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Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions are cybersecurity tools that continuously monitor endpoints (laptops, desktops, servers, and mobile devices connected to a network), scanning for any possible threats, detecting and sometimes automatically preventing attacks.
For most organizations, EDR sits at the heart of a broader cybersecurity & protection strategy for New York businesses, combining endpoint defense with network, firewall, and VPN security.
They send alerts to security teams, some can act autonomously without human intervention, and isolate infected endpoints so attacks do not propagate to the whole network. They also store data for security analysts to further investigate attacks, saving their time from manually collecting and analyzing data, looking for patterns they may never find on their own.
Regardless of the EDR provider, they all follow similar core principles but differ in implementation.
In this guide, we will take a look at the 3 best EDR solution providers and compare their solutions in terms of key features, use cases, and pricing.
SentinelOne EDR leverages Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and behavioural analysis to monitor, detect, analyze, and prevent security threats for all your endpoints.
SentinelOne EDR offers your teams the following advantages :
SentinelOne monitors all your endpoints 24/7, scanning for threats in real-time using AI and behavioral analysis. It detects all types of threats, including malware, ransomware, fileless attacks, and zero-day threats, the moment they appear. This proactive approach happens at machine speed, so threats are caught before they can do serious damage.
SentinelOne uses its patented Storyline technology to link multiple security events into one big visual timeline. Instead of digging through thousands of logs and alerts, you see exactly what happened, how the threat entered, what it did, and what it affected. This saves your security team hours or even days of manual investigation work.
This system grants your IT admins/team full access and visibility for all your endpoints, giving them the possibility of on-time threat monitoring and mitigation.
What is really impressive is that it does not rely on multi-agent systems to give such visibility.
This, by far, is the best feature, after monitoring and threat detection, SentinelOne EDR does not wait for approval; it acts immediately without the need for any human intervention.
Which means one unified console for all operations, allowing admins to manage security policies, monitor, and respond to threats all from one place.
This helps with remote workforce management, as Admins can give and revoke access to users based on their roles remotely.
Your business size does not matter; whether you have 100 endpoints or thousands, you won’t need any extra setup, and the performance stays the same as well; the only thing that might change is the cost.
Admins get full control over what external devices can connect to your endpoints. You can block USB drives, external storage, Bluetooth devices, or set read-only access based on user roles. This prevents data leaks and stops attacks that come through removable devices, all managed centrally without touching individual machines.
This is where SentinelOne really stands out. If ransomware encrypts your files, you can roll back all the damage with one click, restoring everything to its pre-attack state in minutes. This one-click rollback feature is for Windows only since it relies on Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). SentinelOne still provides automated remediation on macOS and Linux, though it doesn’t include the one-click file restoration.
Even with this capability, you still need reliable data storage and backup solutions in place as a safety net, especially for servers and critical business systems that cannot afford data loss.
While all these advantages are tempting here are some of the Limitations:
SentinelOne is priced per endpoint, meaning you pay for each device you protect. The EDR capabilities come with the Singularity Complete tier, which costs around $179 per endpoint per year.
Overall, SentinelOne EDR offers strong features, but it comes at a cost, making it suitable only for organizations that actually need and can afford its advanced capabilities.
Crowdstrike is a cloud native security platform that continuously monitors, detects, and responds to threats, leveraging AI to rapidly investigate and remediate all threats across all your endpoints.
CrowdStrike Falcon EDR offers your teams the following advantages:
CrowdStrike EDR uses something called indicators of attack (IOAs, which you can consider as signs or tell that an attack is in progress. The use of AI to identify such indicators makes them more accurate, which leads to more accurate detection of cyber threats, and taking prevention measures becomes more automated without human intervention. This makes the tool proactive rather than reactive, like the traditional EPP.
CrowdStrike’s Threat Graph processes billions of security events daily from endpoints worldwide. It automatically connects related events, showing you all the possible paths an attack could take, from entry point to final target. This saves your team from manually piecing together what happened across thousands of logs.
The platform gives you full visibility into everything happening on your endpoints, running processes, network connections, file changes, and user activity. All this data is stored in the cloud via falcon platform, so you can search through it anytime to investigate incidents or hunt for threats.
CrowdStrike Falcon EDR detects threats in real time using AI-driven behavioral analysis and Indicators of Attack (IOAs). When malicious activity is identified, it enables organizations to respond immediately by isolating endpoints via network containment, terminating malicious processes, quarantining files, and executing remediation scripts. In other words, it is not fully autonomous; the final decision rests with the organization, which can automate these actions based on the telemetry received from its endpoints.
