ESET vs Huntress
ESET is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Huntress is a MSP-channel that requires its own security platform. ESET targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; Huntress serves SMB and Mid-market. ESET includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS), compared to 1 for Huntress (Endpoint).
Buyer brief
ESET is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Huntress is a MSP-channel that requires its own security platform. ESET targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; Huntress serves SMB and Mid-market. ESET includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS), compared to 1 for Huntress (Endpoint).
ESET (Platform vendor) and Huntress (MSP-channel) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize ESET's low 25-device minimum makes mdr accessible to small businesses, backed by 30+ years of eset threa... or Huntress's the most recommended mdr on r/msp for smb environments.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | SMBs with 25-500 devices that want managed detection without meeting 200+ endpoint minimums | MSPs wanting a channel-first MDR partner with multi-tenant management and volume pricing |
| Price | Custom quote | Managed EDR estimate: ~$2.50-$3.50/endpoint/mo |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 5/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Requires own platform | Requires own platform |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | 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
- Best fit
- MSPs wanting a channel-first MDR partner with multi-tenant management and volume pricing
- Price
- Managed EDR estimate: ~$2.50-$3.50/endpoint/mo
- Response authority
- 5/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | ESETPLATFORM | HuntressPLATFORM |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market |
| Sentiment | Positive | Very Positive |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Requires their platform | Requires their platform |
| EDR integrations | ESET | Huntress AgentMicrosoft DefenderCrowdStrike FalconSentinelOneCisco Secure Endpoint |
| SIEM integrations | Microsoft SentinelElasticSplunk | Huntress Managed SIEM |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: Optional add-onSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: Optional add-onOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantine |
| IR included | ✓ Included | Separate |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published, custom-quoted based on environment and device count with volume discounts | Estimated ~$2.50-$3.50/endpoint/month for EDR (community-reported). Not officially published. Volume discounts decrease price. |
| Minimum seats | 25 | 50 |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | Yes | Yes |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | + Optional |
| Identity | ~ Limited | + Optional |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | + Optional |
| Network | ~ Limited | + Optional |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Per-device pricing, custom-quoted. Requires ESET PROTECT Enterprise or Elite as the base. MSP partners can get daily billing or monthly invoicing. | Per-endpoint (EDR), per-identity (ITDR), per-data-source (SIEM). Volume discounts for MSPs. |
| Hidden cost warnings | 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 | 50-endpoint minimum for standard plan, under 50 requires sales engagement. Each product (EDR, ITDR, SIEM, SAT) priced separately, full stack costs add up. Managed SIEM priced per data source with pooled data allocation, overages possible. Pricing not publicly published, requires sales engagement. No breach warranty |
| Data portability | Limited | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year | Annual, Monthly |
| Channels | EmailPortalPhone | EmailPortalPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | Fast deployment via ESET PROTECT platform if you're already an ESET customer. Net-new deployments require platform setup first. | Agent deploys in under 30 minutes and appears in portal within ~15 minutes of install. Pre-built deployment scripts for RMM tools. |
| Industry focus | SMB (all industries)EducationHealthcareFinancial ServicesGovernmentRetail | MSP/MSSP ChannelHealthcareFinancial ServicesLegalEducationGovernment (Local/State)Manufacturing |
| MTTD | 20 minutes (vendor-published) | Not separately published |
| MTTR | Approximately 5 minutes (vendor-published time to resolve) | 8 minutes average for Managed EDR, 3 minutes average for Managed ITDR (M365) |
| Community view | 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. | Rated 4.8/5 on G2 from 1,086 reviews and 9.4/10 on PeerSpot. MSPs consistently recommend Huntress for SMB environments, though reporting, API access, and the lack of breach warranty draw criticism. |
| Compliance | ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type IGDPRCCPA |
| Certifications | ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type I (Security, Availability, Confidentiality)CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) |
| Founded | 1992 | 2015 |
| Data retention | Not published | Managed SIEM: 1 year default (1 month active + 11 months cold). Extended add-on: 90 days active + up to 7 years cold. Logs are immutable. 30-day post-term retention for data migration. |
| API available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between ESET and Huntress?
ESET is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Huntress is a MSP-channel that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). ESET covers 3 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 1 for Huntress.
How do ESET and Huntress differ in response capabilities?
ESET supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Huntress supports 5 autonomous actions (account disable, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Incident response is included with ESET and not included with Huntress.
How does ESET pricing compare to Huntress?
ESET pricing: Not published, custom-quoted based on environment and device count with volume discounts (25-seat minimum). Huntress pricing: Estimated ~$2.50-$3.50/endpoint/month for EDR (community-reported). Not officially published. Volume discounts decrease price. (50-seat minimum). 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. Watch for with Huntress: 50-endpoint minimum for standard plan, under 50 requires sales engagement; Each product (EDR, ITDR, SIEM, SAT) priced separately, full stack costs add up.
Should I choose ESET or Huntress?
Choose ESET if: sMBs with 25-500 devices that want managed detection without meeting 200+ endpoint minimums. Choose Huntress if: mSPs wanting a channel-first MDR partner with multi-tenant management and volume pricing. ESET is not ideal for organizations with non-ESET EDR that want to keep their existing platform and layer MDR on top. Huntress is not ideal for enterprises needing deep SIEM integration with existing Splunk, Sentinel, or Chronicle.
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.