Critical Start vs glueckkanja: MDR Comparison 2026
Critical Start (MDR provider) and glueckkanja (Microsoft-ecosystem) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Critical Start works with your existing tools, while glueckkanja requires its own security platform. Critical Start targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; glueckkanja focuses on Mid-market and Enterprise. Critical Start includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 6 for glueckkanja (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network, OT/ICS).
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Critical Start vs glueckkanja: 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 (Claroty, Dragos, Nozomi integrations)
Choose glueckkanja if:
- •European enterprises requiring German/EU data sovereignty
- •Organizations heavily invested in Microsoft Sentinel and Defender
- •Companies wanting Microsoft-Verified MXDR with Copilot for Security
- •You need OT/ICS coverage included in base pricing
Bottom line: glueckkanja is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Critical Start is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Critical Start and glueckkanja?
Critical Start is a MDR provider that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). glueckkanja is a Microsoft-ecosystem that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). SLA commitments differ: Critical Start offers ≤15 minutes, glueckkanja offers Not disclosed. Critical Start covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 6 for glueckkanja.
How do Critical Start and glueckkanja 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. glueckkanja 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 glueckkanja.
How does Critical Start pricing compare to glueckkanja?
Critical Start pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. glueckkanja pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. 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 glueckkanja: Microsoft Sentinel consumption costs are separate and customer-borne; Requires Microsoft Defender suite licensing.
Should I choose Critical Start or glueckkanja?
Choose Critical Start if: mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack. Choose glueckkanja if: european enterprises requiring German/EU data sovereignty. Critical Start is not ideal for sMBs or budget-conscious organizations — enterprise-focused pricing not publicly disclosed. glueckkanja is not ideal for organizations outside Europe needing local SOC presence.