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Darktrace vs Sophos Central comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Darktrace
Ranking in AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
82
Ranking in other categories
Email Security (8th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (1st), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (1st), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (1st), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (6th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (15th), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (11th), Attack Surface Management (ASM) (4th)
Sophos Central
Ranking in AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms category, the mindshare of Darktrace is 20.5%, down from 28.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Central is 0.0%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Malebo Lethoba Group - PeerSpot reviewer
Have found the AI analyst and detection functions highly valuable for network operations while managing complexity in initial setup
The functions I find most valuable in Darktrace are the AI analyst as well as the detection.The autonomous response capabilities of Darktrace are not crucial for me because it doesn't work in a network where there are no core switches. In a modern network, the autonomous response doesn't work, especially when sitting in a shared data center.If I'm running a traditional network where I am not in a shared data center with a layer two dedicated for my resources, then it can work for me. However, if I am in a data center where I don't have layer two, it becomes an issue because the autonomous response is reliant on sending spoofed TCP resets to my core switch to block traffic, which is a major issue.
Sandeepraj Gatla - PeerSpot reviewer
Cost-effective security management with a user-friendly interface, efficient resource utilization, and rapid response capabilities
While Sophos Central has demonstrated commendable functionality, there is room for improvement in the realm of automation. Specifically, addressing ransomware attacks often requires leveraging external tools, deploying virtual machines, and utilizing supplementary tools like Caliper Analytics for operations and security communication. The integration of these essential functionalities directly into the software would represent a significant enhancement, streamlining the incident response process and bolstering the platform's comprehensive threat mitigation capabilities. Furthermore, a valuable addition to future releases could involve augmenting the new screen component with advanced capabilities such as XML utilization and rule integration. This enhancement, especially pertinent to tools involved in sandboxing and virtual machines within the investigation process, would greatly streamline the analysis of logs and reports. This would prove particularly beneficial in the context of email analysis, spam attack detection, and other critical security aspects. By incorporating these features, Sophos Central could further elevate its utility in facilitating in-depth security analyses and response strategies.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The autonomous mode, which is the Antigena AI response, is particularly valuable."
"The most valuable feature has been the behavioral analytics that allows us to monitor all the traffic."
"The NDR is good in their solution and they have NTG for email."
"The investigative part of Darktrace is valuable, especially the automation features. It allows setting up checks and provides guidance on mitigating situations, which is very useful. There are different modules that you can add to the console for protection."
"I like the dashboards, which are cool. They are more user-friendly, in my experience. Its learning capabilities are really good."
"The most valuable features are the AI and advanced learning tools that distinguish it from other products."
"Darktrace's most valuable features are its dashboards and its ability to summarize huge amounts of information about threats and suspicious traffic."
"The most valuable feature of Darktrace is its ability to detect and counter threats before they occur."
"The best thing about Sophos Central is how it brings all its security solutions together in one place."
"One of the most valuable features of Sophos Central for maintaining our cybersecurity posture is its ease of use."
"Sophos Central provides reports on downloads. It alerts the admin when users use their personal computers. The product is also flexible."
"It helps manage all the components from one centralized portal."
"The product is easy to use."
"One of the most valuable features of Sophos Central is its Synchronized Security."
"The solution's most valuable feature is the ease with which admins can monitor and troubleshoot issues related to any emails coming into our environment with malware or viruses."
"What I find most valuable in Sophos Central is its clear and detailed threat visibility on the dashboard."
 

Cons

"In an upcoming release, there could be more customizable playbooks or a library of playbooks to choose from."
"There is no dedicated salesperson in Egypt, and having one would help to improve focus on this market."
"It would be helpful if they could recognize incidents and simplify the customer's challenge to identify what is happening."
"This is quite an expensive product so the pricing is something that can be improved."
"It can have more integration with orchestration or event management solutions. They can provide more knowledge or research information for analysts for investigating cases and detecting anomalies in networks."
"There is a high ratio of false positive information."
"The management user interface needs improvement."
"Darktrace could improve its features, such as monitoring and detecting ransomware."
"SSID authentication has to be improved."
"With the current hybrid work environment and travel requirements, having a mobile solution would greatly improve our ability to access and navigate Sophos Central on the go, enhancing the overall user experience and making it a more portable solution."
"The tool needs to improve its pricing."
"It would be beneficial to incorporate automation."
"The solution's performance drops at times because it is a SaaS-based tool, making it an area that requires improvement."
"There were challenges we faced with generating reports for the physical firewall in certain instances."
"The firewall capabilities of Sophos Central need improvement."
"Integration with third party applications should be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of the solution can be reduced to make it more appealing to customers."
"There is an annual license to use Darktrace."
"The pricing is quite high, estimated at around $350,000 per year."
"I'm unfamiliar with the exact cost, but we have a yearly license and had to pay for Darktrace's services before the deployment. The product is very expensive, so some organizations can't afford to pay the total amount directly, meaning they often seek a partner or pay in installments, which increases the price more."
"Darktrace is pricey, but the price is reasonable for what the solution does, and it's comparable to other products."
"The solution is about $6,000 per quarter."
"Our customers feel that the price of Darktrace is quite high compared to other solutions."
"The price of Darktrace is high and could be reduced. We pay approximately $30,000 to $54,000 annually."
"The product has a reasonable price considering the cybersecurity services it offers."
"The product is not expensive."
"Though I don't know the exact price of the product, I know that the tool is worth the money."
"The product is expensive compared to other products like Fortinet and Microsoft Defender."
"The product is inexpensive."
"The tool is competitively priced."
"It's not considered a cheap solution and falls more in the moderate pricing category."
"The price is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does Crowdstrike Falcon compare with Darktrace?
Both of these products perform similarly and have many outstanding attributes. CrowdStrike Falcon offers an amazing user interface that makes setup easy and seamless. CrowdStrike Falcon offers a cl...
Which is better - SentinelOne or Darktrace?
Which solution is better depends on which is more suitable specifically for your company. Darktrace, for example, is meant for smaller to medium-sized businesses. It is also a good option for organ...
What do you like most about Darktrace?
A very useful feature in Darktrace for real-time threat analysis is the packet inspection that analyzes the packet traffic in real time.
What do you like most about Sophos Central?
One of the significant advantages of Sophos is its affordability compared to other technologies like Check Point and Fortinet.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos Central?
As we get more people, we just add another item or Sophos appliances, and then we are good to go.
What needs improvement with Sophos Central?
As a user, I suggest improving Sophos Central by addressing some error messages we occasionally encounter that we just do not know what they relate to, even when it says it has resolved them. To im...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Irwin Mitchell, Open Energi, Wellcome Trust, FirstGroup plc, Virgin Trains, Drax, QUI! Group, DNK, CreaCard, Macrosynergy, Sisley, William Hill plc, Toyota Canada, Royal British Legion, Vitol, Allianz, KKR, AIRBUS, dpd, Billabong, Mclaren Group.
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Find out what your peers are saying about Darktrace vs. Sophos Central and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.