Vendor briefing / Sophos

Sophos MDR pricing / 2026

Real Sophos MDR pricing data from authorised channel partners and MSP networks. Essentials vs Complete tier breakdown, multi-year contract savings, and integration with non-Sophos EDR tools.

Essentials vs Complete at a glance

Both Sophos MDR tiers include 24x7 monitoring, threat hunting, and active threat containment. The single decision is who finishes the response. Essentials (~$80-130 per user per year) contains the threat and then hands you guided neutralisation, on a non-contractual ~30-minute response target, with full incident response sold as a separate engagement. Complete (~$140-200+ per user per year) adds full incident response with a dedicated response lead, end-to-end neutralisation by Sophos analysts with no hourly caps, a contractual 60-minute response SLA for 90% of high-severity cases, and a $1M breach protection warranty. See the full Essentials vs Complete breakdown.

MDR Essentials

~$80-130 / user / year

24x7 monitoring, threat hunting, active containment
Guided neutralisation: you finish the cleanup
Full incident response is a separate engagement
No breach protection warranty

MDR Complete

~$140-200+ / user / year

Everything in Essentials, plus:
Full incident response with a dedicated response lead
End-to-end neutralisation by Sophos, no hourly caps
Up to $1M breach protection warranty

For organisations without dedicated security staff, Complete is usually the right choice despite the higher cost. Full capability breakdown below.

Channel-reported pricing

$7-17

per endpoint per month

$80-$200+ per user per year through Sophos partners. MDR Essentials sits at the lower end, MDR Complete at the upper end. Multi-year and volume discounts pull pricing down to the lower band.

Quick facts

TiersEssentials, Complete

Min. seatsNo hard minimum

DistributionChannel / MSP

Response target~30 min initial action

Coverage24x7x365

Pricing modelPer-user, per-year

Tier comparison

MDR Essentials vs MDR Complete

Capability	MDR Essentials	MDR Complete
Per user / year	~$80-130	~$140-200+
24x7 monitoring	Yes	Yes
Threat hunting	Yes	Yes
Active threat response	Containment, guided neutralisation	Full neutralisation by Sophos
Incident response	Separate engagement	Full IR included, no hourly caps
Breach response warranty	No	Up to $1M
Response commitment	~30 min, non-contractual	60-min SLA, 90% of high-severity

The single biggest functional difference is who finishes the response. Both tiers contain the threat: Sophos analysts act to stop an attack and prevent it spreading. Under Essentials you then neutralise it yourself with their guidance, and full incident response is a separate engagement. Under Complete the Sophos team neutralises end-to-end with a dedicated response lead and no hourly caps, backed by the $1M breach protection warranty. For organisations without dedicated security staff, Complete is usually the right choice despite the higher cost.

Multi-year savings

Why most Sophos MDR contracts are 2 or 3 years

Sophos channel partners offer meaningful discounts for multi-year commitments. Typical structure:

1-year

List

Baseline pricing. Easy out at renewal but no discount.

2-year

10-15% off

Common middle ground. Modest commitment for material savings.

3-year

20-30% off

Largest discount. Locks pricing but limits flexibility.

Watch for the renewal step

Multi-year locks shield you from price hikes during the term but bring a stepped renewal at the end. A 3-year deal at 25% off list often renews at full list (a 33% step). Ask the partner for a renewal cap of CPI or 5% before you sign.

Integrations

Sophos MDR with non-Sophos tools

Sophos MDR works as part of the broader Sophos XDR ecosystem and pulls telemetry from a wide list of integrations. Common third-party data sources covered:

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. The most common non-Sophos pairing. No EDR replacement required.
CrowdStrike Falcon. Sophos analysts can monitor your existing Falcon agents.
SentinelOne. Telemetry ingestion supported.
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Email, identity, and collaboration coverage.
AWS and Azure. Cloud telemetry across major hyperscalers.

This flexibility is one of Sophos MDR's clearest advantages over CrowdStrike Falcon Complete which requires the Falcon platform underneath. If you have invested in Microsoft Defender across the estate, Sophos MDR Essentials or Complete can layer on top without the migration overhead.

