Arctic Wolf vs Sophos: MDR Comparison 2026
Arctic Wolf (Pure-play MDR) and Sophos (Services firm) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Arctic Wolf works with your existing tools, while Sophos works with your existing tools. Arctic Wolf targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Sophos focuses on SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Arctic Wolf vs Sophos: 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
Choose Sophos if:
- •SMBs and mid-market organizations seeking an all-in-one MDR with inclusive IR
- •Organizations with diverse, multi-vendor security stacks needing broad integration support
- •Companies wanting straightforward pricing with predictable costs
Bottom line: Arctic Wolf (Pure-play MDR) and Sophos (Services firm) 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 Sophos's 350+ vendor integrations, inclusive full-scale incident response with no caps, $1m breach warrant....
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Arctic Wolf and Sophos?
Arctic Wolf is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Sophos is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Arctic Wolf offers ≤1 hour, Sophos offers ≤15 minutes.
How do Arctic Wolf and Sophos 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. 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 Arctic Wolf and included with Sophos.
How does Arctic Wolf pricing compare to Sophos?
Arctic Wolf pricing: Starting ~$20/user/month; MDR Basic ~$44,000/year for up to 100 users. Enterprise pricing is custom.. Sophos pricing: Custom quote required; tiered pricing bands (10-24, 25-49, 50-99, etc.) (10-seat minimum). 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 Sophos: MDR Essentials does NOT include breach warranty or full incident response — those require MDR Complete; Linux server protection requires separate Sophos Workload Protection subscription.
Should I choose Arctic Wolf or Sophos?
Choose Arctic Wolf if: mid-market organizations (50-1000 employees) without a dedicated SOC. Choose Sophos if: sMBs and mid-market organizations seeking an all-in-one MDR with inclusive IR. Arctic Wolf is not ideal for large enterprises requiring deep data access and custom detection engineering. Sophos is not ideal for large enterprises needing deep, custom detection engineering.