eSentire vs Field Effect: MDR Comparison 2026
eSentire (Pure-play MDR) and Field Effect (MDR provider) take different approaches to managed detection and response. eSentire works with your existing tools, while Field Effect requires its own security platform. eSentire targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; Field Effect focuses on SMB and Mid-market.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
eSentire vs Field Effect: Which Should You Choose?
Choose eSentire if:
- •Mid-market and enterprise organizations needing active remediation, not just alerts
- •Critical infrastructure sectors
- •Organizations with complex multi-vendor security stacks requiring 300+ integrations
Choose Field Effect if:
- •SMBs and MSPs wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy MDR with published per-user pricing
- •Canadian organizations needing domestic data hosting and PIPEDA compliance
- •Healthcare, government, and defense contractors needing HIPAA/CMMC/NIST compliance support
Bottom line: Field Effect is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. eSentire is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between eSentire and Field Effect?
eSentire is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Field Effect is a MDR provider that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). SLA commitments differ: eSentire offers ≤15 minutes, Field Effect offers Not disclosed.
How do eSentire and Field Effect differ in response capabilities?
eSentire supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Field Effect supports 5 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine) and approval is configurable. Incident response is included with eSentire and not included with Field Effect.
How does eSentire pricing compare to Field Effect?
eSentire pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Field Effect pricing: MDR Core: $99/user/month (ideal for <=25 users). MDR Complete: custom pricing (larger organizations, compliance requirements).. Watch for with eSentire: Tier differences significant — Essentials may lack key response capabilities; BYOL pricing differs from bundled Atlas Agent pricing. Watch for with Field Effect: MDR Core excludes network monitoring, DNS firewall, and dark web monitoring — significant feature gap vs Complete; $99/user adds up quickly — 50 users = $4,950/month.
Should I choose eSentire or Field Effect?
Choose eSentire if: mid-market and enterprise organizations needing active remediation, not just alerts. Choose Field Effect if: sMBs and MSPs wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy MDR with published per-user pricing. eSentire is not ideal for budget-constrained SMBs seeking the lowest-cost MDR option. Field Effect is not ideal for organizations with existing CrowdStrike/SentinelOne/Defender deployments — requires proprietary Field Effect agent.