CrowdStrike Falcon and SentinelOne Singularity are the two most frequently compared next-generation endpoint security platforms. Both deliver strong MITRE ATT&CK detection results, both offer cloud-native architectures with lightweight agents, and both provide optional managed detection and response services.
The differences that matter are in how they approach response (human-led vs. autonomous), how their managed services are validated (MITRE Managed Services evaluation vs. no evaluation), and what happens after a threat is detected. This comparison focuses on the data available from public sources—MITRE evaluation results, published platform capabilities, and MDR service transparency.
Platform Overview
CrowdStrike Falcon
CrowdStrike's Falcon platform is a cloud-native endpoint protection platform built around a single lightweight agent that provides next-generation antivirus (NGAV), endpoint detection and response (EDR), threat intelligence, and optional managed services (Falcon Complete MDR).
- Founded: 2011
- Customers: 29,000+ organizations globally
- Architecture: Single agent, cloud-native processing
- MDR Service: Falcon Complete (24/7 managed detection, response, and remediation)
- Threat Intelligence: CrowdStrike Intelligence, tracking 230+ adversary groups
SentinelOne Singularity
SentinelOne's Singularity platform is an autonomous security platform that combines endpoint protection, EDR, and XDR with AI-driven autonomous response capabilities. Its distinguishing feature is the ability to automatically detect, contain, and reverse threats without human intervention.
- Founded: 2013
- Architecture: Single agent, hybrid (on-device AI + cloud analytics)
- MDR Service: Vigilance MDR + WatchTower threat hunting
- Key Differentiator: Autonomous response with automated rollback capability
- XDR: Singularity XDR extends beyond endpoints to cloud, identity, and network
MITRE ATT&CK Evaluation Comparison
Both platforms have participated in MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Enterprise evaluations and demonstrated strong detection coverage. However, the evaluation landscape tells a more nuanced story when you consider managed services.
Enterprise Evaluation (Platform Detection)
Both CrowdStrike Falcon and SentinelOne Singularity perform well in MITRE Enterprise evaluations, which test the platform's ability to detect known ATT&CK techniques in simulated attack scenarios.
| Capability | CrowdStrike Falcon | SentinelOne Singularity |
|---|---|---|
| Detection Coverage | Broad coverage across ATT&CK tactics | Broad coverage across ATT&CK tactics |
| Analytic Detections | High proportion of technique-level detections | High proportion of technique-level detections |
| Visibility | Full attack chain visibility | Full attack chain visibility |
At the platform level, both vendors are in the top tier. Choosing between them based solely on Enterprise evaluation results would be splitting hairs.
Managed Services Evaluation (MDR)
This is where the meaningful differentiation occurs.
| Evaluation Tier | CrowdStrike | SentinelOne |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise (platform) | Participated | Participated |
| Managed Services (MDR) | Participated (only vendor in both) | Has not participated |
CrowdStrike Falcon Complete has been evaluated in MITRE's Managed Services evaluation, which tests the end-to-end managed detection and response capability—including human analysts, workflows, escalation, and response actions. This is a fundamentally different (and more relevant) evaluation for organizations buying MDR.
SentinelOne's Vigilance MDR and WatchTower services have not been evaluated by MITRE at the Managed Services level. This doesn't mean these services are ineffective, but it means there is no independent, standardized assessment of SentinelOne's managed response capability.
For organizations choosing an MDR service: CrowdStrike offers independently validated managed response. SentinelOne offers a managed service without independent validation of its end-to-end MDR workflows.
Published Performance Metrics
CrowdStrike
CrowdStrike publishes specific detection and response time benchmarks:
- MTTD: ~4 minutes (vendor-published benchmark)
- MTTR: ~37 minutes (Falcon Complete, including full remediation)
- 1-10-60 Framework: 1-minute detection, 10-minute investigation, 60-minute containment target
SentinelOne
SentinelOne does not publish aggregate MTTD or MTTR benchmarks for its Vigilance MDR or WatchTower services. SentinelOne's marketing emphasizes autonomous response speed (machine-speed containment) rather than human analyst response times.
| Metric | CrowdStrike | SentinelOne |
|---|---|---|
| Published MTTD | ~4 minutes | Not published |
| Published MTTR | ~37 minutes | Not published |
| Autonomous Response | Available | Core differentiator |
| MITRE MDR Validation | Yes | No |
The transparency gap: CrowdStrike publishes both detection and response metrics; SentinelOne publishes neither for its managed services. This is a meaningful difference for organizations that need verifiable performance data for compliance, due diligence, or board reporting.
Response Philosophy: Human-Led vs. Autonomous
This is the most important architectural difference between these platforms and it reflects fundamentally different philosophies about how threats should be handled.
CrowdStrike: Human-Led Response
CrowdStrike Falcon Complete pairs AI-driven detection with human analyst-led response. When a threat is detected, CrowdStrike's SOC analysts investigate, determine scope, and execute containment and remediation actions. Customers define playbooks and guardrails that specify which actions analysts can take autonomously and which require customer approval.