One cloud-based console for everything. Your admins can manage security policies, monitor threats, and respond to incidents all from one place. Since it’s cloud-native, you can manage your entire security infrastructure from anywhere with internet access.
Your business size doesn’t matter. Whether you have 100 endpoints or 100,000, the lightweight agent deploys in minutes, and the cloud handles all the heavy lifting. No need for on-premise servers or complex infrastructure, you just add endpoints, and you’re protected.
While all these advantages are tempting, here are some of the limitations:
The pricing gets expensive fast, particularly if you need full EDR, threat hunting, and managed services. Smaller organizations often can’t justify the cost, especially since many features require higher-tier packages.
The AI sometimes flags legitimate activities as suspicious. Without proper tuning, your team might spend time investigating false alarms instead of real threats.
The console has tons of features and data, which is overwhelming for beginners. Finding what you need sometimes requires clicking through multiple screens, and the navigation isn’t always intuitive.
Since it’s cloud-native, you need an internet connection for full functionality. Offline endpoints still have basic protection, but you lose visibility and remote management capabilities until they reconnect.
CrowdStrike Falcon is priced per endpoint annually. The EDR capabilities come with the Falcon Enterprise tier, which costs around $185 per endpoint per year. Lower tiers (Falcon Go at $60 and Falcon Pro at $100) offer basic protection but lack the full EDR features.
Overall, CrowdStrike Falcon EDR is powerful and proven, but the cost and complexity make it more suitable for organizations with dedicated security teams and the budget for enterprise-grade protection.
Sophos EDR is an endpoint security solution designed to help IT admins and analysts detect, analyze, investigate, and eliminate security threats on endpoints.
The system operates as part of Sophos Intercept X, which incorporates EDR functionality alongside advanced endpoint protection capabilities.
Sophos EDR leverages AI, machine learning, and behavioral analysis to detect known and unknown threats. When suspicious activity is identified, the platform can automatically isolate the affected endpoint to prevent lateral movement, alert the security team, giving them enough time to investigate and respond in real time.
Sophos EDR provides deep visibility across endpoints and servers by continuously collecting telemetry data. Once a threat is detected, detailed alerts are generated, allowing security teams to quickly investigate incidents, trace attacker activity, and make informed response decisions.
Sophos EDR is built into Sophos XDR, extending visibility beyond endpoints. To include other common attack entry points like cloud, user login, password, and emails.
Sophos EDR includes automated remediation capabilities, such as CryptoGuard ransomware rollback, which can restore encrypted files to their pre-attack state. The platform can automatically terminate malicious processes, isolate compromised endpoints, and enforce containment measures to stop further spread.
Sophos EDR provides security teams with live and historical data, detects threats, and runs it against the MITRE ATT&CK framework, identifying the specific attack techniques used and how to defend against them.
Security teams can run powerful SQL-like queries to quickly search for threats across all endpoints without needing technical expertise.
All EDR activities are managed through the Sophos Central cloud console, providing a single interface for monitoring alerts, managing policies, and responding to incidents across the entire organization.
While Sophos EDR offers strong detection and response capabilities, there are some considerations organizations should be aware of.
Sophos EDR is not sold as a standalone product. It is included as part of Sophos Intercept X Advanced with XDR, using a per-endpoint, per-year licensing model.
Pricing varies depending on:
Overall, Sophos EDR is a suitable choice for organizations seeking an integrated, prevention-first EDR solution with automated response and extended visibility beyond endpoints.
Now that we’ve explored each solution individually, let’s compare them side by side to help you determine which EDR platform best fits your organization’s needs and budget.
