Critical Start vs Daylight Security: MDR comparison 2026
Critical Start is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Daylight Security is a Platform vendor that works with your existing tools. Critical Start targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Daylight Security serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Critical Start includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 1 for Daylight Security (Endpoint).
Key differences at a glance
Full comparison
Which should you choose?
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 through Claroty, Dragos, and Nozomi integrations
- •You need Cloud and SaaS and Identity and Network coverage included in base pricing
Choose Daylight Security if:
- •Mid-market and enterprise buyers frustrated with alert fatigue from traditional MDR providers
- •Technology and finance companies comfortable adopting early-stage vendors with tier-1 VC backing
- •Teams wanting ChatOps-native collaboration via Slack/Teams with sub-hour deployment time
- •You want direct Slack integration with your SOC
Bottom line: Critical Start (Pure-play MDR) and Daylight Security (Platform vendor) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Critical Start's technology-agnostic mdr with tbr deterministic alert auto-resolution, 100+ integrations, ot/ics s... or Daylight Security's ai-native mdr that deploys in under an hour and works with your existing edr.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Critical Start and Daylight Security?
Critical Start is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Daylight Security is a Platform vendor that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Critical Start offers ≤15 minutes, Daylight Security offers Not disclosed. Critical Start covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 1 for Daylight Security.
How do Critical Start and Daylight Security differ in response capabilities?
Critical Start supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Daylight Security 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 Critical Start and included with Daylight Security.
How does Critical Start pricing compare to Daylight Security?
Critical Start pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Daylight Security pricing: $10-30/endpoint/month. Annual contracts typically $115,000-$130,000 for mid-market.. 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. Watch for with Daylight Security: Founded late 2024 with no public compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001). If your procurement requires these, you may face delays or blockers.; Identity and cloud workload modules are on the roadmap but not GA. You may need separate tooling for those surfaces now..
Should I choose Critical Start or Daylight Security?
Choose Critical Start if: mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack. Choose Daylight Security if: mid-market and enterprise buyers frustrated with alert fatigue from traditional MDR providers. Critical Start is not ideal for sMBs or budget-conscious organizations, enterprise-focused pricing not published. Daylight Security is not ideal for risk-averse organizations requiring multi-year proven operational track record and independent reviews.