Strengths of human-led response:
- Contextual decision-making that considers business impact
- Complex multi-stage attack investigation and attribution
- Customizable response actions aligned with change management
- Detailed incident documentation and root cause analysis
- Post-incident recommendations for security improvement
Limitations:
- Response speed bounded by human investigation time (~37 min MTTR)
- Dependent on analyst availability and expertise
- Higher cost for 24/7 human SOC coverage
SentinelOne: Autonomous Response
SentinelOne's Singularity platform emphasizes autonomous, machine-speed response. When the AI detects a threat, the platform can automatically:
- Kill malicious processes
- Quarantine the endpoint
- Roll back changes (restore encrypted files, remove persistence, undo registry modifications)
- Remediate without waiting for human approval
Strengths of autonomous response:
- Machine-speed containment—seconds, not minutes
- Ransomware rollback restores encrypted files without backups
- Consistent response regardless of time of day or analyst availability
- Lower operational overhead for the security team
Limitations:
- Autonomous actions may cause business disruption if a false positive occurs
- Less contextual awareness for complex, multi-stage attacks
- Rollback effectiveness depends on the attack type and timing
- Still requires human oversight for complex investigations
Which Approach Is Better?
Neither is universally superior. The right choice depends on your organization's risk tolerance and operational model:
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Choose human-led (CrowdStrike) if you operate in a regulated industry where unauthorized system changes are a compliance risk, if your environment has applications that could break from autonomous containment, or if you need detailed investigation and documentation for every incident.
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Choose autonomous (SentinelOne) if ransomware rollback is a critical requirement, if you want the fastest possible containment without human bottlenecks, if your security team is too small to handle triage and response, or if you're comfortable with the risk of occasional autonomous actions on false positives.
Platform Capabilities Beyond Detection
CrowdStrike Falcon Ecosystem
CrowdStrike has built a broad platform that extends beyond endpoint protection:
- Falcon Insight (EDR): Core endpoint detection and response
- Falcon OverWatch: Proactive threat hunting
- Falcon Identity Protection: Credential-based attack prevention
- Falcon Cloud Security: CSPM, CWPP, CIEM for cloud environments
- Falcon LogScale: Cloud-scale SIEM and log management
- Falcon Complete: Fully managed MDR service
SentinelOne Singularity Ecosystem
SentinelOne has similarly expanded beyond endpoint:
- Singularity Endpoint: Core EPP and EDR with autonomous response
- Singularity XDR: Cross-platform detection across endpoint, cloud, identity
- Singularity Cloud: Cloud workload protection
- Singularity Identity: Active Directory threat detection
- Vigilance MDR: 24/7 managed detection and response
- WatchTower: Proactive threat hunting
Both platforms offer comparable breadth. CrowdStrike's LogScale (SIEM) and SentinelOne's data lake (Singularity Data Lake) represent competing approaches to security analytics that extend beyond endpoint protection.
Pricing Comparison
CrowdStrike
- Falcon Go (self-managed): ~$60/device/year
- Falcon Pro: ~$99/device/year
- Falcon Enterprise: ~$150+/device/year
- Falcon Complete (MDR): ~$15-30/endpoint/month (small organizations)
SentinelOne
- Singularity Core: ~$6-8/endpoint/month
- Singularity Control: ~$8-10/endpoint/month
- Singularity Complete: ~$10-15/endpoint/month
- Vigilance MDR add-on: Additional per-endpoint fee
SentinelOne is generally positioned as slightly less expensive than CrowdStrike for equivalent self-managed tiers. For managed services (Falcon Complete vs. Vigilance MDR), pricing varies significantly based on deployment size and contract terms.
Decision Framework
Choose CrowdStrike If:
- MITRE Managed Services validation is important for compliance or due diligence
- You want published, verifiable MTTD/MTTR benchmarks
- Human-led investigation and customizable response playbooks matter
- Built-in compliance certifications (FedRAMP, HIPAA, PCI DSS) are required
- You need a unified platform with SIEM capabilities (LogScale)
- Threat intelligence depth (230+ tracked adversary groups) is valuable for your threat model
Choose SentinelOne If:
- Autonomous response and ransomware rollback are critical requirements
- Machine-speed containment matters more than human-led investigation
- Your security team is small and needs a platform that self-manages response
- Cost sensitivity favors SentinelOne's typically lower per-endpoint pricing
- You want strong on-device AI that works effectively offline
- XDR data lake capabilities align with your analytics strategy
The Bottom Line
CrowdStrike and SentinelOne are both top-tier endpoint security platforms. In MITRE Enterprise evaluations, both demonstrate excellent detection coverage. The real differentiation comes down to three factors:
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MDR validation: CrowdStrike is the only vendor with MITRE Managed Services evaluation results. SentinelOne's managed service is not independently validated.
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Response philosophy: CrowdStrike emphasizes human-led, customizable response. SentinelOne emphasizes autonomous, machine-speed containment with rollback.
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Metric transparency: CrowdStrike publishes MTTD and MTTR. SentinelOne does not publish these metrics for its managed services.
For organizations that prioritize independently validated managed response and verifiable performance metrics, CrowdStrike has the stronger evidence base. For organizations that prioritize autonomous containment speed and automated rollback, SentinelOne's autonomous response model is compelling.
Both are significantly better than legacy antivirus or no EDR at all. The more important question is not "which is better?" but "are you using either one?"
For a broader comparison of MDR vendor metrics, see our MDR Vendor Performance Benchmarks analysis.
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