Darktrace vs Defendable
Darktrace is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Defendable is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Darktrace targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Defendable serves Mid-market and Enterprise.
Buyer brief
Darktrace is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Defendable is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Darktrace targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Defendable serves Mid-market and Enterprise.
Darktrace is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Defendable is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Critical infrastructure and industrial environments needing OT/ICS security with protocol-agnostic detection | Norwegian and Nordic buyers that want MDR operated from Oslo and Gjovik |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 3/6 actions · Configurable | 1/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Requires own platform | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Critical infrastructure and industrial environments needing OT/ICS security with protocol-agnostic detection
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 3/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Norwegian and Nordic buyers that want MDR operated from Oslo and Gjovik
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | DarktracePLATFORM | DefendableTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Requires their platform | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeSentinelOne Microsoft Defender | Microsoft Defender |
| SIEM integrations | Splunk Microsoft Sentinel | Microsoft Sentinel |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: Optional add-onCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateContainCustom playbooks | Custom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published. Reviewers report pricing in the upper market segment. | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | Yes | No |
| Endpoints | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| Identity | ~ Limited | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| Network | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote. Pricing based on number of devices monitored and service tier selected. | Custom quote. Defendable does not publish MDR package pricing. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Full coverage (endpoint, cloud, email, OT) requires multiple separate modules that increase total cost significantly. High false positive rates require internal analyst time for tuning despite the MDR service. No free trial available to test before purchase. Steep learning curve may require professional services or extended onboarding | Public pages do not publish MDR pricing, contract minimums or service-credit language.. Response authority should be defined in writing because named autonomous endpoint and identity actions are not published.. Log storage can sit in the customer's Microsoft Log Analytics tenant or Defendable's platform, so retention and storage costs should be modeled early.. Incident-response retainer SLA is separate language and should not be assumed to be the MDR SLA.. Threat hunting is public, but hunt cadence and staffing are not published. |
| Data portability | Limited | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual | Custom, Incident Response Retainer |
| Channels | EmailPortalTeamsSlackPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | Europe |
| Onboarding | Not published | Defendable publishes an MDR onboarding flow covering identification, planning, platform establishment and execution. It does not publish a standard onboarding duration. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesHealthcareManufacturingEnergyGovernmentCritical Infrastructure | Not published |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published |
| Community view | Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice 2025 for NDR (4.8/5, 242 reviews). Practitioners praise Self-Learning AI for detecting novel threats and Antigena response speed. Consistent complaints about high false positive rates, expensive pricing, and steep learning curve. MDR service launched June 2024, so limited community feedback on the managed service specifically. | Defendable has limited MDR-specific public review volume in major English-language review communities. The public buyer case rests on Norwegian SOC delivery, a direct MDR page, Microsoft Sentinel support, proactive threat hunting, a customer portal and incident-response depth. Buyers should validate pricing, response authority, retention cost and contractual SLA terms directly. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001GDPRCSA STAR Level 1 | ISO 27001Norwegian National Security Authority Quality Scheme for Incident Response |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001CSA STAR Level 1Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice 2025 (NDR) | ISO 27001:2023Norwegian National Security Authority Quality Scheme for Incident ResponseEco-lighthouse certified |
| Founded | 2013 | 2020 |
| Data retention | Not published. Varies by module. | Defendable says customers can store additional log data in their own Microsoft Log Analytics tenant or in Defendable's log management platform. It does not publish standard MDR retention periods. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Darktrace and Defendable?
Darktrace is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Defendable is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools).
How do Darktrace and Defendable differ in response capabilities?
Darktrace supports 3 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable. Defendable supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable.
How does Darktrace pricing compare to Defendable?
Darktrace pricing: Not published. Reviewers report pricing in the upper market segment.. Defendable pricing: Not published. Watch for with Darktrace: Full coverage (endpoint, cloud, email, OT) requires multiple separate modules that increase total cost significantly; High false positive rates require internal analyst time for tuning despite the MDR service. Watch for with Defendable: Public pages do not publish MDR pricing, contract minimums or service-credit language.; Response authority should be defined in writing because named autonomous endpoint and identity actions are not published..
Should I choose Darktrace or Defendable?
Choose Darktrace if: mid-market and enterprise organizations wanting AI-powered threat detection with autonomous response across diverse attack surfaces. Choose Defendable if: norwegian and Nordic buyers that want MDR operated from Oslo and Gjovik. Darktrace is not ideal for sMBs or budget-conscious buyers. Premium pricing, no trial, and no published pricing transparency.. Defendable is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing or contractual SLA terms before sales.
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.