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Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting vs Sophos MDR comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender Experts ...
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
22nd
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sophos MDR
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is 1.7%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos MDR is 6.1%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

GK
Provides security for organizations by detecting suspicious items
We use Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting to support customers by updating, scanning, and installing Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is an antivirus that has provided security for our organization. The solution helps to detect some suspicious items for us and our clients. The…
Shaun Gordon - PeerSpot reviewer
Extensive data lake, ease of use is great and you can really get started very quickly
Sophos MDR is a service. MDR is managed detection and response. It's a managed security service. So instead of having an anti-malware, which in Sophos' case would be Intercept X, with MDR, they add human-led threat hunting. It's a managed service. So it's not a product that you sell the client per se. You're selling them a service, which is almost like an SLA, and that includes Cloud MDR. MDR is not a product. It's a service. The reality is that when it comes to the likes of SentinelOne, McAfee, CrowdStrike, ESET, and all the other players out there, they're single-product security companies. CrowdStrike is an anti-malware. That's one thing. ESET, same thing. But if you look at the other vendors, within the appliances, you're looking at Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Checkpoint. They only sell firewalls. That's all they do. When you deal with Sophos, they are the entire product suite. They sell firewalls. They sell Intercept X, which is their anti-malware, Intercept X for Server with anti-malware, email protection with ties into Office 365, and Sophos Plus encryption. All of these security products pull telemetry. So every time somebody hits a firewall, it's called, for argument's sake, that goes into their central data lake. All the firewalls around the world add that information to a data lake. Now, when you're dealing with Sophos, because of their exposure, because they've got so many different products, their data lake is a lot more extensive than competing vendors because they're not relying on one threat factor. They're not relying on one area of expertise. They're a global company. So, I can't compare their telemetry, for instance, to the likes of CrowdStrike. If CrowdStrike has probably started doing appliances, then the users will get that benefit as well. Sophos is the only vendor that does do that. It's like hiring a security team. Sophos do things differently in that they've got more telemetry and more insight into a network because they offer a variety of products. The other part about it is Sophos MDR; the service, unlike other vendors like CrowdStrike, is not limited to their products. If you are running CrowdStrike in your company, for instance, you can get their integration packs, in which case Sophos will manage your CrowdStrike system for you. Whereas with CrowdStrike, it's only CrowdStrike. You are locked into that vendor. So Sophos offers that flexibility. It's a multi-vendor service as opposed to SentinelOne or CrowdStrike, which is a single-vendor service. For instance, if I'm running Sophos, I would like to go with CrowdStrike MDR. I would have to remove my entire security investment, in this case, Sophos, and reinstall CrowdStrike in order to use their service. Sophos doesn't have that problem. If you've got CrowdStrike and you've already invested in CrowdStrike, cool. You stay on CrowdStrike. They will still manage it for you.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution helps to detect some suspicious items for us and our clients."
"The product’s most valuable features are integration and endpoint protection."
"It is stable and scalable. It has good technical support."
"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."
"The automation feature in Sophos MDR provides reports and alerts."
"The automated threat hunting feature and integration capabilities are valuable."
"It provides reliable protection and clear data on its performance metrics, enabling straightforward communication of its capabilities."
"Sophos MDR has improved the threat detection process by identifying and addressing the issues before they become severe."
"Sophos MTR will stop the threat as it is happening. Intercept X, which is a part of it, has the ability to roll back, so the attack is undone. And then the advanced edition of MTR lets me handle the threat by talking on the phone. I don't have to deal with it. I don't have to just go through emails back and forth. We don't have to pay extra for Rapid Response services. If something is happening, they're right on top of it."
 

Cons

"The solution’s user interface could be improved."
"Maybe the reporting needs improvement."
"It could be more secure."
"Threat intelligence is an area for improvement for MDR."
"It is a bit expensive. It could be cheaper. There are many competitive products in the market, like Kaspersky, McAfee Antivirus, and more."
"The reports should be more comprehensive and easier to organize."
"Support could provide a faster response."
"The solution is expensive for customers."
"There could be improvement in features like more detailed reporting for the end customer."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Sophos MDR is a cheap solution."
"Sophos MDR is less expensive than other products like Fortinet or Palo Alto."
"Compared to other tools, Sophos has a pretty good price."
"The solution is expensive."
"The price falls somewhere in the middle range."
"The product is reasonably priced considering the cybersecurity features."
"MDR is a complete enterprise solution, and compared to other OEMs, it is one of the cheapest."
"It is an expensive platform."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Retailer
7%
Computer Software Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Government
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
The solution helps to detect some suspicious items for us and our clients.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
We use Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting to support customers by updating, scanning, and installing.
What do you like most about Sophos MDR?
The user doesn't need a technician; it offers 24/7 support to identify and manage your infrastructure and take complete care of any technological incidents.
What needs improvement with Sophos MDR?
There could be improvement in features like more detailed reporting for the end customer. For example, reports should be in simple language that is easy to read and understand for management level ...
What advice do you have for others considering Sophos MDR?
I would absolutely recommend Sophos MDR to other organizations. It is rated ten out of ten overall, with a deduction of one point only due to the commercial cost. I'd rate the solution nine out of ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Sophos Managed Threat Response
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, Huntress, Field Effect and others in Managed Detection and Response (MDR). Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.