Sophos vs. Crowdstrike

 Extensive exploit protection by default

Over 60 proprietary exploit mitigations are enabled by default and applied to every running process in Sophos Endpoint. They block the techniques attackers must use to turn a vulnerability into a compromise, including AI-generated zero-days, with no per-application configuration.

32% of ransomware attacks start with an exploited vulnerability. –Sophos State of Ransomware 2025 

 Limited protection enabled manually
CrowdStrike has limited technique-level exploit protections that must be manually enabled in policy. It largely relies on IoA and other signature-based behavioral detections that must be updated based on new exploits.

 Real-time ransomware defense and rollback

Sophos’s patented CryptoGuard technology stops local and remote ransomware and rolls back encrypted data automatically. It is enabled by default on Windows and macOS so you know your data is safe.

“The ransomware rollback feature is a lifesaver.” -Himanshu V., G2.com

 Limited remote ransomware defense, no rollback
CrowdStrike’s File System Containment is disabled by default, covers Windows only, and fails to protect against a range of modern threats. It cannot roll back data that has already been encrypted.

 Web protection included

Sophos Endpoint blocks phishing and malware URLs automatically, stopping threats before they ever reach your endpoints.

 No web protection

CrowdStrike does not offer web protection, leaving you exposed.

 Adaptive defenses

When a hands-on-keyboard attack is detected, Adaptive Attack Protection dynamically enables heightened defenses. Actions that are usually benign but commonly abused by attackers are blocked outright .

SE Labs Award for Enterprise Endpoint (Windows) 2025

 Static protection

The endpoint cannot adapt its defenses in real time. You have to choose more aggressive and error-prone policies or less restrictive policies that risk allowing malicious behavior to continue.

 Incident response included

With Sophos MDR Complete and Taegis MDR, you get remote incident response included with no usage cap. If a major incident occurs, our IR team jumps into action with no delay and at no extra cost to you.

"[The response] was above and beyond what I would assume a third party would do... We were treated less like a 'job' or a 'customer' and more like a friend trying to overcome a hardship.” —Sophos MDR Complete customer following an incident

 Incident response sold separately

CrowdStrike Falcon Complete excludes incident response. You will have to buy a separate IR retainer for a specific number of incidents or hours to get equivalent coverage. When minutes matter, you will have to spend time approving an engagement.

 Extensive policy controls

With Sophos Endpoint, you get intuitive policy controls to restrict applications, web categories, peripheral devices, and accidental data leakage. Enforce policies and reduce your attack surface with ease.

 Limited scope of policy controls, some at extra cost

CrowdStrike’s endpoint security lacks equivalent application and web controls. Peripheral control is an add-on feature, and DLP is available only as a separate product.

 Strong defaults, ongoing health checks

With Sophos, you are protected from day one with strong default security policies. Ongoing Account Health Checks notify you of misconfigurations that could reduce your security posture.

 No default protection, no health checks

CrowdStrike starts out with no protection. It is up to you to follow a guide to enable or configure dozens of policy settings. A single mistake in a setting or exclusion could leave you vulnerable to a major security incident without warning.

 Live endpoint telemetry

Sophos EDR provides real-time access to rich live and historical data on your endpoints. Query every online device in a matter of seconds for insights beyond what is available in the data lake.

 Can’t query endpoints

CrowdStrike’s EDR limits queries to what has been collected in their data lake. If CrowdStrike’s ingestion rules didn’t think it was important, you’re out of luck.

 Broad, synchronized portfolio

Sophos Central is a comprehensive platform that can grow with your needs. And our unique Synchronized Security ensures the products all work together as a system.

Sophos is the only vendor to be named a Gartner Customers’ Choice for Endpoint Protection Platforms, Extended Detection and Response, Managed Detection and Response, and Network Firewalls.

 Limited range of solutions

CrowdStrike lacks critical elements of a modern security stack, such as email protection, firewall, and NDR. You won’t see the cost, efficiency, and security benefits of a fully integrated platform.

CrowdStrike is not a Gartner Customers’ Choice for XDR and does not offer a firewall.