Darktrace vs r-tec IT Security
Darktrace is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. r-tec IT Security is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Darktrace targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; r-tec IT Security serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Darktrace includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network), compared to 0 for r-tec IT Security ().
Buyer brief
Darktrace is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. r-tec IT Security is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Darktrace targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; r-tec IT Security serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Darktrace includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network), compared to 0 for r-tec IT Security ().
Darktrace is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. r-tec IT Security 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 | German mid-market and enterprise buyers that want MDR from a services firm with incident-response depth |
| 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
- German mid-market and enterprise buyers that want MDR from a services firm with incident-response depth
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | DarktracePLATFORM | r-tec IT SecurityTECH-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 | Microsoft DefenderSentinelOne CrowdStrike | Microsoft Defender XDR CrowdStrike |
| SIEM integrations | Splunk Microsoft Sentinel | Exabeam Microsoft Sentinel |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: Optional add-onCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: Not coveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateContainCustom playbooks | Custom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| 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 | ~ Limited |
| Cloud workloads | + Optional | Not offered |
| Identity | ~ Limited | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | + Optional | Not offered |
| Network | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | ≤1 hour |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote. Pricing based on number of devices monitored and service tier selected. | Tiered custom quote. r-tec publishes Basic and Premium MDR tiers but does not publish prices. |
| 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 | Premium is required for 24x7 service times and the 1-hour qualification and First Response target.. Basic still has 24x7 automated detection and alerting, but human service hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00-18:00.. Public pages do not publish prices or contract minimums.. Optional direct response should be converted into a written pre-approval matrix.. Endpoint telemetry may depend on contracted CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender XDR or Managed EDR scope.. OT MDR and Managed EDR are separate named services, so buyers should confirm whether they are included or quoted separately. |
| Data portability | Limited | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual | Basic, Premium, Custom |
| Channels | EmailPortalTeamsSlackPhone | EmailPhone |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | Europe |
| Onboarding | Not published | r-tec says site collectors support simple and fast implementation, but no standard public onboarding duration was found. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesHealthcareManufacturingEnergyGovernmentCritical Infrastructure | Critical InfrastructureEnergyManufacturingOperational TechnologyHealthcareFinancial ServicesPublic SectorLogisticsAutomotiveChemicalsPharmaceuticals |
| 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. | r-tec has limited MDR-specific public review volume. The public buyer case rests on German delivery, a published IT MDR service, a separate OT MDR service, BSI APT-response status and clear Basic versus Premium service-level targets. Buyers should validate exact response authority, pricing, OT scope and the operating model behind Premium 24x7 service. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001GDPRCSA STAR Level 1 | ISO 27001ISO 9001KRITISGDPR |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001CSA STAR Level 1Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice 2025 (NDR) | ISO 27001ISO 9001BSI-certified APT Response service providerEcoVadis Bronze group certification |
| Founded | 2013 | 1996 |
| Data retention | Not published. Varies by module. | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. r-tec says Exabeam is operated as a cloud service from a German GDPR-compliant data center. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Darktrace and r-tec IT Security?
Darktrace is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). r-tec IT Security is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Darktrace offers Not disclosed, r-tec IT Security offers ≤1 hour. Darktrace covers 1 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 0 for r-tec IT Security.
How do Darktrace and r-tec IT Security differ in response capabilities?
Darktrace supports 3 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable. r-tec IT Security supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Darktrace and included with r-tec IT Security.
How does Darktrace pricing compare to r-tec IT Security?
Darktrace pricing: Not published. Reviewers report pricing in the upper market segment.. r-tec IT Security 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 r-tec IT Security: Premium is required for 24x7 service times and the 1-hour qualification and First Response target.; Basic still has 24x7 automated detection and alerting, but human service hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00-18:00..
Should I choose Darktrace or r-tec IT Security?
Choose Darktrace if: mid-market and enterprise organizations wanting AI-powered threat detection with autonomous response across diverse attack surfaces. Choose r-tec IT Security if: german mid-market and enterprise buyers that want MDR from a services firm with incident-response depth. Darktrace is not ideal for sMBs or budget-conscious buyers. Premium pricing, no trial, and no published pricing transparency.. r-tec IT Security is not ideal for buyers that need public price cards or contract minimums before sales engagement.
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.