Arctic Wolf vs eSentire: MDR Comparison 2026
Arctic Wolf and eSentire are both categorized as Pure-play MDRs, but differ in execution. Arctic Wolf works with your existing tools and targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations. eSentire works with your existing tools and focuses on SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Arctic Wolf vs eSentire: 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, eSentire does not)
Choose eSentire if:
- •Mid-market and enterprise organizations needing active remediation, not just alerts
- •Critical infrastructure sectors
- •Organizations with complex multi-vendor security stacks requiring 300+ integrations
Bottom line: Both providers target similar markets. Compare their specific response actions, communication channels, and pricing structure to find the better fit for your environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Arctic Wolf and eSentire?
Arctic Wolf is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). eSentire is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Arctic Wolf offers ≤1 hour, eSentire offers ≤15 minutes.
How do Arctic Wolf and eSentire 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. eSentire 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 Arctic Wolf and included with eSentire.
How does Arctic Wolf pricing compare to eSentire?
Arctic Wolf pricing: Starting ~$20/user/month; MDR Basic ~$44,000/year for up to 100 users. Enterprise pricing is custom.. eSentire 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 eSentire: Tier differences significant — Essentials may lack key response capabilities; BYOL pricing differs from bundled Atlas Agent pricing.
Should I choose Arctic Wolf or eSentire?
Choose Arctic Wolf if: mid-market organizations (50-1000 employees) without a dedicated SOC. Choose eSentire if: mid-market and enterprise organizations needing active remediation, not just alerts. Arctic Wolf is not ideal for large enterprises requiring deep data access and custom detection engineering. eSentire is not ideal for budget-constrained SMBs seeking the lowest-cost MDR option.