Bitdefender MDR vs Sophos
Buyer brief
Updated 2026-06-02
Bitdefender is the cleaner fit for GravityZone customers and buyers prioritizing low-noise detection evidence. Sophos is the cleaner fit for teams wanting a broader MDR package with a larger public customer footprint.
Bitdefender has stronger managed-services test evidence and a tighter notification SLA. Sophos MDR Complete bundles more response value, including IR, SLA and warranty, but buyers must avoid comparing Complete claims against Essentials quotes.
Neither is truly bring-your-own-EDR. Bitdefender can be attractive for MSP consumption billing, while Sophos is usually easier to defend when bundled response and community validation matter. Confirm the exact tier before using either vendor's headline claims.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Organizations already on GravityZone wanting to add managed detection without changing their endpoint stack | Existing Sophos endpoint or firewall customers adding managed services on their existing platform |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 6/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Requires own platform | Requires own platform |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Warranty | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
- Best fit
- Organizations already on GravityZone wanting to add managed detection without changing their endpoint stack
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- $1,000,000
- Best fit
- Existing Sophos endpoint or firewall customers adding managed services on their existing platform
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- $1,000,000
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Bitdefender MDRPLATFORM | SophosPLATFORM |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Positive | Very Positive |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Requires their platform | Requires their platform |
| EDR integrations | Bitdefender | Sophos EndpointCrowdStrikeMicrosoft DefenderSentinelOneCarbon Black |
| SIEM integrations | IBM QRadarSplunkMicrosoft SentinelFortiSIEMElasticLogRhythmSumo Logic | Sophos Central SIEM integration via API |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: Optional add-onSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: Optional add-onOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Limited |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published. Bitdefender simplified to two tiers (MDR and MDR PLUS) in 2024. MSPs get consumption-based billing. | Custom quote required. Tiered pricing bands based on organization size. Starting price not publicly disclosed. |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | Yes | Yes |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Identity | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Network | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | ~ Limited |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | ≤30 minutes | ≤1 hour |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Per-endpoint, per-month | Per-user and per-server pricing. Two tiers: MDR Essentials (monitoring and basic response) and MDR Complete (full IR and breach warranty). |
| Hidden cost warnings | Requires GravityZone agent. Cannot use third-party EDR for core MDR detection.. XDR sensor licenses (network, identity, cloud, email) are additional cost and can significantly increase total spend. DFIR is not included. Forensic investigation runs through CYPFER at separate cost.. Breach warranty requires 1,000+ endpoints | MDR Essentials does NOT include full incident response or breach warranty, requires MDR Complete upgrade. Linux server protection requires separate Sophos Workload Protection subscription. Post-Secureworks acquisition (Feb 2025): unclear if Sophos MDR and Taegis MDR will merge or remain separate products. Breach warranty limited to ONE claim total across all subscriptions, not per-incident |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year, Monthly (MSP) | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | EmailPortalPhone | EmailPortalPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | ✓ |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | Quick for existing GravityZone users. New deployments require agent rollout and onboarding configuration. | Weeks, varies by environment size and integration scope |
| Industry focus | HealthcareEducationFinancial ServicesGovernment (Local/State)ManufacturingRetail | ManufacturingHealthcareFinancial ServicesRetailTechnology |
| MTTD | 24 minutes (MITRE Managed Services Evaluation 2024) | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Sophos reports a 38-minute average case closure time. The MDR service description defines a 60-minute response-time SLA for 90% of High Severity Cases, with eligibility timing and service-credit limits. |
| Community view | Gartner Peer Insights 4.8/5 for Endpoint Protection Platforms (223 reviews, Customers' Choice 2026). MITRE ATT&CK evaluations back the detection claims. Note: analyst community ratings are for the GravityZone platform broadly, not the MDR service specifically. | G2: #1 overall MDR for 14 consecutive report cycles, 1,543 reviews, 95% satisfaction. Gartner Peer Insights: 2026 Customers' Choice for Endpoint Protection (4.9/5). MITRE ATT&CK 2025: 100% detection coverage. Praised for integration breadth and MDR Complete's all-in pricing. Recurring complaints about technical support responsiveness and endpoint agent resource usage. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001ISO 27017ISO 27018HIPAAGDPR | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001:2022ISO 27017:2015ISO 27018:2019PCI DSS v4.0GDPRHIPAAHITRUST CSF |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001ISO 27017ISO 27018 | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001:2022ISO 27017:2015ISO 27018:2019PCI DSS v4.0 |
| Founded | 2001 | 1985 |
| Data retention | Up to 365 days depending on configuration. 1 year included with MDR. | 90 days standard, 1-year extended available as add-on |
| API available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between Bitdefender MDR and Sophos?
Bitdefender MDR is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Sophos is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). SLA commitments differ: Bitdefender MDR offers ≤30 minutes, Sophos offers ≤1 hour. Bitdefender MDR covers 1 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for Sophos.
How do Bitdefender MDR and Sophos differ in response capabilities?
Bitdefender MDR supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Sophos supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Bitdefender MDR and included with Sophos.
How does Bitdefender MDR pricing compare to Sophos?
Bitdefender MDR pricing: Not published. Bitdefender simplified to two tiers (MDR and MDR PLUS) in 2024. MSPs get consumption-based billing.. Sophos pricing: Custom quote required. Tiered pricing bands based on organization size. Starting price not publicly disclosed.. Watch for with Bitdefender MDR: Requires GravityZone agent. Cannot use third-party EDR for core MDR detection.; XDR sensor licenses (network, identity, cloud, email) are additional cost and can significantly increase total spend. Watch for with Sophos: MDR Essentials does NOT include full incident response or breach warranty, requires MDR Complete upgrade; Linux server protection requires separate Sophos Workload Protection subscription.
Should I choose Bitdefender MDR or Sophos?
Choose Bitdefender MDR if: organizations already on GravityZone wanting to add managed detection without changing their endpoint stack. Choose Sophos if: existing Sophos endpoint or firewall customers adding managed services on their existing platform. Bitdefender MDR is not ideal for organizations with existing non-Bitdefender EDR they want to keep (requires GravityZone agent). Sophos is not ideal for organizations needing raw telemetry query access (Sophos Central provides dashboards only).
Daylight Security
AI-native MDR for buyers comparing active remediation across endpoint, cloud, identity, and SaaS. Daylight works with existing EDR/SIEM stacks and uses ChatOps-native collaboration, so it can be a useful third reference point in this comparison.