Arctic Wolf vs Trustwave: MDR Comparison 2026
Arctic Wolf (Pure-play MDR) and Trustwave (Services firm) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Arctic Wolf works with your existing tools, while Trustwave works with your existing tools. Arctic Wolf targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Trustwave focuses on Mid-market and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Arctic Wolf vs Trustwave: 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, Trustwave does not)
Choose Trustwave if:
- •US government organizations needing the first FedRAMP-authorized pure-play MDR provider
- •Companies needing both MDR and PCI DSS compliance/assessment from a single provider
- •Mid-market and enterprise organizations wanting a co-managed SOC model alongside internal teams
Bottom line: Arctic Wolf (Pure-play MDR) and Trustwave (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 Trustwave's the most compliance-credentialed mdr provider in the market — fedramp authorized, pci dss qsa, na....
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Arctic Wolf and Trustwave?
Arctic Wolf is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Trustwave is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Arctic Wolf offers ≤1 hour, Trustwave offers ≤30 minutes.
How do Arctic Wolf and Trustwave 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. Trustwave 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 Trustwave?
Arctic Wolf pricing: Starting ~$20/user/month; MDR Basic ~$44,000/year for up to 100 users. Enterprise pricing is custom.. Trustwave pricing: Starting at ~$43,775/year (SelectHub estimate). Enterprise pricing is custom/quote-based.. 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 Trustwave: Ownership instability — 4 ownership events in 10 years (Singtel → Chertoff/MC2 → failed Cybereason merger → LevelBlue); IR not included in base MDR — separate DFIR retainer required.
Should I choose Arctic Wolf or Trustwave?
Choose Arctic Wolf if: mid-market organizations (50-1000 employees) without a dedicated SOC. Choose Trustwave if: uS government organizations needing the first FedRAMP-authorized pure-play MDR provider. Arctic Wolf is not ideal for large enterprises requiring deep data access and custom detection engineering. Trustwave is not ideal for organizations concerned about vendor stability — 4 ownership events in 10 years including a failed Cybereason merger.