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Expel vs Field Effect MDR comparison

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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

Expel
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
SOC as a Service (5th)
Field Effect MDR
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
7th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Expel is 2.4%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Field Effect MDR is 1.4%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Field Effect MDR1.4%
Expel2.4%
Other96.2%
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2917971 - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder And Principal Technical Consultant at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Expel has transformed MDR workflows and now streamlines phishing response and SOC 2 audits
Some of the best features Expel offers is the ease of use. Ease of use is top of mind. It also provides an opportunity for me to replace my SOC. Not necessarily replace my SOC because I utilize contractors on an as-needed basis, but it allows me to stay lean. I do get 24/7 monitoring, although they recently shortened up on the 24/7 monitoring offering. It also allows me to augment the existing SOC that I have for larger companies or larger enterprises that rely on me for that. It then extends the use of the tools I already have, as I mentioned with SentinelOne. Octa is another that comes to mind, and then for larger organizations that use CrowdStrike.
reviewer2753850 - PeerSpot reviewer
Owner at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Customer security is enhanced with software and update detection while licensing process needs improvement
A quick specific example of how I use Field Effect MDR to keep my customers secure is that it helps me identify computers that need updates, even when I believe they are already updated. Field Effect MDR finds software and Windows updates that aren't being completed, which I find very valuable.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Their threat hunting protocol and process with AI and machine learning are strong, allowing for active and rapid responses."
"Expel's customer support is great."
"The most valuable features are Action Recommendations of Observations, which keep us informed about existing vulnerabilities so we can proactively update our endpoints and those of our customers against potential threats."
"There are user notifications about our cloud solutions and access, meaning authentication and possible breaches. Overall, the notifications and alerts are valuable. There are also new features like the DNS protection, which is quite good."
"A client of ours with Field Effect MDR is less likely to be a victim of a cyber attack."
"It provides valuable insights into our IT environment, enabling us to improve reselling, upgrades, and customer management."
"What I like the most about Field Effect Covalence is the ease of deployment, the fact that it's cost-effective to roll out, and it is reasonable."
"The feature I've found the move valuable is the 24/7 monitoring."
"A quick specific example of how I use Field Effect MDR to keep my customers secure is that it helps me identify computers that need updates, even when I believe they are already updated."
"It is easy to manage surveillance."
 

Cons

"The one area where Expel may not measure up is if a customer requires a managed SIEM as part of their overall solution. There's a gap there, and solutions might require third-party assistance for management."
"I think the 24/7 SOC could be improved."
"I have had a couple of challenges around updates to the agents where it seems it doesn't automatically replace older versions."
"Covalence's SEAS feature wasn't very user-friendly."
"It would be incredibly valuable to have the Field Effect team handle some of the third-party application patching they're currently identifying."
"The area where they can make it better is by giving responses to the end-user. For example, when there is an alert to the administrator, I get it. I have to copy and paste everything to everyone... And then I have to follow up with them, and it's a real pain."
"It would be more effective if it could surgically isolate the specific malicious process instead of deleting the entire machine."
"Covalence should provide a live view of the endpoint because the endpoint view in the portal is 5 to 15 minutes behind the actual status of the endpoint and its vulnerabilities. When it doesn't update with the actual status, it makes managing those things harder because sometimes something gets updated, and one of those vulnerabilities has gone away, but that doesn't appear in the ARO."
"While the reporting is good, I would like more of a white-label option with my company's name at the top and a clean look for the report."
"In the AROs tab, if we encounter multiple duplicate recommendations, it would be helpful to be able to select and resolve or dismiss them all at once."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The cost of the solution is high."
"The licensing model itself is solid, but we're ironing out some inconsistencies in how customer profiles are configured."
"Although Covalence is expensive, it provides good value for the price."
"It is on the high end, but it is worth it for the service that you get from them."
"While the contract duration might change, the pricing remains highly attractive."
"The shift to a per-user pricing model and the introduction of a base price for the on-premises or virtual appliance has been particularly advantageous."
"Field Effect Covalence's pricing is just right."
"Field Effect is fairly priced from my perspective. You get a lot of bang for the buck with this and a level of visibility that provides you with greater peace of mind knowing that the system is carefully monitored. You also have automated responses for known malicious behavior at any time of the day. Someone could have their Office 365 mailbox compromised at 2 in the morning on a Saturday when most people are asleep or not paying attention, and the system can prevent an issue in an automated way."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Construction Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Computer Software Company
14%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business32
Midsize Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Expel?
Expel's pricing has adapted as the market evolved and has become competitive over the past twelve months.
What needs improvement with Expel?
The one area where Expel may not measure up is if a customer requires a managed SIEM as part of their overall solution. There's a gap there, and solutions might require third-party assistance for m...
What is your primary use case for Expel?
I have experience reselling Expel. Customers often come to me wanting to evaluate multiple providers to make a choice based on their specific use cases, requirements, technology investments, and so...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Field Effect Covalence?
Pricing was initially a concern, but the recent updates have resolved that by offering a more accessible buying cost.
What needs improvement with Field Effect Covalence?
One way Field Effect MDR can be improved is through its licensing process, which is not ideal. The licensing process is difficult because I have to access a separate website to complete it.
What is your primary use case for Field Effect Covalence?
My main use case for Field Effect MDR is keeping my customers secure.
 

Also Known As

Workbench, Expel SOC-as-a-Service
Field Effect Covalence
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Amanda Fennell CSO
Field Effect MDR is widely adopted by managed service providers (MSPs) and organizations with lean IT teams. It is used to monitor, detect, and respond to threats across distributed environments, helping businesses strengthen their cybersecurity posture while maintaining operational efficiency. Organizations rely on Field Effect MDR to protect hybrid infrastructures, secure cloud applications, and defend against modern threats, including increasingly automated and AI-driven attacks, while maintaining compliance and resilience in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.
Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Huntress and others in Managed Detection and Response (MDR). Updated: October 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.