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Binary Defense MDR vs Field Effect MDR comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Binary Defense MDR
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
15th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Field Effect MDR
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
7th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Binary Defense MDR is 1.3%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Field Effect MDR is 1.5%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Field Effect MDR1.5%
Binary Defense MDR1.3%
Other97.2%
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2588769 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cybersecurity Architect, Information Technology Division at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Phenomenal response time and good handling of context in our diverse environment
We are going to have a meeting with them the following Monday. It will be our first quarterly business review. Half of it is going to be looking at new products and new functions that they are bringing out. So far, I do not have anything negative or a concern. There were two small mistakes that the technician made, and they were remedied immediately. Once we brought them to their attention, they were remedied. I do not have any complaints. They were just simple mistakes that anybody could make, and their response was a positive response. So far, I have not had anything negative to say. The only area for improvement that I can think of relates to statistical analysis for SLAs. They are in the middle of moving to a new product called D3 which is going to do some backend work for them. I know they are working to improve some of the help desk statistics, such as the time the tickets open and the time they are closed. They are working on that function. It is going to be resolved in the next month or two. We have service level agreements with them, but they can use improved statistics for service level agreements. This is the only point of improvement I can identify.
reviewer2753850 - PeerSpot reviewer
Owner at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Customer security is enhanced with software and update detection while licensing process needs improvement
A quick specific example of how I use Field Effect MDR to keep my customers secure is that it helps me identify computers that need updates, even when I believe they are already updated. Field Effect MDR finds software and Windows updates that aren't being completed, which I find very valuable.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The best part about Binary Defense MDR is that it runs on everything, and they keep an eye on things 24/7."
"One of the main benefits of Binary Defense MDR is the ability to easily meet with their support team to discuss any issues we encounter."
"In the six months we have been with Binary Defense on this, they run with the ball. They take care of our problems. When we get a ticket, they do not just give us a report."
"Binary Defense is comprehensive. We see most of the questionable activity. Once you see things a couple of times and are familiar with the processes, you know what those are. The level of activity is definitely favorable."
"The speed at which their services are reactive is valuable. Nowadays, when a threat hits an endpoint, you've got minutes, not hours or days. Their average response time is about four minutes on an alert. For anything that needs to be sent to us, it's about fourteen minutes, which is pretty good. They're the third SOC that I've used in fifteen years. By far, they are the quickest ones to act. When you're looking at prevention, that's a key factor."
"Binary Defense has a human service department that provides live monitoring for our systems."
"With Binary Defense, we don't just get an alert, but also a detailed rundown of why they're alerting us on it. They tell us what was executed, or the username, script, or IP. That way, we're not wasting time investigating."
"The most valuable part of Binary Defense is its team of cybersecurity analysts. Their analysts filter out the noise and only forward the critical threats that require a response instead of false positives."
"I get alerts if there's malicious activity or restrictions, should they any suspicious activity emerge."
"The most valuable aspect of Field MDR is the comprehensive visibility the solution offers. Most solutions cover the traditional threat landscape of computers, endpoints, servers, etc. However, there are also things happening within the network environment, such as WiFi, mobile, the Internet of Things, smart TVs, video surveillance systems, etc., that have associated vulnerabilities. Most environments do not manage or protect these assets."
"A quick specific example of how I use Field Effect MDR to keep my customers secure is that it helps me identify computers that need updates, even when I believe they are already updated."
"It's running in the background and does a packet-level analysis of everything that comes in. It also has an auto-response feature, so if something gets through and is clicked on, or somehow gets through the network, it gets isolated and quarantined, and we get notified."
"It provides valuable insights into our IT environment, enabling us to improve reselling, upgrades, and customer management."
"There are user notifications about our cloud solutions and access, meaning authentication and possible breaches. Overall, the notifications and alerts are valuable. There are also new features like the DNS protection, which is quite good."
"The ARO alerts are helpful to use almost daily to get a sense of what actions we need to take to expedite security measures."
"The standout feature is its continuous 24/7 monitoring of all network traffic, providing unparalleled vigilance."
 

Cons

"Binary Defense MDR could be even better with additional features, like automatic scans and file quarantine."
"I don't find any downside to them, but if I have to put one, it would be consistent manpower or staffing. The only area where the solution can be improved is going to be with people. As they grow, they are struggling with the same thing that every other company is, which is getting talent and getting that talent to stay, but they've just revised their tiering system to go from a flat analyst and manager to a three-tier solution where it goes through two or three before it gets elevated. That seems to have worked out well, so if one level misses it, the next one picks it up, and it works out fine."
"The current reporting system could benefit from improvement."
"We found that an earlier version of the agent had high memory usage and that was a bit concerning, but we raised the concern with their support team and they immediately replied that they had noticed the same thing and had a candidate fix already available... it totally fixed the issue."
"The only area for improvement that I can think of relates to statistical analysis for SLAs. They are in the middle of moving to a new product called D3 which is going to do some backend work for them. I know they are working to improve some of the help desk statistics, such as the time the tickets open and the time they are closed."
"While my understanding is that they're working on this, I would like to see some more of the quantification or reporting."
"The only area I see for improvement with Binary Defense is their service portal. It could benefit from some enhancements."
"It's sometimes difficult to know when to engage Binary Defense or TrustedSec, their sister company. TrustedSec is more focused on offensive security, as opposed to the defensive security that the MDR solution provides. It would be awesome if there were a better bridge between that relationship for when we need to get more proactive services or when we need to do a penetration test."
"I'd like improved visibility into the backend data where logs are stored, along with integrations with a wider range of products."
"In my experience, Field Effect MDR is somewhat stable. However, I have one situation where it has been two months trying to resolve an installation issue on a server, which has consumed a significant amount of time."
"I'd suggest that Field Effect focus more on including things like phishing simulation and cybersecurity training."
"The interface is perhaps the weakest part of the entire platform, and that does not mean that it is deficient. It is just not as optimized and as efficient as other aspects of the platform."
"While it's essential to stay informed about potential issues, the recurring notifications about past vulnerabilities can lead to confusion and may detract from our focus on current threats."
"The cost of the solution has room for improvement."
"While the reporting is good, I would like more of a white-label option with my company's name at the top and a clean look for the report."
"Covalence should provide a live view of the endpoint because the endpoint view in the portal is 5 to 15 minutes behind the actual status of the endpoint and its vulnerabilities. When it doesn't update with the actual status, it makes managing those things harder because sometimes something gets updated, and one of those vulnerabilities has gone away, but that doesn't appear in the ARO."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's valued at the right price. Even with the number of endpoints we have, we don't feel that it's a lot more than any competitor. In fact, it might be less expensive when you look at the fact that you're getting a full flex SOC out of it along with the tools."
"It has been good. We have saved money, and we have a better product."
"Binary Defense MDR is priced competitively and may be slightly lower than CrowdStrike."
"After we acquired this platform, we met with a number of different vendors. Binary Defense came in with a proposal that was surprisingly affordable. In fact, we were able to recoup the cost of their services within a short period of time. This is because Binary Defense is able to provide the same level of security as a team of two or three in-house analysts but at a fraction of the cost. As a result, Binary Defense is saving us an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 per year."
"From the initial cost that Binary Defense came in with, we pared it down quite a bit over the course of 30 or 60 days. My leadership would say that their cost was high, but realistically, they were in line with the market."
"Binary Defense has changed its pricing model from being primarily based on the volume of data to one based on escalations and incidents they handle."
"The pricing is very good. They are definitely competitive and they were lower at the time that we went with them."
"The pricing is on target. Working with their sales team on pricing negotiations was a pleasant process. They were very respectful of the constraints we had and I feel that we're paying a fair price."
"The licensing model itself is solid, but we're ironing out some inconsistencies in how customer profiles are configured."
"It is a little pricey. It is a little on the high end, but we are continuing to use it. We signed the contract and have not canceled, so we find value in having it."
"A top-tier competitor to Field Effect in Magic Quadrant that we had been using until our switch to Field Effect was a great product, but each capability had an additional charge. We had to license modules separately, and each of those add-ons had to be added onto its own consumption and agreement. It was a nightmare from a billing perspective because we had multiple agreements, and each one had a jagged anniversary or a renewal anniversary. It was a nightmare, whereas Field Effect MDR is one product."
"We were particularly impressed with their pricing model, which charges per user rather than per system."
"The pricing isn't sized, so Field Effect doesn't make it easy for anything under 25 users. I'm not crazy about that."
"The pricing is fair and reasonable."
"The pricing is comparable to what else is out there."
"Covalence is cost-effective."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Insurance Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business32
Midsize Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Binary Defense MDR?
It has been good. We have saved money, and we have a better product. We are a company that has become an enterprise from a small medium business in two years. Our company passed a certain dollar ma...
What needs improvement with Binary Defense MDR?
We are going to have a meeting with them the following Monday. It will be our first quarterly business review. Half of it is going to be looking at new products and new functions that they are brin...
What is your primary use case for Binary Defense MDR?
They co-manage our Sentinel SIEM instance, and they provide a Security Operations Center (SOC) with 24/7 coverage. They perform research and remediation. They have a separate team for phishing. Tha...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Field Effect Covalence?
Pricing was initially a concern, but the recent updates have resolved that by offering a more accessible buying cost.
What needs improvement with Field Effect Covalence?
One way Field Effect MDR can be improved is through its licensing process, which is not ideal. The licensing process is difficult because I have to access a separate website to complete it.
What is your primary use case for Field Effect Covalence?
My main use case for Field Effect MDR is keeping my customers secure.
 

Also Known As

Binary Defense Vision, Binary Defense Managed Detection and Response, Binary Defense Managed Detection & Response
Field Effect Covalence
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Securitas USA, Black Hills Energy, Lincoln Electric,The J.M. Smuckers Company, New York Community Bank, State of Connecticut, NCR
Field Effect MDR is widely adopted by managed service providers (MSPs) and organizations with lean IT teams. It is used to monitor, detect, and respond to threats across distributed environments, helping businesses strengthen their cybersecurity posture while maintaining operational efficiency. Organizations rely on Field Effect MDR to protect hybrid infrastructures, secure cloud applications, and defend against modern threats, including increasingly automated and AI-driven attacks, while maintaining compliance and resilience in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.
Find out what your peers are saying about Binary Defense MDR vs. Field Effect MDR and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.