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Security Onion 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

Security Onion
Ranking in AWS Marketplace
11th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Log Management (20th)
Sophos Central
Ranking in AWS Marketplace
4th
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 June 2025, in the AWS Marketplace category, the mindshare of Security Onion is 1.1%, down from 7.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Central is 0.3%, down from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
AWS Marketplace
 

Featured Reviews

Jörg Kippe - PeerSpot reviewer
A mature and affordable solution that is easy to install and easy to update
The product takes time to learn, it's not that easy. In the beginning we had a lot of questions. If you want to use such a tool in an real (industrial) environment, you have to ask how to get the network data. Can we do a full packet capture? Can we provide agents to our end systems? There are no simple solutions to these questions. It's a general problem when running such systems in an industrial environment.
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

"We use Security Onion for internal vulnerability assessment."
"The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports."
"Security Onion is the most mature solution in the market."
"The most valuable feature of Sophos Central is its visibility."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"What I find most valuable in Sophos Central is its clear and detailed threat visibility on the dashboard."
"One of the significant advantages of Sophos is its affordability compared to other technologies like Check Point and Fortinet."
"It is easy to save time using the Sophos Central centralized dashboard. It's definitely easier because you're in one place with all the products."
"One of the standout features is its highly detailed and user-friendly graphical interface."
"Sophos Central is cloud-based, which allows the administrator to control everything from anywhere. It is free for most of the products except the firewall."
"The product's initial setup phase is easy and user-friendly."
 

Cons

"The product is not easy to learn."
"The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult."
"Security Onion's user interface could 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."
"Whenever a customer installs a Sophos Central agent on the end-user system, their system becomes slow."
"The product's firewall servers and dashboard need improvement."
"Having and option for endpoint security on mobile devices, it would be advantageous."
"The main drawback lies in the weak after-sales support system."
"Compared to GFI KerioControl, Sophos Firewall can be made much faster at setting up VPN clients and site-to-site VPNs."
"Sophos Central is not available in small packages in Indonesia."
"In future releases, I would like to see a complete XDR solution in Sophos. I want to see its capability. I want to understand how it works compared to Trend Micro, specifically its features and how it gears up."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Security Onion is a free solution."
"Security Onion is an open-source solution."
"It is an open-source solution."
"The product is expensive compared to other products like Fortinet and Microsoft Defender."
"The price is relatively affordable."
"Sophos Central is moderately priced."
"It's not considered a cheap solution and falls more in the moderate pricing category."
"The product's pricing was somewhat high. We paid Rs. 1500 INR per license, approximately equivalent to 20 USD."
"It is not cheap, it is expensive. The price is too much."
"Sophos is more cost-effective than other vendors."
"The cost is quite affordable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
University
11%
Government
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
21%
Comms Service Provider
16%
Financial Services Firm
12%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Security Onion?
The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Security Onion?
Security Onion is an open-source solution. On a scale from one to ten, where ten is expensive and one is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten.
What needs improvement with Security Onion?
The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult.
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

Find out what your peers are saying about Security Onion vs. Sophos Central and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.