Arctic Wolf vs Critical Start: MDR Comparison 2026
Arctic Wolf (Pure-play MDR) and Critical Start (MDR provider) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Arctic Wolf works with your existing tools, while Critical Start works with your existing tools. Arctic Wolf targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Critical Start focuses on Mid-market and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Arctic Wolf vs Critical Start: Which Should You Choose?
Choose Arctic Wolf if:
- •Mid-market organizations (50-1000 employees) without a dedicated SOC
- •IT generalists overwhelmed by managing multiple security point solutions
- •Organizations wanting a technology-agnostic MDR that works with existing tools
- •Breach warranty matters to you (Arctic Wolf offers one, Critical Start does not)
Choose Critical Start if:
- •Mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack
- •Organizations suffering from alert fatigue wanting TBR's deterministic auto-resolution to reduce noise
- •Companies needing OT/ICS monitoring alongside IT MDR (Claroty, Dragos, Nozomi integrations)
Bottom line: Arctic Wolf (Pure-play MDR) and Critical Start (MDR provider) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Arctic Wolf's strong concierge model for mid-market organizations needing a dedicated security partner or Critical Start's technology-agnostic mdr with tbr deterministic alert auto-resolution, 100+ integrations, ot/ics s....
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Arctic Wolf and Critical Start?
Arctic Wolf is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Critical Start is a MDR provider that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Arctic Wolf offers ≤1 hour, Critical Start offers ≤15 minutes.
How do Arctic Wolf and Critical Start differ in response capabilities?
Arctic Wolf supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Critical Start supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable.
How does Arctic Wolf pricing compare to Critical Start?
Arctic Wolf pricing: Starting ~$20/user/month; MDR Basic ~$44,000/year for up to 100 users. Enterprise pricing is custom.. Critical Start pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Watch for with Arctic Wolf: Incident response and remediation is guided, not performed on your behalf — may need separate IR retainer; Normalized data and active threat feed not directly accessible to customers — security operates as a 'black box' for some. Watch for with Critical Start: No public pricing at all — requires sales call for any ballpark; OT/ICS monitoring and vulnerability management are separate purchases on top of base MDR.
Should I choose Arctic Wolf or Critical Start?
Choose Arctic Wolf if: mid-market organizations (50-1000 employees) without a dedicated SOC. Choose Critical Start if: mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack. Arctic Wolf is not ideal for large enterprises requiring deep data access and custom detection engineering. Critical Start is not ideal for sMBs or budget-conscious organizations — enterprise-focused pricing not publicly disclosed.