MSP delivery

Buying Sophos MDR through a managed service provider

Most SMBs encounter Sophos MDR through their MSP rather than directly. The MSP buys at partner pricing, marks up modestly, and wraps the service into a broader managed IT contract. This route has three advantages:

Single bill. MDR rolls into your existing MSP invoice rather than a separate vendor relationship.
First-line response. Your MSP handles tier-1 incident response and only escalates to Sophos when needed.
Bundled tooling. MSPs frequently package Sophos MDR with patching, backup, and Microsoft 365 management at a blended monthly price per seat.

The trade-off is that you cannot negotiate Sophos MDR pricing directly. Your MSP sets the markup, typically 20-40% above their partner cost. For organisations that want the flexibility to direct-quote, going through a Sophos partner reseller (rather than a full MSP) keeps the relationship closer to source.

Fit profile

Who Sophos MDR suits and who should look elsewhere

Best fit: mid-market organisations with 100-2,000 endpoints, businesses already using Sophos firewalls or endpoint protection, MSPs offering managed security to their clients, and organisations that want the ability to mix Sophos with Microsoft Defender or other EDR tools.

Poor fit: very small businesses (Huntress is cheaper at 50-100 seats), organisations that want direct vendor relationship without channel intermediary, and large enterprises that need named Concierge Security Team analysts (Arctic Wolf is the better fit there).

Looking for Sophos endpoint protection without the managed service?

For Sophos Intercept X (the EDR product underneath MDR), see Sophos pricing on edrcost.com. Intercept X alone runs $30-80 per user per year, depending on tier and partner pricing.

Tool

Cost calculator

Model Sophos MDR spend.

Vendor

Huntress pricing

Budget alternative.

Guide

For small business

Affordable MDR options.

FAQ

Sophos MDR pricing questions

How much does Sophos MDR cost in 2026?

Sophos MDR pricing runs $80 to $200+ per user per year, which works out to roughly $7-17 per endpoint per month. Pricing is delivered through Sophos channel partners and MSPs, so the actual figure varies by partner, region, and contract length. The two tiers are MDR Essentials (lower price, broader response policy) and MDR Complete (higher price, full IR coverage).

What's the difference between MDR Essentials and MDR Complete?

MDR Essentials includes 24x7 monitoring, threat hunting, and active threat containment: the Sophos Ops team works to stop an attack and prevent it from spreading, then gives you guidance to neutralise it yourself. Full incident response is a separate engagement at this tier. MDR Complete adds full incident response with a dedicated response lead, complete threat neutralisation by Sophos analysts with no hourly caps, and a $1M breach protection warranty (up to $1,000 per compromised device and $100,000 toward ransom). Complete typically costs more than Essentials; exact pricing is set by your Sophos partner.

Why does Sophos sell through partners instead of directly?

Sophos has built its growth on a channel-led model where authorised partners and MSPs deliver pricing, deployment, and ongoing support. This makes pricing harder to publish but means you can often negotiate better terms through a partner with margin to spend. It also means MSPs can wrap Sophos MDR into their own managed service offering, which is a common SMB delivery path.

Does Sophos MDR work with non-Sophos endpoint protection?

Yes. Sophos MDR will integrate with Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne, and other major EDR platforms through their XDR ecosystem. This is a meaningful differentiator from CrowdStrike Falcon Complete which requires Falcon-only deployment. If you have an existing EDR investment, Sophos MDR is one of the easier ways to add managed analyst coverage without a full migration.

What does Sophos MDR cost for 250 endpoints?

Around $21,000 to $45,000 per year depending on tier (Essentials vs Complete), contract length (1, 2, or 3 years), and partner pricing. Multi-year deals typically reduce annualised cost by 15-25%. For comparison, the equivalent Arctic Wolf deployment would land at roughly $36,000-$54,000 per year and Huntress would be $9,000-$27,000 per year.

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.