Choose AirMDR or Sophos
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)
What’s actually different
Buyer brief
Fit. 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.
FAQ
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 ≤1 hour.
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: No Sophos.com list price. Distributor prices (EnterpriseAV, 2026): MDR Essentials $74.65-$144.24 per user/year (list) and Complete $135.20-$227.66 per user/year (EnterpriseAV 'Our Price' street; list runs about 5% higher, e.g. $239.64 at the 1-9 band), decreasing with volume; server coverage priced separately (Essentials $115.82-$258.24, Complete $175.20-$390.72 per server/year, list). Third-party estimates put street pricing near $80-200 per user/year. 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 the breach warranty; those require MDR Complete; Breach warranty has a $1,000 per-device sub-cap, a 60-day waiting period, a $5,000 minimum out-of-pocket to file, and excludes virtual desktops and state-sponsored attacks.