Arista NDR vs Darktrace comparison

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Arista NDR

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Darktrace and Arista NDR compete in the realm of network threat detection and response. Darktrace holds the upper hand due to its advanced AI-driven insights into network behavior, complementing its comprehensive visibility across cloud services.

Features: Darktrace offers AI-driven threat detection, self-learning AI for autonomous responses, and extensive network monitoring across various environments. Arista NDR excels in network detection with real-time traffic analysis, anomaly detection, and strong integration capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Darktrace could enhance its false positive management, visualization tools, endpoint protection, and simplifying configuration. Arista NDR should improve entity resolution accuracy, third-party tool integration, and API capabilities for better interoperability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Darktrace is versatile for deployment in different environments, though initial setup may be complex. Support is generally good but could be enhanced for complex deployments. Arista NDR integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructure and offers strong initial setup assistance, making it easier for users with comprehensive support.

Pricing and ROI: Darktrace is often considered expensive but justified by its security features and significant ROI through prevention and visibility enhancements. Arista NDR provides competitive pricing and is more cost-effective, offering managed services that offset in-house resource needs, ultimately strengthening security postures at a lower cost.

To learn more, read our detailed Arista NDR vs. Darktrace Report (Updated: June 2026).

Arista NDR vs. Darktrace

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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

Arista NDR

Ranking in Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

9th

Ranking in Network Detection and Response (NDR)

17th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Darktrace

Ranking in Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

1st

Ranking in Network Detection and Response (NDR)

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Security (10th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (2nd), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (7th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (10th), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (9th), Attack Surface Management (ASM) (4th), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (5th), AI Observability (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Network Detection and Response (NDR) category, the mindshare of Arista NDR is 3.1%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Darktrace is 14.1%, down from 23.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Detection and Response (NDR) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Darktrace	14.1%
Arista NDR	3.1%
Other	82.8%

Network Detection and Response (NDR)

Featured Reviews

it_user1719513

Chief Technology Officer at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees

it's much easier to create your own queries and hunt for threats

We take in IOCs from my SOC and from AlienVault, and then we focus on traffic that hits IOCs and alerts us to it. The one thing that the Awake platform lacks is the ability to automate the ingestion of IOCs rather than having to import CSV files or JSON files manually. Awake didn't support the manual importation of CSV and JSON in version 3.0, but they added it in version 4.0. It's helpful, but it still has to be a specific CSV format. Automated IOCs are on the roadmap. Hopefully, they will be able to automate the ingestion of IOCs by Q1 next year. I'm currently leveraging Mind Meld, an open-source tool by Palo Alto, to ingest IOCs from external parties. I aggregate those lists and spit them out as a massive list of domains, hashes, file names, IPS. Then we aggregate those into their own specific categories, like a URL category. Awake ingests that just like the Palo Alto firewall does, and then it alerts me if traffic attempts to go into it. Some of that is already on the Palo Alto firewall, which blocks it, but that doesn't mean that there is no attempted communication. I want to know if there's a communication attempt because there might be an indicator on that specific device trying to reach an IOC. Yes, my Palo Alto blocked it, but there's still something odd sitting there, and what if it can reach a different IOC that I don't have information about? I want to focus on it. I could do that by leveraging Awake if it could ingest the IOCs automatically. That's something I leverage Awake for today. I still have to manually import it, which is cumbersome because I have to manipulate the files that I get from the different IOC providers into a specific format that it understands. Once they add the ability to automate that, it'll be more useful.

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Pasan Jayarathna

Network Security Engineer at Cyberwell Solution

Monitoring has improved data loss detection and now spots abnormal internal file transfers quickly

In my understanding, the best feature Darktrace offers is the identification of copying files, which acts as a DLP, and it is a main concern for companies because users sometimes copy data outside without knowing, especially those without a technical background. When I mention the DLP-like feature and file copying detection, the alerts have been very timely, as we get an alert within a couple of minutes, which is excellent. Even if some developers are working after hours and copying files, our SOC team detects this, and most of the time they call us so we can identify the users. The alerts are quite accurate and proactive.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"For a network traffic-analysis platform, it's definitely the best in industry."

"This solution help us monitor devices used on our network by insiders, contractors, partners, or suppliers. Its correlation and identification of specific endpoints is very good, especially since we have a large, virtualized environment. It discerns this fairly well. Some of the issues that we have had with other tools is we sometimes are not able to tell the difference between users on some of those virtualized instances."

"Other solutions will say, "Hey, this device is doing something weird." But they don't aggregate that data point with other data points. With Awake you have what's called a "fact pattern." For example, if there's a smart toaster on the third floor that is beaconing out to an IP address in North Korea, sure that's bizarre. But if that toaster was made in North Korea it's not bizarre. Taking those two data points together, and automating something using machine-learning is something that no other solution is doing right now."

