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Head to head / 2026

Huntress vs Sophos MDR

The two leading SMB-to-mid-market MDR options compared. Side-by-side per-endpoint pricing, same-estate cost tables, the contractual SLA and $1M warranty gap, the deployment-model difference, and a clear who-should-pick-which.

The one-line answer

Huntress wins on price and simplicity for SMBs that want strong detection on their own lightweight agent. Sophos MDR wins when you already run another EDR you want monitored, or when you need a contractual 60-minute SLA and a $1M breach warranty (both at the Complete tier). The decision turns on price versus contractual guarantees and deployment fit.

Pricing

Cost side by side

Huntress

$3-9

per endpoint per month

  • $2.50-3.50 MSP partner rate
  • $8.99 direct retail (published)
  • 50-agent minimum, 12-month term
  • Pooled SOC, same-day response
  • ITDR and awareness training bundled

Sophos MDR

$7-17

per endpoint per month

  • $80-130/user/yr Essentials
  • $140-200+/user/yr Complete
  • Channel / MSP delivery, no hard minimum
  • Complete: 60-min SLA, $1M warranty
  • Layers onto non-Sophos EDR via XDR

Huntress direct retail is published on huntress.com; the MSP rate is channel-reported. Sophos sells through partners and does not publish list pricing; the $80-200+ per-user-per-year bands are channel-reported. Both checked June 2026.

Same estate, real numbers

What each costs at 100, 250, and 500 endpoints

EndpointsHuntress / yearSophos MDR / year
100$3.6K-10.8K$8K-20K
250$9K-27K$21K-45K
500$18K-54K$42K-100K

Huntress is roughly two to three times cheaper at each tier, and the gap is widest if you compare against Sophos MDR Complete. The premium buys two things Huntress does not offer: a contractual response SLA backed by a $1M warranty (Complete only), and the ability to run on an EDR you already own. The honest question is not which is cheaper (Huntress clearly is) but whether the contractual guarantees and existing-EDR fit justify the step up.

Capability

Coverage and fit, dimension by dimension

DimensionHuntressSophos MDR
Pricing modelPer endpoint, no feature gatingPer user / year, two tiers
DeploymentOwn lightweight agentOwn agent or layer on existing EDR
Contractual response SLASame-day norm, non-contractual60-min SLA, 90% high-severity (Complete)
Breach warrantyNoUp to $1M (Complete)
Full incident responseTriage; deep IR separateIncluded, no hourly caps (Complete)
Identity threat detectionIncluded (ITDR)Via XDR integrations
Security awareness trainingIncludedSeparate Sophos product
DistributionDirect or MSPChannel / MSP only
Best-fit size50-500 endpoints100-2,000 endpoints

The verdict

Who should pick which

Pick Huntress when

  • Budget is the deciding constraint
  • You have 50-500 endpoints
  • You want one lightweight agent, simply priced
  • You want identity detection and awareness training bundled
  • A contractual SLA and warranty are not procurement requirements

Pick Sophos MDR when

  • You already run Defender, Falcon, or SentinelOne and want it monitored
  • You need a contractual 60-minute response SLA
  • A $1M breach protection warranty is required
  • You want full incident response included (Complete)
  • You are already in the Sophos firewall or endpoint ecosystem

Honest take for the SMB buyer

For a greenfield SMB without an existing EDR contract or a warranty requirement, Huntress is usually the right call and the cost gap is large. Reach for Sophos MDR when you already own an EDR you want managed, or when the contractual SLA and $1M warranty of MDR Complete are things your business genuinely needs rather than nice-to-haves. Within Sophos, the tier decision is its own question: see the Essentials vs Complete breakdown.

Vendor

Huntress pricing

Full breakdown.

Vendor

Sophos MDR pricing

Full breakdown.

Compare

Essentials vs Complete

Which Sophos tier.

FAQ

Huntress vs Sophos questions

Is Huntress or Sophos MDR cheaper?
Huntress is cheaper at every SMB volume tier. Huntress runs about $3 to $9 per endpoint per month ($2.50-3.50 MSP partner rate, $8.99 published direct retail). Sophos MDR runs about $7 to $17 per endpoint per month, or $80 to $200+ per user per year through channel partners. For a 250-endpoint estate, Huntress lands around $9K to $27K per year against Sophos at roughly $21K to $45K per year depending on whether you buy Essentials or Complete.
What is the biggest functional difference between Huntress and Sophos MDR?
Two things: the response commitment and the deployment model. Sophos MDR Complete carries a contractual 60-minute response SLA for 90% of high-severity cases plus a $1M breach protection warranty; Huntress operates a same-day response norm with no contractual SLA and no warranty. On deployment, Huntress installs its own lightweight agent, while Sophos MDR can layer on top of an EDR you already run (Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne) through its XDR ecosystem.
Does Sophos MDR include a breach warranty that Huntress lacks?
Yes, at the Complete tier. Sophos MDR Complete includes a breach protection warranty of up to $1M aggregate per year ($1,000 per breached managed endpoint, with ransomware payments capped at $100,000 per claim and a $5,000 minimum out-of-pocket to file). Sophos MDR Essentials does not include the warranty, and Huntress does not offer a financially backed warranty at any tier. If a contractual warranty is a procurement requirement, Sophos MDR Complete is the only one of the two that meets it.
Which is better if I already run Microsoft Defender?
Sophos MDR is the easier fit because it can monitor your existing Microsoft Defender for Endpoint deployment through the Sophos XDR ecosystem, so you keep the EDR you already pay for and add managed analyst coverage on top. Huntress deploys its own agent rather than monitoring Defender, so choosing Huntress means running the Huntress agent alongside or instead of Defender. For estates already standardised on Defender, Sophos avoids a parallel agent.
Which does an MSP typically prefer, Huntress or Sophos?
Both are channel-friendly and many MSPs carry both. Huntress is the more common SMB foundation product because of its low partner pricing, simple per-product pricing with no feature gating, and bundled identity threat detection and security awareness training. Sophos is favoured where the client already runs the Sophos endpoint or firewall stack, or where the contractual SLA and warranty of MDR Complete are needed. The two sit at different points on the SMB-to-mid-market curve.

Disclaimer

MDRCost.com is an independent pricing guide. We are not affiliated with any MDR vendor. Pricing data is compiled from public sources, partner channels, Vendr transaction data, and verified buyer reports. Always request a direct quote for your environment.