Mandiant vs Sophos: MDR Comparison 2026
Mandiant and Sophos are both categorized as Services firms, but differ in execution. Mandiant works with your existing tools and targets 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
Mandiant vs Sophos: 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 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, Mandiant 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 Mandiant and Sophos?
Mandiant 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). SLA commitments differ: Mandiant offers Not disclosed, Sophos offers ≤15 minutes.
How do Mandiant and Sophos differ in response capabilities?
Mandiant supports 2 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, 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. Incident response is not included with Mandiant and included with Sophos.
How does Mandiant pricing compare to Sophos?
Mandiant pricing: Estimated ~$83,000/year (third-party estimate from Vendr, not officially published).. Sophos pricing: Custom quote required; tiered pricing bands (10-24, 25-49, 50-99, etc.) (10-seat minimum). 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 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 Mandiant or Sophos?
Choose Mandiant if: enterprise organizations wanting elite threat intelligence integrated directly into MDR operations. Choose Sophos if: sMBs and mid-market organizations seeking an all-in-one MDR with inclusive IR. Mandiant is not ideal for sMBs or budget-constrained organizations — ~$83K+/year estimated pricing. Sophos is not ideal for large enterprises needing deep, custom detection engineering.