Arctic Wolf vs Clone Systems
Enterprise MDR with a concierge team, compared with a managed SOC that includes the SIEM and lets you choose where your data lives.
Arctic Wolf is a managed detection and response provider founded in 2012 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It sells its Aurora Platform with a Security Operations Center and a named Concierge Security Team, and by its own count has more than 600 security engineers supporting its SOC. Clone Systems is an independent security firm operating since 1998 and a PCI Approved Scanning Vendor since 2007; its Managed SOC + SIEM pairs analysts in the United States and the EU with a SIEM that is included in the service and a private AI that is Clone Systems' own private, self-hosted AI. The two overlap on 24/7 monitoring and response but differ in scale, pricing model, and where your logs are kept. This page relies only on what each company publishes. In short: Arctic Wolf for enterprises that want a broad portfolio from one large vendor; Clone Systems for mid-sized teams that want the SIEM included, control over where their logs live, and AI that is Clone Systems' own private, self-hosted AI.
Where Arctic Wolf is strong
Arctic Wolf is built for organizations that want a large, established provider with a wide portfolio. Its Aurora Platform is described as open XDR that enriches events with threat intelligence and risk context, and its SOC is supported by a large engineering team working 24x7. The Concierge Security Team gives each customer named contacts who guide posture hardening over time. Beyond MDR it sells Managed Risk (vulnerability management), Managed Security Awareness, Incident Response (including remote remediation and ransomware negotiation), and Aurora Endpoint Security, which came from its December 2024 acquisition of Cylance from BlackBerry. It is a category leader for enterprises that want one vendor for monitoring, endpoint protection, risk and incident response, and that buy through a sales process and procurement.
Where Clone Systems is different
- The SIEM is included, and it is one service. Managed SOC + SIEM always comes with the SIEM, the analysts and the private AI together. There is no separate platform license and nothing to assemble. Arctic Wolf's services are sold as a portfolio (MDR, Managed Risk, endpoint, awareness, IR) that you scope with its sales team.
- You choose where your logs live. Host the SIEM in Clone Systems' data centers in Philadelphia, Athens or Limassol, with EU customers hosted in Athens, or deploy it in your own environment so your logs never leave it. Arctic Wolf's published materials describe a cloud-delivered platform; we found no self-hosted option on its site.
- Private AI, no outside AI service. The AI that helps investigate your incidents is Clone Systems' own private, self-hosted AI. Your logs and alerts are never sent to OpenAI, Anthropic or any outside AI provider, and every AI action is previewed and approved by a person before it runs. Arctic Wolf describes AI-driven enrichment on the Aurora Platform; its site does not say where that AI runs or whether third-party AI services are involved.
- A pricing model you can read before the call. Clone Systems prices per monitored endpoint with a 50 endpoint minimum on a one-year term, and says so on its site. Arctic Wolf does not publish pricing on its website; the only public figure is an AWS Marketplace listing for MDR Basic covering up to 100 users on a 12-month term.
- PCI ASV and penetration testing from the same company. Clone Systems has been on the PCI Council's ASV list since 2007 and sells scanning and automated penetration testing online, so one vendor covers monitoring, scanning and testing. Arctic Wolf offers Managed Risk for vulnerability management; we found no PCI ASV claim on its site.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Clone Systems | Arctic Wolf |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 monitoring by analysts | Yes, United States and EU | Yes, 24x7 SOC |
| SIEM included in the service | Yes, not sold separately | Platform is Arctic Wolf's own; no separate SIEM to buy |
| Self-hosted option for the SIEM | Yes, in your environment | Not found on its site |
| EU data residency | Yes, EU customers hosted in Athens | Not stated on its site |
| AI-assisted investigation | Yes, private, self-hosted, human approved | Yes, Aurora Platform enrichment |
| Named concierge contact | Specialist access during onboarding and investigations | Yes, Concierge Security Team |
| Endpoint protection product | Works with your existing endpoint tool | Yes, Aurora Endpoint Security |
| Vulnerability scanning | Yes, PCI ASV and vulnerability scanning, bought online | Yes, Managed Risk |
| Penetration testing | Yes, automated and engineer-led | Not found on its site |
| Incident response and ransomware negotiation | Containment from the console once approved; IR scoped on request | Yes, dedicated IR service |
| Published pricing model | Yes, per endpoint, 50 minimum, one-year term | AWS Marketplace listing only |
| Minimum size | 50 endpoints | 100 users (AWS Marketplace MDR Basic) |
| PCI Approved Scanning Vendor | Yes, since 2007 | Not found |
How each is priced, side by side
| Clone Systems | Arctic Wolf | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing unit | Per monitored endpoint | Per user at entry level (AWS Marketplace) |
| Minimum | 50 endpoints | Up to 100 users on MDR Basic |
| Term | One year, multi-year available | 12, 24 or 36 months listed |
| What is included | Analysts, SIEM, private AI, reports | MDR; other services sold separately |
| Published price | Model published; quote after a scoping call | $44,000 per 12 months for MDR Basic (AWS Marketplace); custom pricing by private offer |
| How to buy | Scoping call and demo | Sales process and demo, or AWS Marketplace |
Checked 21 October 2026. Arctic Wolf's figure comes from its AWS Marketplace listing, which is the only public price we found; its website does not publish pricing. Clone Systems quotes each environment after a scoping call. Because the two count scope differently (users versus endpoints), the table compares purchasing models rather than matched sizes.
Who should choose which
Arctic Wolf suits larger organizations that want one established vendor across MDR, endpoint protection, risk, awareness training and incident response, have a security function to work with a concierge team, and buy through procurement.
Clone Systems suits mid-sized organizations that want the whole SIEM included with people watching it, need to control where their logs live (including inside their own environment or inside the EU), care that AI never sends their data to an outside service, or already buy PCI scanning or penetration testing and want monitoring from the same company.
If you are replacing or evaluating an MDR
Ask any provider three questions: where do my logs physically live, which AI services touch my data, and what is included in the price versus sold on top. Arctic Wolf's answers depend on the services you scope with its team. Clone Systems' answers are on its site: in our data centers or yours, our own private AI only, and the SIEM, analysts and AI together in one per-endpoint price. Our SIEM vs SOC vs EDR vs MDR vs XDR guide explains the terms if the acronyms are getting in the way.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Arctic Wolf cost?
Does Arctic Wolf include a SIEM?
Can I self-host with Arctic Wolf?
Is Arctic Wolf a PCI Approved Scanning Vendor?
Who is each one for?
Product details are taken from Arctic Wolf's public website, Wikipedia and its AWS Marketplace listing, checked October 21, 2026. Arctic Wolf and Aurora are trademarks of Arctic Wolf Networks. Clone Systems is not affiliated with Arctic Wolf. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will update it.
See also: Huntress vs Clone Systems, SIEM vs SOC vs EDR vs MDR vs XDR guide, Managed SOC + SIEM, Blumira vs Clone Systems, Sophos MDR vs Clone Systems