Deepwatch vs ESET
Deepwatch is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. ESET is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Deepwatch targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; ESET serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Deepwatch includes 4 attack surfaces in base pricing (Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 3 for ESET (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS).
Buyer brief
Deepwatch is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. ESET is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Deepwatch targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; ESET serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Deepwatch includes 4 attack surfaces in base pricing (Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 3 for ESET (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS).
ESET is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Deepwatch is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD | ||
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mid-market to enterprise with existing Splunk, Sentinel, Google SecOps, or Securonix SIEM investments | SMBs with 25-500 devices that want managed detection without meeting 200+ endpoint minimums |
| Price | Buyer benchmark: median $218,983/yr | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 6/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Requires own platform |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Mid-market to enterprise with existing Splunk, Sentinel, Google SecOps, or Securonix SIEM investments
- Price
- Buyer benchmark: median $218,983/yr
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- SMBs with 25-500 devices that want managed detection without meeting 200+ endpoint minimums
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | DeepwatchTECH-AGNOSTIC | ESETPLATFORM |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Positive |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Requires their platform |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrike FalconSentinelOneMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint | ESET |
| SIEM integrations | Splunk Enterprise & CloudGoogle SecOps (Chronicle)Securonix (added Feb 2026) Microsoft Sentinel | ElasticSplunk Microsoft Sentinel |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: Optional add-onCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Third-party buyer data reports a $218,983/year median buyer cost for Deepwatch, with a visible public range from $126,904 to $322,131/year. | Not published, custom-quoted based on environment and device count with volume discounts |
| Minimum seats | None | 25 |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | Yes |
| Endpoints | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Volume-based (data ingestion volume in GB/TB per day or Splunk Virtual Compute units), not per-endpoint | Per-device pricing, custom-quoted. Requires ESET PROTECT Enterprise or Elite as the base. MSP partners can get daily billing or monthly invoicing. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Volume-based pricing means unexpected data growth can cause cost spikes. Three platform tiers (Core, Advanced, Enterprise) may gate Active Response behind higher tiers.. MEDR (endpoint detection) is a separate add-on, not included in base MDR. MDR Essentials is a limited entry point with fewer capabilities than full platform tiers | Requires ESET PROTECT Enterprise or Elite subscription as the base, which is a separate cost from MDR itself. MDR Ultimate pricing is significantly higher than standard MDR, but the exact gap is not published. Custom-quoted pricing with no published benchmarks means you have no leverage for comparison shopping. If you're not already an ESET customer, factor in the cost and time to migrate your entire endpoint stack |
| Data portability | Partial | Limited |
| Contract terms | Custom enterprise | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | SlackEmailPortalPhone | EmailPortalPhone |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | ✓ |
| SOC regions | North America | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | 30 days typical. MDR Essentials can launch SOC in under 1 hour. | Fast deployment via ESET PROTECT platform if you're already an ESET customer. Net-new deployments require platform setup first. |
| Industry focus | HealthcareFinancial ServicesManufacturingRetailEnergy | SMB (all industries)EducationHealthcareFinancial ServicesGovernmentRetail |
| MTTD | Not published | 20 minutes (vendor-published) |
| MTTR | Not published | Approximately 5 minutes (vendor-published time to resolve) |
| Community view | Customer reviews are positive (Gartner Peer Insights 4.2/5 from 59 reviews, G2 High Performer Fall 2025), praising Squad team and DRS technology. Employee sentiment is concerning: Glassdoor 2.9/5 (215 reviews, 35% recommend). 42% headcount reduction (412 to 239 employees) across 2024-2025, founding CEO departed to competitor Mitiga Jan 2025. | KuppingerCole named ESET Product and Market Leader for MDR (December 2024). Praised for the low 25-device entry point and fast vendor-published detection times. Criticized for console UI complexity and full platform lock-in. Limited MDR-specific community discussion compared to larger competitors. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001:2022PCI DSS Level 1 | ISO 27001 |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II (Security, Availability, Confidentiality, certified since inception)ISO 27001:2022 (first certified 2024)PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider (since inception) | ISO 27001 |
| Founded | 2019 | 1992 |
| Data retention | 12 months hot data retention (Platform Core tier) | Not published |
| API available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Deepwatch and ESET?
Deepwatch is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). ESET is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Deepwatch covers 4 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 3 for ESET.
How do Deepwatch and ESET differ in response capabilities?
Deepwatch supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. ESET supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Deepwatch and included with ESET.
How does Deepwatch pricing compare to ESET?
Deepwatch pricing: Third-party buyer data reports a $218,983/year median buyer cost for Deepwatch, with a visible public range from $126,904 to $322,131/year.. ESET pricing: Not published, custom-quoted based on environment and device count with volume discounts (25-seat minimum). Watch for with Deepwatch: Volume-based pricing means unexpected data growth can cause cost spikes. Three platform tiers (Core, Advanced, Enterprise) may gate Active Response behind higher tiers.; MEDR (endpoint detection) is a separate add-on, not included in base MDR. Watch for with ESET: Requires ESET PROTECT Enterprise or Elite subscription as the base, which is a separate cost from MDR itself; MDR Ultimate pricing is significantly higher than standard MDR, but the exact gap is not published.
Should I choose Deepwatch or ESET?
Choose Deepwatch if: mid-market to enterprise with existing Splunk, Sentinel, Google SecOps, or Securonix SIEM investments. Choose ESET if: sMBs with 25-500 devices that want managed detection without meeting 200+ endpoint minimums. Deepwatch is not ideal for sMBs or budget-constrained organizations ($220K-$315K/year is enterprise-oriented). ESET is not ideal for organizations with non-ESET EDR that want to keep their existing platform and layer MDR on top.
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.