Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Field Effect MDR vs Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting comparison

 

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

Field Effect MDR
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
3rd
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Defender Experts ...
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
20th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Field Effect MDR is 3.2%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is 1.6%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Field Effect MDR3.2%
Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting1.6%
Other95.2%
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Anmol Nagpal - PeerSpot reviewer
Effective MDR with great support and an easy setup
The feature I've found the move valuable is the 24/7 monitoring. We are a small organization that supports a LOT of endpoints and clients. Without this tool, it would be impossible for us to confidently tell clients that we are secure. Alongside this, the ability for Field Effect to make decisions on its own based on what it has learned from all the "training data" that we have provided in the past. It will only get better over time. We have had some false positives; for example, using a legitimate networking scanning tool from the terminal has been blocked. However, we were actually impressed when something so simple was caught!
Mondher-Smii - PeerSpot reviewer
Has supported clients in managing incidents through clear pricing and hybrid deployment options
What really stands out about Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is that it's easy to use. The cost is clear, and the pricing is transparent. The onboarding of the product on the customer's environment is straightforward. We can use it in a hybrid environment, in the cloud, or on-premise environment. This is the main advantage regarding this product. If it's configured correctly, everything will be good, resilient, and secure, which supports threat mitigation efforts depending on the configuration on the tenant and the parameters on Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting. Threat intelligence updates have some impact on our overall security posture. They give us external eyes regarding threat actors, which is good. It's very helpful to enrich the SIEM, which is Microsoft Sentinel. It's a good feature that we can include threat intel on the product.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"The ARO alerts are helpful to use almost daily to get a sense of what actions we need to take to expedite security measures."
"I appreciate the "set it and forget it" nature of Field Effect Covalence."
"It provides valuable insights into our IT environment, enabling us to improve reselling, upgrades, and customer management."
"We now have a single cybersecurity product that protects all of our threat services, and all the endpoints."
"I get alerts if there's malicious activity or restrictions, should they any suspicious activity emerge."
"The most valuable aspect of Field MDR is the comprehensive visibility the solution offers. Most solutions cover the traditional threat landscape of computers, endpoints, servers, etc. However, there are also things happening within the network environment, such as WiFi, mobile, the Internet of Things, smart TVs, video surveillance systems, etc., that have associated vulnerabilities. Most environments do not manage or protect these assets."
"The most valuable features are AROs, which provide timely notifications for out-of-compliance or out-of-specification detections."
"The solution helps to detect some suspicious items for us and our clients."
"What really stands out about Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is that it's easy to use, the cost is clear, and the pricing is transparent, with straightforward onboarding in hybrid, cloud, or on-premise environments."
"What really stands out about Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is that it's easy to use, the cost is clear, and the pricing is transparent, with straightforward onboarding in hybrid, cloud, or on-premise environments."
 

Cons

"While it's essential to stay informed about potential issues, the recurring notifications about past vulnerabilities can lead to confusion and may detract from our focus on current threats."
"It would be more effective if it could surgically isolate the specific malicious process instead of deleting the entire machine."
"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."
"I'd suggest that Field Effect focus more on including things like phishing simulation and cybersecurity training."
"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."
"In my experience, Field Effect MDR is somewhat stable. However, I have one situation where it has been two months trying to resolve an installation issue on a server, which has consumed a significant amount of time."
"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."
"I'd love the price to be a little bit less."
"The solution’s user interface could be improved."
"There is a lot of change in a small period. This might not be helpful for IT administrators and users."
"We tried the proactive threat hunting feature, but it was not a good experience with Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting. It created more trouble than expected with false positives and non-expected answers."
"There is a lot of change in a small period. This might not be helpful for IT administrators and users."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is comparable to what else is out there."
"While Field Effect Covalence's pricing seems competitive for the market, the biggest hurdle lies in the lack of dedicated security budgets within many organizations."
"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."
"A top-tier competitor to Field Effect in Magic Quadrant that we had been using until our switch to Field Effect was a great product, but each capability had an additional charge. We had to license modules separately, and each of those add-ons had to be added onto its own consumption and agreement. It was a nightmare from a billing perspective because we had multiple agreements, and each one had a jagged anniversary or a renewal anniversary. It was a nightmare, whereas Field Effect MDR is one product."
"We were particularly impressed with their pricing model, which charges per user rather than per system."
"We're currently enrolled in the volume package, which offers tiered pricing based on usage."
"The cost of the solution is high."
Information not available
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solutions are best for your needs.
870,701 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
49%
Retailer
5%
Outsourcing Company
5%
Government
4%
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business32
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise1
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Field Effect Covalence?
It is very user-friendly. We have regular reports to see what is going on.
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 do you like most about Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
The solution helps to detect some suspicious items for us and our clients.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
Microsoft now changes a lot in products, which might be a disadvantage right now. There is a lot of change in a small period. This might not be helpful for IT administrators and users. New features...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
Right now we manage some firewalls using Microsoft products. In regard to Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting, I have been working with this product so far. Mainly and basically for incident han...
 

Also Known As

Field Effect Covalence
No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Field Effect MDR vs. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
870,701 professionals have used our research since 2012.