Field Effect vs ReliaQuest: MDR Comparison 2026
Field Effect (MDR provider) and ReliaQuest (Pure-play MDR) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Field Effect requires its own security platform, while ReliaQuest works with your existing tools. Field Effect targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; ReliaQuest focuses on Mid-market and Enterprise. Field Effect includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 6 for ReliaQuest (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network, OT/ICS).
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Field Effect vs ReliaQuest: 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 ReliaQuest if:
- •Large enterprises with complex multi-vendor security stacks
- •Organizations wanting to keep existing SIEM/EDR investments
- •Security teams needing AI-driven automation at scale
- •You need OT/ICS coverage included in base pricing
- •You want direct Slack integration with your SOC
Bottom line: Field Effect is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. ReliaQuest is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Field Effect and ReliaQuest?
Field Effect is a MDR provider that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). ReliaQuest is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Field Effect offers Not disclosed, ReliaQuest offers ≤15 minutes. Field Effect covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 6 for ReliaQuest.
How do Field Effect and ReliaQuest differ in response capabilities?
Field Effect supports 5 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine) and approval is configurable. ReliaQuest supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Field Effect and included with ReliaQuest.
How does Field Effect pricing compare to ReliaQuest?
Field Effect pricing: MDR Core: $99/user/month (ideal for <=25 users). MDR Complete: custom pricing (larger organizations, compliance requirements).. ReliaQuest pricing: $172,500 average annual; up to $1,200,000 for large deployments. $5,000 per additional integrated technology.. 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 ReliaQuest: High minimum contract value (enterprise-focused); Additional technology integrations add cost quickly.
Should I choose Field Effect or ReliaQuest?
Choose Field Effect if: sMBs and MSPs wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy MDR with published per-user pricing. Choose ReliaQuest if: large enterprises with complex multi-vendor security stacks. Field Effect is not ideal for organizations with existing CrowdStrike/SentinelOne/Defender deployments — requires proprietary Field Effect agent. ReliaQuest is not ideal for sMBs with limited security budgets.