Darktrace vs Wirespeed
Darktrace is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Wirespeed is a Cyber insurer that works with your existing tools. Darktrace targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Wirespeed serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Darktrace includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network), compared to 4 for Wirespeed (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity).
Buyer brief
Darktrace is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Wirespeed is a Cyber insurer that works with your existing tools. Darktrace targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Wirespeed serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Darktrace includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network), compared to 4 for Wirespeed (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity).
Darktrace is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Wirespeed 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 | MSPs and MSSPs that want to add or scale MDR without hiring a large analyst team |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 3/6 actions · Configurable | 3/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Requires own platform | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Full query access | Full query access |
| 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
- MSPs and MSSPs that want to add or scale MDR without hiring a large analyst team
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 3/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | DarktracePLATFORM | WirespeedTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Requires their platform | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeMicrosoft Defender SentinelOne | CrowdStrike FalconMicrosoft Defender for EndpointPalo Alto Networks CortexJamf ProtectCheck Point HarmonyHalcyon SentinelOne |
| SIEM integrations | Splunk Microsoft Sentinel | Generic Syslog LogsGeneric JSON Logs Microsoft Sentinel |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: Optional add-onCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateContainCustom playbooks | IsolateDisable accountsCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published. Reviewers report pricing in the upper market segment. | Custom pricing. No public per-user, per-endpoint or platform price found. |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | Yes | No |
| Endpoints | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | Extra cost |
| 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 pricing. Pricing page says Wirespeed works out pricing by organization and offers direct pricing for enterprises, partner pricing for MSP/MSSPs, and reseller/channel programs. |
| 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 | The strongest strategic story is Coalition Active Insurance plus automated MDR, but Wirespeed's standalone-versus-Coalition-bundled commercial model should be confirmed.. No public fixed price bands or minimums were found.. No public contractual response SLA or service-credit table was found.. Auto-containment is opt-in and is skipped for beta integrations, so buyers must confirm which integrations support automatic action.. This is an automation-heavy MDR model. Buyers expecting named SOC analysts or human-led threat hunting should validate service scope carefully. |
| Data portability | Limited | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual | Custom |
| Channels | EmailPortalTeamsSlackPhone | SlackTeamsEmailPortal |
| Data access | Full query access | Full query access |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | North America |
| Onboarding | Not published | Not published as a standard timeline. Documentation says customers connect a user directory, detection source, communication channel and containment settings through API/OAuth integrations. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesHealthcareManufacturingEnergyGovernmentCritical Infrastructure | Cyber InsuranceManaged Service ProvidersTechnologyProfessional ServicesFinancial ServicesHealthcare |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published as MTTD. Coalition reports median time to verdict of 1,801 milliseconds. |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published as MTTR. Wirespeed says containment can happen in seconds when configured and supported by the integration. |
| 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. | Wirespeed is very new, so independent MDR review data is thin. Public differentiation is strong: automation-first MDR, broad integrations, MSP/MSSP positioning and Coalition's Active Insurance acquisition. The trade-off is limited third-party validation and open questions about post-acquisition packaging. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001GDPRCSA STAR Level 1 | SOC 2CMMC Level 2 support statement |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001CSA STAR Level 1Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice 2025 (NDR) | SOC 2 report available via Wirespeed Trust CenterSOC 2 attestation; CMMC support letter says Type I, while current site/trust materials should be checked for Type II status |
| Founded | 2013 | 2024 |
| Data retention | Not published. Varies by module. | Pricing page lists 90 days of data lake retention. Long-term retention, export and Coalition data-sharing boundaries should be confirmed in contract. |
| API available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between Darktrace and Wirespeed?
Darktrace is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Wirespeed is a Cyber insurer that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Darktrace covers 1 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 4 for Wirespeed.
How do Darktrace and Wirespeed differ in response capabilities?
Darktrace supports 3 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable. Wirespeed supports 3 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation) and approval is configurable.
How does Darktrace pricing compare to Wirespeed?
Darktrace pricing: Not published. Reviewers report pricing in the upper market segment.. Wirespeed pricing: Custom pricing. No public per-user, per-endpoint or platform price found.. 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 Wirespeed: The strongest strategic story is Coalition Active Insurance plus automated MDR, but Wirespeed's standalone-versus-Coalition-bundled commercial model should be confirmed.; No public fixed price bands or minimums were found..
Should I choose Darktrace or Wirespeed?
Choose Darktrace if: mid-market and enterprise organizations wanting AI-powered threat detection with autonomous response across diverse attack surfaces. Choose Wirespeed if: mSPs and MSSPs that want to add or scale MDR without hiring a large analyst team. Darktrace is not ideal for sMBs or budget-conscious buyers. Premium pricing, no trial, and no published pricing transparency.. Wirespeed is not ideal for buyers that require named analysts, scheduled threat hunts and human-led SOC review for every case.
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.