SentinelOne vs Sophos: MDR Comparison 2026
SentinelOne (EDR vendor) and Sophos (Services firm) take different approaches to managed detection and response. SentinelOne requires its own security platform, while Sophos works with your existing tools. SentinelOne targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Sophos focuses on SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. SentinelOne includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Identity), compared to 5 for Sophos (Endpoint, SaaS, Identity, Network, OT/ICS).
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
SentinelOne vs Sophos: Which Should You Choose?
Choose SentinelOne if:
- •Organizations already running SentinelOne Singularity wanting platform-native MDR without adding another vendor
- •Mid-market and enterprise organizations wanting $1M breach response warranty as financial backstop
- •Organizations valuing AI-first detection with Purple AI and Google Threat Intelligence integration
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
- •You need SaaS and Network and OT/ICS coverage included in base pricing
Bottom line: SentinelOne is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Sophos is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between SentinelOne and Sophos?
SentinelOne is an EDR vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Sophos is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: SentinelOne offers ≤1 hour, Sophos offers ≤15 minutes. SentinelOne covers 3 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for Sophos.
How do SentinelOne and Sophos differ in response capabilities?
SentinelOne 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. Incident response is not included with SentinelOne and included with Sophos.
How does SentinelOne pricing compare to Sophos?
SentinelOne pricing: MDR add-on: ~$17-35/endpoint/year (standard) or ~$35-50/endpoint/year (Pro/Elite). Total: ~$197-280/endpoint/year for platform + MDR. Example: 1,000 endpoints x $35 MDR x 5 years = ~$175K MDR add-on cost.. Sophos pricing: Custom quote required; tiered pricing bands (10-24, 25-49, 50-99, etc.) (10-seat minimum). Watch for with SentinelOne: Platform license ($69.99-$229.99/endpoint/year) is required BEFORE MDR — significant prerequisite cost; MDR pricing is a bolt-on fee separate from platform licensing — not shown on public pricing page. 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 SentinelOne or Sophos?
Choose SentinelOne if: organizations already running SentinelOne Singularity wanting platform-native MDR without adding another vendor. Choose Sophos if: sMBs and mid-market organizations seeking an all-in-one MDR with inclusive IR. SentinelOne is not ideal for organizations running CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, or any non-SentinelOne EDR — platform-native lock-in. Sophos is not ideal for large enterprises needing deep, custom detection engineering.