AhnLab vs Expel
AhnLab is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Expel is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. AhnLab targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Expel serves Mid-market and Enterprise. AhnLab includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint), compared to 5 for Expel (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Buyer brief
AhnLab is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Expel is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. AhnLab targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Expel serves Mid-market and Enterprise. AhnLab includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint), compared to 5 for Expel (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
AhnLab is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Expel is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | South Korean and APAC organizations that already run AhnLab V3, EPP and EDR | Mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing security tools wanting vendor-agnostic MDR |
| Price | Custom quote | TrustRadius: from $11,640/yr |
| Response authority | 3/6 actions · Configurable | 6/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Requires own platform | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- South Korean and APAC organizations that already run AhnLab V3, EPP and EDR
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 3/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing security tools wanting vendor-agnostic MDR
- Price
- TrustRadius: from $11,640/yr
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | AhnLabPLATFORM | ExpelTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Very Positive |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Requires their platform | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | AhnLab EDR | CrowdStrikeMicrosoft DefenderSentinelOneCarbon BlackPalo Alto CortexElasticCybereason |
| SIEM integrations | None listed | SplunkMicrosoft SentinelPalo Alto Cortex XSIAMGoogle ChronicleExabeamSecuronixSumo LogicIBM QRadar |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: Not coveredSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: Optional add-onOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContain | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Starting at $11,640/year. Custom quotes based on environment size and coverage areas. |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | Yes | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Identity | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| Network | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | Extra cost |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Based on the number of AhnLab EDR agents installed. AhnLab says EDR Premium includes the EDR license fee and that service cost requires a separate inquiry. | Custom pricing by coverage type: cloud infrastructure (by resources), on-prem (by endpoints), SaaS (by user accounts), phishing (by email count). Three tiers: Starter, Select, Premium. |
| Hidden cost warnings | The service is tied to AhnLab's endpoint stack, so buyers with existing CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender or SentinelOne deployments should price migration and overlap.. AhnLab separates basic MDR from paid EDR Premium. Buyers should confirm which response actions are included in each tier.. Public materials do not disclose minimum seats, regional availability, SLA terms or retained-forensics scope.. Fuller cross-domain detection may require AhnLab XDR, TIP, MDS, cloud or CPS products outside endpoint MDR. | Threat hunting is NOT included in base MDR, it is a separate add-on. Incident response is NOT included and must be obtained separately. Premium tier required for direct Slack/Teams SOC communication. Pricing scales significantly based on number of integrations and coverage areas |
| Data portability | Limited | Full |
| Contract terms | Per EDR agent, Custom quote, EDR Premium paid tier | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | PortalEmailPhone | SlackTeamsEmailPortal |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | APAC | North America |
| Onboarding | Requires AhnLab V3, EPP and EDR plus external transmission of AhnLab EDR detection logs. Public materials do not publish a standard onboarding timeline. | Hours to days via API integrations. 7-minute initial tool connection demonstrated. |
| Industry focus | TechnologyFinancial ServicesManufacturingGovernmentHealthcare | Financial ServicesHealthcareTechnologyEducationEnergy |
| MTTD | Not published | Not separately published |
| MTTR | Not published | 14 minutes for critical/high incidents with auto-remediation. 22 minutes average alert-to-fix for critical alerts. |
| Community view | AhnLab has stronger public proof around endpoint products than around MDR delivery. English-language MDR-specific buyer reviews are sparse, so buyers should validate analyst quality, escalation process and regional support through references. | Forrester Wave MDR Leader Q1 2025 (5/5 in 15 of 21 criteria). Gartner Peer Insights 4.6/5 (142 reviews). G2 4.8/5. PeerSpot 9.0/10. Widely praised for transparency, integration breadth, and speed. Primary criticism: threat hunting and incident response are add-ons, not included. |
| Compliance | MITRE ATT&CK evaluationsSE Labs Advanced Security Test | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001:2013ISO 27701:2019GDPR |
| Certifications | SE Labs AAA rating for AhnLab EPP/EDRMITRE ATT&CK Evaluations Round 7 participant | SOC 2 Type II (annual audit May 1 to April 30)ISO 27001:2013ISO 27701:2019 (processor) |
| Founded | 1995 | 2016 |
| Data retention | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. AhnLab EDR collects endpoint behavior, file, registry, network, process, system and Windows event-log data for analysis in EDR Analyzer. | Per-contract basis with automated secure disposal per retention policy |
| API available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between AhnLab and Expel?
AhnLab is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Expel is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). AhnLab covers 1 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for Expel.
How do AhnLab and Expel differ in response capabilities?
AhnLab supports 3 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Expel supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable.
How does AhnLab pricing compare to Expel?
AhnLab pricing: Not published. Expel pricing: Starting at $11,640/year. Custom quotes based on environment size and coverage areas.. Watch for with AhnLab: The service is tied to AhnLab's endpoint stack, so buyers with existing CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender or SentinelOne deployments should price migration and overlap.; AhnLab separates basic MDR from paid EDR Premium. Buyers should confirm which response actions are included in each tier.. Watch for with Expel: Threat hunting is NOT included in base MDR, it is a separate add-on; Incident response is NOT included and must be obtained separately.
Should I choose AhnLab or Expel?
Choose AhnLab if: south Korean and APAC organizations that already run AhnLab V3, EPP and EDR. Choose Expel if: mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing security tools wanting vendor-agnostic MDR. AhnLab is not ideal for buyers that want MDR layered on top of existing CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, SentinelOne or other endpoint tools. Expel is not ideal for organizations wanting platform-native MDR from a single vendor (Expel requires existing security tools).
Daylight Security
AI-native MDR for buyers comparing active remediation across endpoint, cloud, identity, and SaaS. Daylight works with existing EDR/SIEM stacks and uses ChatOps-native collaboration, so it can be a useful third reference point in this comparison.