"The security knowledge graph has been very helpful in the sense that whenever you try a new security solution, especially one that's in the detection and response market, you're always worried about getting a lot of false positives or getting too many alerts and not being able to pick out the good from the bad or things that are actual security incidents versus normal day to day operations. We've been pleasantly surprised that Awake does a really good job of only alerting about things that we actually want to look into and understand. They do a good job of understanding normal operations out-of-the-box."

"The query language that they have is quite valuable, especially because the sensor itself is storing some network activity and we're able to query that. That has been useful in a pinch because we don't necessarily use it just for threat hunting, but we also use it for debugging network issues. We can use it to ask questions and get answers about our network. For example: Which users and devices are using the VPN for RDP access? We can write a query pretty quickly and get an answer for that."

"When I create a workbench query in Awake to do threat hunting, it's much easier to query. You get a dictionary popup immediately when you try to type a new query. It says, "You want to search for a device?" Then you type in "D-E," and it gives you a list of commands, like device, data set behavior, etc. That gives you the ability to build your own query."

"Awake Security gets a solid nine (out of 10) based on our experience, which is based on their technology, professionalism, and communication."

"Awake’s technology, artificial intelligence, and human expertise within the MNDR service have really increased our security abilities."

More Arista NDR pros

"The solution is outstanding from a monitoring perspective."

"We are able to detect a lot of things, actually, and see what is happening in our network."

"A very useful feature in Darktrace for real-time threat analysis is the packet inspection that analyzes the packet traffic in real time."

"Because of unsupervised machine learning, its detection capability is quite good."

"It's beneficial to me and I can see that with more time and energy put into optimizing it and personalizing the unit, it can be much more powerful than the way I am using it now."

"Artificial intelligence and machine learning functionalities are valuable."

"It is really good; it has given us a view of our company and it has actually caught a couple of people that were doing data exfiltration and stealing data from our company, and we caught them doing it in the act in live time, which is just incredible."

"I can rate Darktrace's technical support as one of the best products in the world."

More Darktrace pros

Cons

"It's important that Awake continues to develop its APIs to be able to help intertwine their product into the overall security architecture of a company, just because it is a single tool."

"Some of the searching capability is a bit hard to use without in-depth knowledge."

"While the appliance is very good, and I think they're working on it, it would probably help if they integrated the management team cases into the appliance so that everything we are working on with them would be accessible on our platform, on the dashboard, on the portal. Right now, Awake is just an additional team that uses the appliance that we use and then we communicate with them directly. Communication isn't through the portal."

"I would like to see the capability to import what's known as STIX/TAXII in an IOC format. It currently doesn't offer this."

"Awake Security needs to move to a 24/7 support model in the MNDR space. Once they do that, it will make them even better."

"They've been focused on really developing their data science, their ability to detect, but over time, they need to be able to tie into other systems because other systems might detect something that they don't."

"One concern I do have with Awake is that, ideally, it should be able identify high-risk users and devices and entities. However, we don't have confidence in their entity resolution, and we've provided this feedback to Awake. My understanding is that this is where some of the AI/ML is, and it hasn't been reliable in correctly identifying which device an activity is associated with. We have also encountered issues where it has merged two devices into one entity profile when they shouldn't be merged. The entity resolution is the weakest point of Awake so far."

"I enjoy the query language, but it could be a bit more user-friendly, especially for new users who come across it... They should push it more into a natural language style as opposed to a query language."

More Arista NDR cons

"There aren't so many third-party vendor platforms natively integrated with the platform."

"It's sometimes a challenge getting logs from different sources."

"The initial setup is a bit complex."

"The cost is a bit on the higher side."

"The main portal needs improvement as it is difficult to use."

"It's a very complex platform."

"The level of tracking within the network from the transmission level up to the machine level can use improvement."

"It could build in integrations for some complementary products, but it has an assistant plugin so this is not really a big deal."

More Darktrace cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Awake's pricing was very competitive. It's not a cheap option though. It's an investment to utilize it, but it's one that we decided was worth the cost, with the managed services. At our scale, it was a much better option to utilize their software and their managed services to handle this, rather than hiring another person to be an analyst. It was quite cost-effective for us."

"The solution is very good and the pricing is also better than others..."

"The pricing seems pretty reasonable for what we get out of it. We also found it to be more competitive than some other vendors that we've looked at."

"Because I represent a hedge fund, I have some leverage. I told them that they had to meet my conditions if they wanted me as a client. It was the same way with Awake. They wanted an initial four-year agreement. Initially, we signed on for a one-year contract, but they wanted the four-year deal when it came time for the renewal. I told them that I was not doing that. I said that they either had to do it on my terms, or I'd go somewhere else."

"The solution has saved thousands of dollars within the first day. Our ROI has to be in the tens of thousands of dollars since October last year."

"Awake Security was the least expensive among their competitors. Everyone was within $15,000 of each other. The other solutions were not providing the MNDR service, which is standard with Awake Security's pricing/licensing model."

"We switched to Awake Security because they were able to offer a model that was significantly less expensive and the value that we get out of it is higher."

"The price of Darktrace is high and could be reduced. We pay approximately $30,000 to $54,000 annually."

