LevelBlue vs Northwave
LevelBlue and Northwave are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. LevelBlue targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations, while Northwave serves Mid-market and Enterprise. LevelBlue includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 2 for Northwave (Endpoint, Network).
Buyer brief
LevelBlue and Northwave are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. LevelBlue targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations, while Northwave serves Mid-market and Enterprise. LevelBlue includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 2 for Northwave (Endpoint, Network).
LevelBlue offers broader coverage (3 surfaces vs. 2). Northwave may suit teams that need depth over breadth.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | US federal and state agencies that need FedRAMP/StateRAMP-authorized MDR with deep compliance credentials | Benelux, DACH and Nordic buyers that want European MDR with a Utrecht SOC |
| Price | Third-party starting estimate: ~$43,775/yr | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 1/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- US federal and state agencies that need FedRAMP/StateRAMP-authorized MDR with deep compliance credentials
- Price
- Third-party starting estimate: ~$43,775/yr
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Benelux, DACH and Nordic buyers that want European MDR with a Utrecht SOC
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | LevelBlueTECH-AGNOSTIC | NorthwaveTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeMicrosoft DefenderSentinelOnePalo Alto CortexCarbon Black | Customer endpoint telemetry |
| SIEM integrations | Microsoft SentinelSplunkDevo | Customer log sources |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: Optional add-onSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | Custom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Starting at ~$43,775/year (SelectHub estimate). Enterprise pricing is custom/quote-based. | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Identity | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | + Optional | Not offered |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | ≤15 minutes | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote-based pricing in two tiers (Trustwave MDR and MDR Elite). Non-EDR sources priced by MEPD (millions of events per day). EDR telemetry is unlimited for contracted endpoints. | Custom quote. Northwave does not publish MDR package pricing. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Non-EDR telemetry priced by MEPD (millions of events per day), which is hard to estimate upfront and can spike. Service-level scope varies by product and tier. Confirm whether the Trustwave service-level document applies to the quoted MDR service.. MDR, MXDR, Co-Managed SOC, MTDR, and Cybereason XDR are still separate products at different price points. Ask exactly which product you are being quoted.. Five acquisitions and a 15% launch-day layoff. Ask about contract continuity and staff retention. | Public pages do not publish response SLAs or named default response actions.. Rapid Response is a separate related service, so buyers should confirm what incident-response support is included in base MDR.. Cloud, SaaS and identity coverage are not named as clearly as endpoint, log and network telemetry.. Detection tuning depends on onboarding log sources and threat-based use cases, which may affect deployment effort. |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year | Custom |
| Channels | PortalEmailPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | Europe |
| Onboarding | 10 days or less (Trustwave MDR) | Northwave says implementation starts with a plan covering service elements, phases, planning and threat-based use cases, then onboarding log sources and processes. No standard public onboarding duration was found. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesHealthcareGovernmentRetailManufacturingEnergy | Financial ServicesHealthcareManufacturingLogisticsTechnologyPublic SectorCritical Infrastructure |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | 15-minute Security Incident notification SLA. Sub-30-minute MTTR objective and 15-minute MTTA objective apply under narrower Trustwave service-level scope for MDR Elite and MDR U.S. Government. | Not published |
| Community view | G2 4.4/5 (120 reviews, primarily USM Anywhere). Gartner Peer Insights 4.3/5 (Trustwave MDR). Frost & Sullivan MDR Growth Index Leader 2025. Cybereason achieved 100% detection in MITRE ATT&CK 2024. SpiderLabs and FedRAMP authorization are genuine differentiators. Main concern is integration risk from five acquisitions in two years. | Northwave has limited MDR-specific public review volume. The public buyer case rests on European delivery, Utrecht SOC operations and the connection between MDR, CERT, red team and threat research. Buyers should validate response authority, cloud and identity coverage, pricing and escalation rules before signing. |
| Compliance | FedRAMPStateRAMPSOC 2ISO 27001PCI DSS QSAPCI Forensic InvestigatorHIPAA | NIS2ISO 27001GDPRTISAX |
| Certifications | FedRAMP Authorized (first pure-play MDR, Feb 2025, FERC-sponsored)StateRAMP Authorized (Aug 2024)SOC 2ISO 27001PCI DSS QSAPCI Forensic Investigator (PCIF)Microsoft Verified MXDR PartnerFrost & Sullivan MDR Frost Radar Growth Index Leader 2025Gartner Market Guide for MDR Representative Vendor 2024Gartner Market Guide for Outsourced MSS Representative Vendor 2026Gartner Market Guide for DFIR Retainer Services Representative Vendor 2025 | – |
| Founded | 2024 | 2006 |
| Data retention | 1 year (MDR Elite tier). Base MDR tier retention not publicly disclosed. | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between LevelBlue and Northwave?
LevelBlue is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Northwave is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: LevelBlue offers ≤15 minutes, Northwave offers Not disclosed. LevelBlue covers 3 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 2 for Northwave.
How do LevelBlue and Northwave differ in response capabilities?
LevelBlue supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Northwave supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable.
How does LevelBlue pricing compare to Northwave?
LevelBlue pricing: Starting at ~$43,775/year (SelectHub estimate). Enterprise pricing is custom/quote-based.. Northwave pricing: Not published. Watch for with LevelBlue: Non-EDR telemetry priced by MEPD (millions of events per day), which is hard to estimate upfront and can spike; Service-level scope varies by product and tier. Confirm whether the Trustwave service-level document applies to the quoted MDR service.. Watch for with Northwave: Public pages do not publish response SLAs or named default response actions.; Rapid Response is a separate related service, so buyers should confirm what incident-response support is included in base MDR..
Should I choose LevelBlue or Northwave?
Choose LevelBlue if: uS federal and state agencies that need FedRAMP/StateRAMP-authorized MDR with deep compliance credentials. Choose Northwave if: benelux, DACH and Nordic buyers that want European MDR with a Utrecht SOC. LevelBlue is not ideal for organizations that prioritize vendor stability. Five ownership changes and a 15% launch-day layoff are red flags.. Northwave is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing or response SLAs before engaging sales.
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.