Fortra vs Sophos: MDR Comparison 2026
Fortra and Sophos are both categorized as Services firms, but differ in execution. Fortra works with your existing tools and targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations. Sophos works with your existing tools and focuses on SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Fortra vs Sophos: Which Should You Choose?
Choose Fortra if:
- •Mid-market organizations needing strong compliance support
- •Healthcare organizations requiring HIPAA compliance MDR
- •Cloud-first companies on AWS, Azure, or hybrid environments
Choose Sophos if:
- •SMBs and mid-market organizations seeking an all-in-one MDR with inclusive IR
- •Organizations with diverse, multi-vendor security stacks needing broad integration support
- •Companies wanting straightforward pricing with predictable costs
- •Breach warranty matters to you (Sophos offers one, Fortra does not)
Bottom line: Both providers target similar markets. Compare their specific response actions, communication channels, and pricing structure to find the better fit for your environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Fortra and Sophos?
Fortra is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Sophos is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools).
How do Fortra and Sophos differ in response capabilities?
Fortra supports 5 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Sophos supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable.
How does Fortra pricing compare to Sophos?
Fortra pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Sophos pricing: Custom quote required; tiered pricing bands (10-24, 25-49, 50-99, etc.) (10-seat minimum). Watch for with Fortra: Managed services being acquired by LevelBlue (announced Jan 2026, deal pending close — no timeline disclosed); Post-transition contract terms, SLAs, and pricing under LevelBlue are unconfirmed. Watch for with Sophos: MDR Essentials does NOT include breach warranty or full incident response — those require MDR Complete; Linux server protection requires separate Sophos Workload Protection subscription.
Should I choose Fortra or Sophos?
Choose Fortra if: mid-market organizations needing strong compliance support. Choose Sophos if: sMBs and mid-market organizations seeking an all-in-one MDR with inclusive IR. Fortra is not ideal for organizations wanting long-term vendor stability — managed services transferring to LevelBlue (deal pending, no timeline disclosed). Sophos is not ideal for large enterprises needing deep, custom detection engineering.