AirMDR vs Palo Alto Networks
AirMDR is a AI-native MDR that works with your existing tools. Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. AirMDR targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Palo Alto Networks serves Mid-market and Enterprise.
Buyer brief
AirMDR is a AI-native MDR that works with your existing tools. Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. AirMDR targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Palo Alto Networks serves Mid-market and Enterprise.
Palo Alto Networks is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. AirMDR is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | SMBs and mid-market companies (100-1000 employees) priced out of traditional MDR | Enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR |
| Price | Not published | Cortex XDR Pro platform: ~$81/endpoint/yr; MDR extra |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 6/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Requires own platform |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Warranty | None listed | Available |
- Best fit
- SMBs and mid-market companies (100-1000 employees) priced out of traditional MDR
- Price
- Not published
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR
- Price
- Cortex XDR Pro platform: ~$81/endpoint/yr; MDR extra
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- Available
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | AirMDRTECH-AGNOSTIC | Palo Alto NetworksPLATFORM |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Positive |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Requires their platform |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeSentinelOneMicrosoft DefenderSophos | Cortex XDR (native, required for full endpoint D&R)Third-party EDR telemetry (MSIAM 2.0, Feb 2026) |
| SIEM integrations | SplunkElasticMicrosoft SentinelGoogle ChronicleSumo LogicIBM QRadar | Cortex XSIAM (native) |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Cortex XDR Pro: ~$81/endpoint/year reported (platform only, pricing sources vary). Unit 42 MDR service is additional custom pricing. Total cost depends on endpoints, tier, coverage scope, and contract terms. |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | ✓ |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | Yes |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | Extra cost | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Annual contract. AirMDR claims 2-3X lower costs than traditional MDR, but specific per-endpoint pricing is not published. No onboarding fees. | Subscription-based, custom pricing. Cortex XDR/XSIAM platform license required as prerequisite, with Unit 42 MDR service as additional subscription. |
| Hidden cost warnings | No published pricing. Requires sales contact despite targeting SMBs who typically prefer self-serve.. Annual contract required. No month-to-month option mentioned.. Pricing model unclear. May vary by integration count or alert volume, so get a written breakdown before signing.. Seed-stage company (founded 2023, $15.5M raised). Ask about financial runway and service continuity planning. | Cortex XDR/XSIAM platform license is a significant prerequisite cost on top of MDR service fee. Cortex Data Lake storage costs are separate and scale with data volume. Renewal price increases reported by community (up to 225% per some Gartner reviews). Best experience requires native Cortex XDR agent, third-party EDR support available via MSIAM 2.0 but with reduced fidelity. Enterprise pricing only, not accessible for SMBs |
| Data portability | Limited | Limited |
| Contract terms | Annual | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | SlackTeamsEmailPortal | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | North America | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | 2-4 weeks (initial setup in 2 hours, full deployment within 4 weeks) | 4-8 weeks typical for enterprise |
| Industry focus | TechnologyBusiness ServicesFinancial Services | Government/Public SectorFinancial ServicesHealthcareTechnologyCritical Infrastructure |
| MTTD | Not published | Not formally published. Customers report up to 90% reduction. 2x faster than average MDR participant (Frost & Sullivan 2024). Green Bay Packers case study: 5-minute response time. |
| MTTR | Under 5 minutes for 90-95% of investigations (figures vary across vendor pages) | Not formally published. Green Bay Packers case study: median resolution time 42 minutes with Cortex XSIAM. Customers report up to 90% reduction in MTTR. |
| Community view | Very limited community reviews as of March 2026. PeerSpot shows 0.2% mindshare with no collected reviews. No Reddit discussions or G2 reviews found. Omdia published an 'On the Radar' analyst brief covering AirMDR's AI-native approach. Raised $15.5M seed in July 2025 (Race Capital, Foundation Capital, Storm Ventures) and earned Black Hat USA 2025 Startup Spotlight honorable mention. Strong AI automation claims but almost no third-party validation yet. | PeerSpot 8.4/10 (Cortex XDR platform, not MDR-specific). Frost & Sullivan Frost Radar Leader Global MDR 2024 and 2025. Strong detection capabilities and threat intelligence praised. Pricing is the most consistent complaint. No G2 MDR listing. No Reddit discussion specific to Unit 42 MDR found. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 | SOC 2+ (aligned to HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, UK NCSC)ISO 27001FedRAMP ModerateDoD IL5StateRAMP |
| Certifications | SOC 2 | SOC 2+ (with HIPAA Security Rule alignment)ISO 27001FedRAMP Moderate (Cortex XDR, Cortex Data Lake, Prisma Access, Prisma Cloud, WildFire)DoD IL5StateRAMPGovRAMP |
| Founded | 2023 | 2005 |
| Data retention | Not published | Cortex Data Lake: ~$11,000 per 1TB. Retention configurable by customer. |
| API available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between AirMDR and Palo Alto Networks?
AirMDR is an AI-native MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack).
How do AirMDR and Palo Alto Networks differ in response capabilities?
AirMDR supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Palo Alto Networks supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable.
How does AirMDR pricing compare to Palo Alto Networks?
AirMDR pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Palo Alto Networks pricing: Cortex XDR Pro: ~$81/endpoint/year reported (platform only, pricing sources vary). Unit 42 MDR service is additional custom pricing. Total cost depends on endpoints, tier, coverage scope, and contract terms.. Watch for with AirMDR: No published pricing. Requires sales contact despite targeting SMBs who typically prefer self-serve.; Annual contract required. No month-to-month option mentioned.. Watch for with Palo Alto Networks: Cortex XDR/XSIAM platform license is a significant prerequisite cost on top of MDR service fee; Cortex Data Lake storage costs are separate and scale with data volume.
Should I choose AirMDR or Palo Alto Networks?
Choose AirMDR if: sMBs and mid-market companies (100-1000 employees) priced out of traditional MDR. Choose Palo Alto Networks if: enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR. AirMDR is not ideal for enterprises requiring a proven vendor track record and extensive customer references. Palo Alto Networks is not ideal for sMBs or budget-constrained organizations (significant platform prerequisites plus MDR service fee).
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.