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Sophos MDR vs Unit 42 Managed Detection and Response 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

Sophos MDR
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Unit 42 Managed Detection a...
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
42nd
Average Rating
0.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Managed Security Services Providers (MSSP) (58th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Sophos MDR is 6.0%, down from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Unit 42 Managed Detection and Response is 0.7%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Sophos MDR6.0%
Unit 42 Managed Detection and Response0.7%
Other93.3%
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Shaun Gordon - PeerSpot reviewer
Extensive data lake, ease of use is great and you can really get started very quickly
Sophos MDR is a service. MDR is managed detection and response. It's a managed security service. So instead of having an anti-malware, which in Sophos' case would be Intercept X, with MDR, they add human-led threat hunting. It's a managed service. So it's not a product that you sell the client per se. You're selling them a service, which is almost like an SLA, and that includes Cloud MDR. MDR is not a product. It's a service. The reality is that when it comes to the likes of SentinelOne, McAfee, CrowdStrike, ESET, and all the other players out there, they're single-product security companies. CrowdStrike is an anti-malware. That's one thing. ESET, same thing. But if you look at the other vendors, within the appliances, you're looking at Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Checkpoint. They only sell firewalls. That's all they do. When you deal with Sophos, they are the entire product suite. They sell firewalls. They sell Intercept X, which is their anti-malware, Intercept X for Server with anti-malware, email protection with ties into Office 365, and Sophos Plus encryption. All of these security products pull telemetry. So every time somebody hits a firewall, it's called, for argument's sake, that goes into their central data lake. All the firewalls around the world add that information to a data lake. Now, when you're dealing with Sophos, because of their exposure, because they've got so many different products, their data lake is a lot more extensive than competing vendors because they're not relying on one threat factor. They're not relying on one area of expertise. They're a global company. So, I can't compare their telemetry, for instance, to the likes of CrowdStrike. If CrowdStrike has probably started doing appliances, then the users will get that benefit as well. Sophos is the only vendor that does do that. It's like hiring a security team. Sophos do things differently in that they've got more telemetry and more insight into a network because they offer a variety of products. The other part about it is Sophos MDR; the service, unlike other vendors like CrowdStrike, is not limited to their products. If you are running CrowdStrike in your company, for instance, you can get their integration packs, in which case Sophos will manage your CrowdStrike system for you. Whereas with CrowdStrike, it's only CrowdStrike. You are locked into that vendor. So Sophos offers that flexibility. It's a multi-vendor service as opposed to SentinelOne or CrowdStrike, which is a single-vendor service. For instance, if I'm running Sophos, I would like to go with CrowdStrike MDR. I would have to remove my entire security investment, in this case, Sophos, and reinstall CrowdStrike in order to use their service. Sophos doesn't have that problem. If you've got CrowdStrike and you've already invested in CrowdStrike, cool. You stay on CrowdStrike. They will still manage it for you.
MohammedSirajuddin - PeerSpot reviewer
Flexible and reduces IT operations but requires local data sovereignty and competitive pricing
I prefer having local data sovereignty. It would be advantageous for Palo Alto to have local data centers across different countries to adhere to this requirement. I also have a concern regarding pricing, which is perceived as high compared to competitors. Improvements should focus on response times and reducing the time taken to reach solutions.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of the Sophos Managed Threat Response is the central management capabilities and monitoring."
"The solution provides the best security features."
"The initial setup is quick and simple. A couple of clicks, and you're up and running."
"The product as a whole is truly outstanding and it excels in detecting and responding to various types of cyberattacks."
"The product’s most valuable feature is rapid response."
"It provides reliable protection and clear data on its performance metrics, enabling straightforward communication of its capabilities."
"There is a feature called XDR Central. With this, Sophos can connect to third-party security solutions."
"The automated threat hunting feature and integration capabilities are valuable."
"Unit 42 MDR provides us with managed detection and response functionalities, eliminating the need for capital expenditure since it is an operational expenditure-based service."
"Unit 42 MDR provides us with managed detection and response functionalities, eliminating the need for capital expenditure since it is an operational expenditure-based service."
 

Cons

"There is room for improvement in performance and upgrades."
"It could be more secure."
"There could be improvement in features like more detailed reporting for the end customer."
"I have contacted Sophos MDR support, and their support is average. They are sometimes slow and don't always understand requests immediately."
"Maybe the reporting needs improvement."
"The reports should be more comprehensive and easier to organize."
"Support could provide a faster response."
"Endpoint protection is very slow."
"I have a concern regarding pricing, which is perceived as high compared to competitors."
"I also have a concern regarding pricing, which is perceived as high compared to competitors."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate Sophos MDR’s pricing a seven or eight out of ten."
"The product is reasonably priced considering the cybersecurity features."
"Compared to other tools, Sophos has a pretty good price."
"I would rate the price of Sophos MDR as a nine out of ten, with ten being the most expensive."
"Sophos MDR is not a cheap product. Compared with other solutions in the market, Sophos MDR is available at a good price, especially considering its performance."
"The price falls somewhere in the middle range."
"MDR is a complete enterprise solution, and compared to other OEMs, it is one of the cheapest."
"Sophos MDR is less expensive than other products like Fortinet or Palo Alto."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Insurance Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise8
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Sophos MDR?
The user doesn't need a technician; it offers 24/7 support to identify and manage your infrastructure and take complete care of any technological incidents.
What needs improvement with Sophos MDR?
I don't have many suggestions for improvement in Sophos MDR as it performs quite well. It would be beneficial to have the ability to pull a report of all incident responses within a tenant, with ca...
What advice do you have for others considering Sophos MDR?
I believe Sophos MDR pricing is reasonable for my customers. I would recommend those planning to use Sophos MDR to consider what financial impact a compromise could have on their organization and c...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Unit 42 Managed Detection and Response?
I find the pricing to be expensive, especially when compared with competitors who offer significant discounts. Palo Alto has room to become more competitive in its pricing.
What needs improvement with Unit 42 Managed Detection and Response?
I prefer having local data sovereignty. It would be advantageous for Palo Alto to have local data centers across different countries to adhere to this requirement. I also have a concern regarding p...
What is your primary use case for Unit 42 Managed Detection and Response?
Unit 42 is a Managed Detection and Response solution with MDR capabilities. I use it in a managed service context where my organization's security needs are catered to by Palo Alto. Generally, it i...
 

Also Known As

Sophos Managed Threat Response
No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, Huntress, Field Effect and others in Managed Detection and Response (MDR). Updated: September 2025.
867,021 professionals have used our research since 2012.