Mandiant vs Ontinue: MDR Comparison 2026
Mandiant (Services firm) and Ontinue (Microsoft-ecosystem) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Mandiant works with your existing tools, while Ontinue requires its own security platform. Mandiant targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Ontinue focuses on Mid-market and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Mandiant vs Ontinue: Which Should You Choose?
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
Choose Ontinue if:
- •Organizations heavily invested in Microsoft E5/Defender ecosystem
- •Teams wanting Microsoft Teams as primary SOC communication channel
- •Mid-market and enterprise needing fast onboarding on Microsoft stack
Bottom line: Ontinue 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 Mandiant and Ontinue?
Mandiant is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Ontinue is a Microsoft-ecosystem that is platform-native (requires their own security stack).
How do Mandiant and Ontinue differ in response capabilities?
Mandiant supports 2 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Ontinue 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 Mandiant and included with Ontinue.
How does Mandiant pricing compare to Ontinue?
Mandiant pricing: Estimated ~$83,000/year (third-party estimate from Vendr, not officially published).. Ontinue pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Watch for with Mandiant: ~$83K+/year estimated — premium enterprise pricing; IR retainer is separate — must be purchased independently for full incident response. Watch for with Ontinue: Requires Microsoft E5 or Defender licenses as prerequisite; Microsoft Sentinel consumption costs are separate.
Should I choose Mandiant or Ontinue?
Choose Mandiant if: enterprise organizations wanting elite threat intelligence integrated directly into MDR operations. Choose Ontinue if: organizations heavily invested in Microsoft E5/Defender ecosystem. Mandiant is not ideal for sMBs or budget-constrained organizations — ~$83K+/year estimated pricing. Ontinue is not ideal for organizations using non-Microsoft EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne).