - sometimes you will need an HTML editor or support in order to figure out some advanced edits you might want to add in your scenarios.
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It being the default office suite means it's user experience and idioms are things that everyone is generally very used to and fluent with.
The sharing is relatively simple, being directly hooked into Entra AD, and expiry being a first class concern.
It's usability decreases at scale, with multiple people simultaneously making edits can make documents unusable.
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Support Rating
I have not had to use their support for pretty much anything. The software works well, and is very intuitive. I would imagine their support would be rather basic as there is not too much that can go wrong with a report phishing button, and if it were I would probably consider a different software.
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Over the past 8 years of using Microsoft 365, I have noticed that they change vendors often. This always leads to a poor experience in the beginning, then levels out after some time for the company to get things worked out. As a customer, it is really frustrating because I don't have time when something isn't working to have them "look into my issue" and get back with me. They have even closed a ticket I specifically told them to keep open. Your applications are only as good as the support.
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Online Training
It's a must, even if you are never going to use the tool. Cofense aims to provide phishing training first and tool second.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
There are some hiccups, but there are meant to be, when you implement something in a large scale enterprise.
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Everything works and I use it all the time.
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Alternatives Considered
PhishMe is a market leader in terms of phishing simulation solutions. The customization appears unmatched when compared with competitors and the support we have experienced from Cofense has been excellent. Phish me offers lots of realistic templates which are updated regularly which is far ahead of other solutions. Phish me also provides lots of detailed statistics as well as high-level numbers which are really useful for some clients who want details, and others who only want high-level overviews.
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BTE, this search bar is not the best; I couldn't find Google Suite. In any case, it's challenging to find a suite with advanced tools that serves as an office. Google comes close, no one uses OpenOffice (hyperbole), and there isn't much else to use. If you add to that the recent collaborative functionalities, nothing really stacks up or compares; this has everything a person in an office (oversimplifying) needs to get work done.
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Return on Investment
  • From a normal user's perspective, it's an easy and fast, very very user-friendly phishing email reporting structure. No need to remember any email address, no need for sophisticated handling of malicious emails while sending/ reporting. Just a click and it is done.
  • From the admin and analyst point of view: Easy and clutter-free triaging pane, IOC reputation check facility, Rules and Recipes section for automation and focused triaging, Notification to the reporter based on the triaging done is really a helpful feedback loop.
  • Overall: Simple to handle, less learning curve, well managed, less administration time, fewer issues, less maintenance time.
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  • Microsoft 365 has really been effective and cost saving option for our organization in terms of managing the mailboxes, collaboration and messaging.
  • There is multiple must have features which comes all together in one package and therefore is cost effective.
  • The only negative impact according to me is its inability to protect the environment or domain from external attacks effectively.
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ScreenShots

Cofense PhishMe Screenshots

Screenshot of Image 1 – Board of Directors (BOD) report showcasing results of your phishing defense programScreenshot of Image 2 – Create New Scenario PageScreenshot of Image 3 – Intelligent Program Automation using PlaybooksScreenshot of Image 4 – Organizational Suspicious Email Reporting StatisticsScreenshot of Image 5 – Phishing Scam Announcement Templates