"The price of the solution is not cheap. It is not a one-time purchase, there is a subscription that needs to be paid every one to five years depending on your choice. It is expensive but you can reduce the price by only using the services that you want."

"The cost of the solution is expensive for smaller businesses. They will not be able to afford it or might not need this type of security solution."

"I'm unfamiliar with the exact cost, but we have a yearly license and had to pay for Darktrace's services before the deployment. The product is very expensive, so some organizations can't afford to pay the total amount directly, meaning they often seek a partner or pay in installments, which increases the price more."

"The pricing is a little high compared to the competition."

"We've budgeted about 50,000 Kuwaiti dinars for the solution. That is a yearly operating cost."

"When it comes to large installations, it can be expensive, but for small accounts it's fine."

"The tool's pricing is costly."

More Darktrace pricing and cost advice

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Detection and Response (NDR) solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Government

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	29

Questions from the Community

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Which solution is better depends on which is more suitable specifically for your company. Darktrace, for example, is meant for smaller to medium-sized businesses. It is also a good option for organ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Darktrace?

Concerning pricing for the product, I would say it is somewhat expensive.

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Product Reports

Arista NDR

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Also Known As

Awake Security Platform

No data available

Overview

Arista NDR specializes in advanced traffic monitoring, effective false positive reduction, and strong data science capabilities, positioning itself as a leading solution in network detection and response.

Arista NDR enhances threat detection with innovations like the Security Knowledge Graph, which boosts situational awareness by up to 50%. Users value the intuitive interface and query language, allowing insights into encrypted traffic without impacting performance. Arista also offers robust threat-hunting services, aiding in proactive security measures. However, improvements are needed in API integration, entity resolution reliability, automation for IOC handling, and AWS configuration education. Greater security tool integration and enhanced query language usability are requested, along with overcoming challenges in encrypted traffic analysis, particularly in the Middle East.

What are Arista NDR's most important features?

Advanced Traffic Monitoring: Provides comprehensive visibility into network activities.
False Positive Reduction: Minimizes alerts, focusing on genuine threats.
Security Knowledge Graph: Enhances threat detection and situational awareness.
Intuitive Interface: Simplifies navigation and usage through an easy-to-use design.
Threat-Hunting Services: Supports proactive security operations.

What benefits should users seek in reviews?

Improved Security Posture: Rapid enhancement of security measures.
Efficient Threat Detection: Quick identification and mitigation of suspicious activities.
Network Visibility: Detailed insights into lateral traffic and threat detection.
Performance Impact: Maintains effectiveness without slowing down operations.
Versatile Deployment: Offers both on-premise and cloud dashboard features.

Arista NDR is frequently implemented across industries for monitoring internal networks, with a focus on lateral traffic movement and threat detection, including ransomware and data exfiltration indicators. Its capabilities are utilized for both compliance and security enhancements, with many turning to its managed services for resource efficiency.

Arista

Darktrace revolutionizes network security with AI-driven alerts, anomaly detection, and robust visibility across networks. It autonomously detects threats, minimizing the need for human oversight, and offers efficient IP identification with minimal false positives.

Darktrace uses advanced AI analytics to enhance network protection. Its powerful real-time threat response capabilities and self-learning enable thorough monitoring and insightful analysis of network activities. While providing scalable and reliable security, users seek improvements in false positive reduction, user-friendly interfaces, and pricing. Enhanced third-party integration, more effective dashboards, and centralized automation features remain top priorities. Users benefit greatly from its Antigena feature, offering automated responses like blocking suspicious connections for robust network defense.

What Are Darktrace's Key Features?

AI-Driven Alerts: Provides real-time alerts for threat detection.
Anomaly Detection: Identifies unusual network activities with precision.
Real-Time Threat Response: Autonomously counteracts potential threats.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Offers detailed network activity insights.
Scalability: Adapts to expanding network environments effectively.

Which Benefits Should Users Consider in Reviews?

Stability: Reliable performance ensures constant protection.
Efficient Cloud Protection: Safeguards data across cloud infrastructures.
Intuitive Interface: Facilitates easy navigation and efficient operations.
Network Visibility: Enhances understanding of network traffic and activities.
Automated Threat Blocking: Quick response to potential network breaches.

In industries employing Darktrace, it is pivotal in securing LAN networks, analyzing behavioral patterns, and detecting internal and external threats. Adoption alongside platforms like F5 and SAP enhances incident response, traffic analysis, and threat identification, utilizing Antigena for proactive security measures.

Sample Customers

- Dolby Laboratories- Seattle Genetics- ARM Energy- Ooma- Prophix- Yapstone

Irwin Mitchell, Open Energi, Wellcome Trust, FirstGroup plc, Virgin Trains, Drax, QUI! Group, DNK, CreaCard, Macrosynergy, Sisley, William Hill plc, Toyota Canada, Royal British Legion, Vitol, Allianz, KKR, AIRBUS, dpd, Billabong, Mclaren Group.

Arista NDR vs. Darktrace