DirectDefense vs Wirespeed
DirectDefense is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Wirespeed is a Cyber insurer that works with your existing tools. DirectDefense targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Wirespeed serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. DirectDefense includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Network), compared to 4 for Wirespeed (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity).
Buyer brief
DirectDefense is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Wirespeed is a Cyber insurer that works with your existing tools. DirectDefense targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Wirespeed serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. DirectDefense includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Network), compared to 4 for Wirespeed (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity).
DirectDefense (Pure-play MDR) and Wirespeed (Cyber insurer) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize DirectDefense's technology-agnostic mdr with soar-driven triage, offensive security dna, and ot/ics partnerships ... or Wirespeed's wirespeed is most interesting as an automated mdr layer for msps, lean security teams and coaliti....
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mid-market organizations with an existing SIEM (Rapid7, Tenable, Sentinel) wanting managed SOC operations on top | MSPs and MSSPs that want to add or scale MDR without hiring a large analyst team |
| Price | Not published | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 1/6 actions · Approval required | 3/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Mid-market organizations with an existing SIEM (Rapid7, Tenable, Sentinel) wanting managed SOC operations on top
- Price
- Not published
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Approval required
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- 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 | DirectDefenseTECH-AGNOSTIC | WirespeedTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeCylance BlackBerry SentinelOne, Halcyon | CrowdStrike FalconMicrosoft Defender for EndpointPalo Alto Networks CortexJamf ProtectCheck Point Harmony SentinelOne, Halcyon |
| SIEM integrations | Rapid7Tenable Microsoft Sentinel | Generic Syslog LogsGeneric JSON Logs Microsoft Sentinel |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: Not coveredSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Guided Response | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Approval Required | Configurable |
| Response actions | Custom playbooks | IsolateDisable accountsCustom playbooks |
| IR included | ✓ Included | Separate |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Custom pricing. No public per-user, per-endpoint or platform price found. |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Identity | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | Extra cost | Extra cost |
| Response SLA | ≤30 minutes | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom pricing based on endpoints, coverage scope, and service tier. Three tiers: Security Essentials (SMB vCISO + identity protection bundle), MDR + MSSP CORE (detection + IR retainer), MDR + MSSP MAX (full managed SOC + vulnerability management + email security). | 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 | Requires existing SIEM or purchase of SIEM platform (Rapid7, Tenable, Microsoft Sentinel). Technology-agnostic model means you need to own the underlying security tools. OT/ICS coverage requires separate Claroty, Dragos, or SCADAfence licensing. Third-party estimates (Getlatka) suggest ~$55K average deal size, which is mid-market territory, not SMB-friendly except for the Security Essentials tier. No published pricing on the website makes cost comparison difficult before engaging sales. Identity threat protection and vCISO are only in the Security Essentials tier (separate from MDR), not in CORE or MAX | 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 | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual | Custom |
| Channels | EmailPortalPhone | SlackTeamsEmailPortal |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | North America | North America |
| Onboarding | Customized based on environment complexity. SIEM integration required for CORE and MAX tiers. | 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 ServicesInsuranceHealthcareManufacturingEnergy & UtilitiesAerospaceAutomotiveGaming & EntertainmentRetail & HospitalityEducationGovernment | 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 | Almost no public practitioner reviews. No presence on G2, PeerSpot, Gartner Peer Insights, or Reddit as of March 2026. Industry recognition includes MSSP Alert Top 250 (#128, 2024), CRN MSP 500 Security 100 (4th consecutive year), Inc. 5000 (#3924, 2024), and Globee Silver for Best Cybersecurity Service Provider (2025). Awards show vendor credibility but tell you nothing about day-to-day service quality from a buyer's perspective. | 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 IINIST CSF 2.0HIPAAPCI-DSS | SOC 2CMMC Level 2 support statement |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II | 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 | 2012 | 2024 |
| Data retention | Per-contract basis, varies by SIEM platform and tier | 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 DirectDefense and Wirespeed?
DirectDefense is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Wirespeed is a Cyber insurer that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: DirectDefense offers ≤30 minutes, Wirespeed offers Not disclosed. DirectDefense covers 2 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 4 for Wirespeed.
How do DirectDefense and Wirespeed differ in response capabilities?
DirectDefense supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and requires approval before acting. Wirespeed supports 3 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation) and approval is configurable. Incident response is included with DirectDefense and not included with Wirespeed.
How does DirectDefense pricing compare to Wirespeed?
DirectDefense pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Wirespeed pricing: Custom pricing. No public per-user, per-endpoint or platform price found.. Watch for with DirectDefense: Requires existing SIEM or purchase of SIEM platform (Rapid7, Tenable, Microsoft Sentinel); Technology-agnostic model means you need to own the underlying security tools. 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 DirectDefense or Wirespeed?
Choose DirectDefense if: mid-market organizations with an existing SIEM (Rapid7, Tenable, Sentinel) wanting managed SOC operations on top. Choose Wirespeed if: mSPs and MSSPs that want to add or scale MDR without hiring a large analyst team. DirectDefense is not ideal for organizations wanting turnkey MDR without existing SIEM or security tool investment. 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.