Fendr vs Microsoft Purview
Fendr
Fendr is a browser-extension based data loss prevention and AI governance product that monitors and controls what employees paste or upload into ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, Gemini and other web-based AI tools. It is aimed at mid-market organisations and deploys via MDM, with Chrome and Edge named as supported browsers; policies can block a risky action, redirect the user to Copilot or log the action for audit. The vendor positions it as an option for firms without Microsoft Purview E5 licensing and Entra-enrolled Windows devices, and states that the extension does not see native desktop apps such as Claude desktop or Copilot inside Word. Pricing is published: the first 10 licences are free, the Standard plan is GBP 6 per user per month for 11 to 500 employees, and Enterprise pricing is custom. The product is made by Fendr Ltd, incorporated in London on 4 August 2025, with founder Katie Whitlock listed as a director at Companies House. Fendr took part in the LASR Validate programme and was profiled by Plexal in October 2025, when it was running proof-of-concept trials.
Pros
- Published per-user pricing with the first 10 licences free
- Registered UK company (Fendr Ltd, 16625357) with a published extension privacy notice
- Independent coverage from Plexal and the LASR Validate programme
Things to check
- Company incorporated August 2025 and still running proof-of-concept trials as of November 2025 per LASR
- Covers browser-based AI tools only; the vendor states it does not see native desktop apps such as Claude desktop or Copilot in Word
Pricing: Free for 1 to 10 employees; Standard is GBP 6 per user per month for 11 to 500 employees with discounts for annual commitment; Enterprise is custom pricing with volume discounts for 500 or more employees.
Microsoft Purview
Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance and compliance platform that combines the former Azure Purview data governance capabilities with Microsoft 365 compliance solutions. It provides data classification, data loss prevention, information protection, insider risk management, and compliance management across Microsoft 365, Azure, and multi-cloud environments. Purview leverages Microsoft's deep integration with its productivity and cloud ecosystem to provide data security at scale.
Pros
- Deep native integration with Microsoft 365 and Azure ecosystem
- Bundled with M365 E5 licensing reduces incremental cost
- Unified platform covering DLP, classification, compliance, and governance
- Trainable classifiers adapt to organization-specific data types
- Massive scale and enterprise support from Microsoft
Things to check
- Strongest coverage limited to Microsoft ecosystem. Weaker for non-Microsoft data stores
- Complex licensing tiers make cost prediction difficult
- Can require significant configuration to match Varonis-level depth on file access governance
- Insider risk management less mature than dedicated UEBA platforms
- Multi-cloud data governance features still maturing
Pricing: Included in Microsoft 365 E5 / Standalone plans from $12/user/month