AirMDR vs Sophos: MDR comparison 2026
AirMDR is a AI-native MDR that works with your existing tools. Sophos is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. AirMDR targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Sophos serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise.
Key differences at a glance
Full comparison
Which should you choose?
Choose AirMDR if:
- •SMBs and mid-market companies (100-1000 employees) priced out of traditional MDR
- •Teams with existing EDR/SIEM tools who want AI-augmented triage without replacing their stack
- •Buyers comfortable betting on a seed-stage vendor in exchange for aggressive pricing and trial terms
- •You want direct Slack integration with your SOC
Choose Sophos if:
- •Existing Sophos endpoint or firewall customers adding managed services on their existing platform
- •SMBs and mid-market with diverse security stacks needing broad integration support (350+ tools)
- •Organizations wanting all-in MDR pricing with full IR and $1M breach warranty (MDR Complete)
- •Breach warranty matters to you (Sophos offers one, AirMDR does not)
- •Threat hunting included in base pricing (it's an add-on with AirMDR)
Bottom line: Sophos is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. AirMDR is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between AirMDR and Sophos?
AirMDR is an AI-native MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Sophos is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). SLA commitments differ: AirMDR offers Not disclosed, Sophos offers 60m.
How do AirMDR and Sophos differ in response capabilities?
AirMDR supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Sophos supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with AirMDR and included with Sophos.
How does AirMDR pricing compare to Sophos?
AirMDR pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Sophos pricing: Custom quote required. Tiered pricing bands based on organization size. Starting price not publicly disclosed.. Watch for with AirMDR: No published pricing. Requires sales contact despite targeting SMBs who typically prefer self-serve.; Annual contract required. No month-to-month option mentioned.. Watch for with Sophos: MDR Essentials does NOT include full incident response or breach warranty, requires MDR Complete upgrade; Linux server protection requires separate Sophos Workload Protection subscription.
Should I choose AirMDR or Sophos?
Choose AirMDR if: sMBs and mid-market companies (100-1000 employees) priced out of traditional MDR. Choose Sophos if: existing Sophos endpoint or firewall customers adding managed services on their existing platform. AirMDR is not ideal for enterprises requiring a proven vendor track record and extensive customer references. Sophos is not ideal for organizations needing raw telemetry query access (Sophos Central provides dashboards only).