| Feature | SentinelOne | CrowdStrike Falcon | Sophos EDR |
| Threat Detection | AI, behavioral analysis, detects malware, ransomware, fileless attacks, and zero-day threats at machine speed | AI-driven IOAs (Indicators of Attack), behavioral analysis, proactive detection | AI, machine learning, and behavioral analysis for known and unknown threats |
| Visualization | Storyline technology – visual timeline linking security events | Threat Graph – processes billions of events, shows all possible attack paths | MITRE ATT&CK framework mapping |
| Visibility | Full endpoint visibility without multi-agent | Full visibility into processes, network connections, file changes, and cloud-stored data | Deep visibility with continuous telemetry across endpoints and servers |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous – acts immediately without human intervention | Not fully autonomous – organization decides final actions, but can automate responses | Automatic isolation and response require investigation for full remediation |
| Investigation Tools | Visual timeline reduces manual investigation time | Cloud-searchable data for threat hunting | SQL-like queries, live and historical data, MITRE ATT&CK mapping |
| Central Management | Unified console for all operations | Cloud-based console accessible anywhere with internet | Sophos Central cloud console |
| Scalability | Scales with organization | Scales with organization | Scales with organization |
| Extended Protection | Device control (USB, external storage, Bluetooth) | N/A | XDR integration (cloud, login, passwords, emails) |
| Recovery | One-click rollback for Windows (VSS-based), automated remediation for macOS/Linux | Network containment, process termination, file quarantine, remediation scripts | CryptoGuard ransomware rollback, automated remediation |
| Limitation | SentinelOne | CrowdStrike Falcon | Sophos EDR |
| Cost | High cost for small to medium businesses, price increases with endpoints and features | High cost for advanced features, expensive for full EDR and threat hunting | Pricing varies; it is not sold standalone |
| Learning Curve | Steep learning curve, requires proper training for advanced features, and maintenance | Complex user interface, overwhelming for beginners, navigation not always intuitive | Steep learning curve |
| System Requirements | Intense resource requirements may slow down old systems | Requires internet connectivity for full functionality; offline endpoints lose visibility | Cloud-dependent, delays with limited internet connectivity |
| Alerts | Overwhelming alerts, many false positives due to AI autonomy | False positives and alert overload without proper tuning | False positive overload |
| Solution | Pricing Model | Cost |
| SentinelOne | Per endpoint per year | ~$179/endpoint/year (Singularity Complete tier with EDR) |
| CrowdStrike Falcon | Per endpoint per year | ~$185/endpoint/year (Falcon Enterprise tier with full EDR)Lower tiers: $60 (Falcon Go), $100 (Falcon Pro) – lack full EDR features |
| Sophos EDR | Per endpoint per year (bundled) | Not sold standalone – included in Sophos Intercept X Advanced with XDRPricing varies by: endpoint count, endpoint type (workstation vs server), contract duration, region/reseller |
Choosing the right EDR solution comes down to your organization’s specific needs, budget, and technical capabilities. SentinelOne excels with its fully autonomous response and one-click recovery, making it ideal for organizations that want hands-off protection. CrowdStrike Falcon offers enterprise-grade scalability and proven threat intelligence, perfect for larger organizations with dedicated security teams. Sophos EDR provides integrated XDR capabilities and accessible threat hunting tools, suitable for organizations seeking comprehensive protection without complexity.
If you do not have an in-house security team, partnering with a Managed IT Services (MSP) provider in New York can help you select, deploy, and manage EDR tools like SentinelOne, CrowdStrike, or Sophos without overloading your internal staff.
If you are unsure which EDR platform fits your environment, you can speak with our Brooklyn-based IT team about endpoint security and EDR options for your organization and get a tailored recommendation.
1. Which is better: SentinelOne or CrowdStrike?
Both are top-tier EDR solutions with similar pricing (~$179-$185 per endpoint annually). SentinelOne is better if you want a fully autonomous threat response and one-click ransomware recovery for Windows. CrowdStrike is better for large-scale deployments (100,000+ endpoints) and leveraging global threat intelligence from billions of events. SentinelOne acts faster without human approval, while CrowdStrike gives you more control over automated responses. Choose based on whether you prioritize autonomy (SentinelOne) or scalability with proven threat data (CrowdStrike).
2. How much does EDR cost per year?
EDR pricing typically follows a per-endpoint, per-year licensing model, meaning you pay annually for each device (laptop, desktop, server, or mobile device) you want to protect. Costs vary widely depending on the vendor, feature set, and organization size, but generally range from $50 to $200+ per endpoint annually.
3. What is the difference between XDR and EDR?
EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) focuses solely on protecting endpoints, laptops, desktops, servers, and mobile devices. It monitors what’s happening on these devices, detects threats, and responds to attacks targeting them. XDR (Extended Detection and Response) expands this protection beyond just endpoints to include email, cloud applications, network traffic, firewalls, and user authentication systems.
The key difference: EDR gives you deep visibility into your devices, while XDR gives you visibility across your entire digital environment.
4. Can EDR stop ransomware attacks?
Yes, EDR solutions are specifically designed to detect and stop ransomware attacks, but they’re not foolproof. EDR uses behavioral analysis and AI to identify ransomware activity, like rapid file encryption or suspicious process execution, and can automatically isolate infected endpoints before the attack spreads across your network. Many EDR platforms also offer rollback capabilities that restore encrypted files to their pre-attack state, minimizing damage and downtime.
