AirMDR vs Thales (S21sec)
AirMDR is a AI-native MDR that works with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. AirMDR targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Thales (S21sec) serves Enterprise. AirMDR includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 2 for Thales (S21sec) (Network, OT/ICS).
Buyer brief
AirMDR is a AI-native MDR that works with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. AirMDR targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Thales (S21sec) serves Enterprise. AirMDR includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 2 for Thales (S21sec) (Network, OT/ICS).
AirMDR (AI-native MDR) and Thales (S21sec) (Services firm) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize AirMDR's ai-native architecture with 240+ integrations (vendor-claimed) and aggressive trial terms or Thales (S21sec)'s thales/s21sec is strongest for complex, regulated and critical-sector environments that value glo....
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | SMBs and mid-market companies (100-1000 employees) priced out of traditional MDR | Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response |
| Price | Not published | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 2/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Reports only |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- 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
- Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 2/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Reports only
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | AirMDRTECH-AGNOSTIC | Thales (S21sec)TECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market | Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeSentinelOneMicrosoft DefenderSophos | Customer endpoint security tools |
| SIEM integrations | SplunkElasticMicrosoft SentinelGoogle ChronicleSumo LogicIBM QRadar | Customer SIEM platformsThales SOC tooling |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | ContainCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Identity | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| 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. | Custom quote for Thales Cyber Detection and Response, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR. Public prices are not published. |
| 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. | The current S21sec domain routes to Thales-branded services, so buyers wanting legacy S21sec-specific delivery should confirm contracting entity, SOC location and delivery team.. Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD/MTTR or formal MDR SLAs.. Thales offers a broad cybersecurity services portfolio; buyers should separate base MDR scope from CTI, DRPS, DFIR, CERT, ICS monitoring and advisory services.. Named endpoint, identity and cloud containment actions are not public and should be confirmed tool by tool.. Data retention, raw log access, offboarding and detection-content export rights are not described publicly. |
| Data portability | Limited | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual | Custom cyber detection and response engagement, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR, Critical-infrastructure cybersecurity services |
| Channels | SlackTeamsEmailPortal | EmailPhonePortal |
| Data access | Dashboards | Reports only |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | North America | EuropeMEAAPAC |
| Onboarding | 2-4 weeks (initial setup in 2 hours, full deployment within 4 weeks) | Not published. Thales describes customer-centric service roadmaps and selecting/deploying detection and response technologies, but no standard MDR onboarding timeline. |
| Industry focus | TechnologyBusiness ServicesFinancial Services | Critical InfrastructureGovernmentDefenseEnergyManufacturingAviationSpaceFinancial ServicesTelecommunicationsHealthcareTransportationAutomotiveUtilitiesMaritime |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Under 5 minutes for 90-95% of investigations (figures vary across vendor pages) | Not published |
| 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. | The current public evidence is strong for Thales-branded global SOC, MDR, CTI, DFIR and critical-infrastructure detection and response, but weak for S21sec as a standalone public MDR brand. Buyers should validate current delivery model, SOC location, response authority, pricing and whether the contract is with Thales/S21sec in the relevant country. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 | DORATIBER-EUPCI DSSEASA Part-ISEASAICAOUNECE |
| Certifications | SOC 2 | 8 threat intelligence and AI-driven SOCs around the worldSOCs in France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain, and New Zealand and Australia |
| Founded | 2023 | – |
| Data retention | Not published | Not published. Public pages do not describe default log retention, raw log access, storage tiers or export terms for Thales SOC and MDR. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between AirMDR and Thales (S21sec)?
AirMDR is an AI-native MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). AirMDR covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 2 for Thales (S21sec).
How do AirMDR and Thales (S21sec) 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. Thales (S21sec) supports 2 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, network containment) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with AirMDR and included with Thales (S21sec).
How does AirMDR pricing compare to Thales (S21sec)?
AirMDR pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Thales (S21sec) pricing: Not published. 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 Thales (S21sec): The current S21sec domain routes to Thales-branded services, so buyers wanting legacy S21sec-specific delivery should confirm contracting entity, SOC location and delivery team.; Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD/MTTR or formal MDR SLAs..
Should I choose AirMDR or Thales (S21sec)?
Choose AirMDR if: sMBs and mid-market companies (100-1000 employees) priced out of traditional MDR. Choose Thales (S21sec) if: critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response. AirMDR is not ideal for enterprises requiring a proven vendor track record and extensive customer references. Thales (S21sec) is not ideal for buyers that need a standalone legacy S21sec-branded MDR package.
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.