Field Effect vs Mandiant: MDR Comparison 2026
Field Effect (MDR provider) and Mandiant (Services firm) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Field Effect requires its own security platform, while Mandiant works with your existing tools. Field Effect targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Mandiant focuses on Mid-market and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Field Effect vs Mandiant: Which Should You Choose?
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
Choose Mandiant if:
- •Enterprise organizations wanting elite threat intelligence integrated directly into MDR operations
- •Google Cloud Platform customers wanting native SecOps integration
- •Organizations facing nation-state or advanced persistent threats where Mandiant's frontline IR experience is critical
Bottom line: Field Effect is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Mandiant is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Field Effect and Mandiant?
Field Effect is a MDR provider that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Mandiant is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools).
How do Field Effect and Mandiant differ in response capabilities?
Field Effect supports 5 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine) and approval is configurable. Mandiant supports 2 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable.
How does Field Effect pricing compare to Mandiant?
Field Effect pricing: MDR Core: $99/user/month (ideal for <=25 users). MDR Complete: custom pricing (larger organizations, compliance requirements).. Mandiant pricing: Estimated ~$83,000/year (third-party estimate from Vendr, not officially published).. 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. Watch for with Mandiant: ~$83K+/year estimated — premium enterprise pricing; IR retainer is separate — must be purchased independently for full incident response.
Should I choose Field Effect or Mandiant?
Choose Field Effect if: sMBs and MSPs wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy MDR with published per-user pricing. Choose Mandiant if: enterprise organizations wanting elite threat intelligence integrated directly into MDR operations. Field Effect is not ideal for organizations with existing CrowdStrike/SentinelOne/Defender deployments — requires proprietary Field Effect agent. Mandiant is not ideal for sMBs or budget-constrained organizations — ~$83K+/year estimated pricing.