Alert Logic vs Red Canary: MDR Comparison 2026
Alert Logic (Services firm) and Red Canary (Pure-play MDR) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Alert Logic requires its own security platform, while Red Canary works with your existing tools. Alert Logic targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Red Canary focuses on SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Alert Logic vs Red Canary: Which Should You Choose?
Choose Alert Logic if:
- •Mid-market companies (50-5,000 employees) with cloud-heavy or hybrid environments
- •AWS-centric organizations (Alert Logic is a founding AWS APN member)
- •Organizations needing PCI DSS, HIPAA, or SOC 2 compliance coverage
Choose Red Canary if:
- •Organizations wanting detection-as-code with all detections mapped to MITRE ATT&CK for transparency
- •Linux-heavy environments needing purpose-built Linux EDR (eBPF/Audit) for containers and Kubernetes
- •Security teams wanting Slack-native SOC communication with configurable automated response playbooks
Bottom line: Alert Logic is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Red Canary is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Alert Logic and Red Canary?
Alert Logic is a Services firm that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Red Canary is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Alert Logic offers ≤15 minutes, Red Canary offers Not disclosed.
How do Alert Logic and Red Canary differ in response capabilities?
Alert Logic supports 4 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, network containment, account disable, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Red Canary supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is included with Alert Logic and not included with Red Canary.
How does Alert Logic pricing compare to Red Canary?
Alert Logic pricing: Essentials $550/mo, Professional $2,400/mo, Enterprise $4,300-$4,500/mo (25-seat minimum). Red Canary pricing: Not publicly disclosed. User-reported: ~$100/endpoint/year (2023 PeerSpot data point, may have changed). Available through AWS Marketplace.. Watch for with Alert Logic: Essentials tier is vulnerability/compliance scanning only — no 24/7 SOC monitoring; Large price jumps between tiers ($550 to $2,400 to $4,300+). Watch for with Red Canary: Pricing not publicly disclosed — requires sales engagement for any quote; Resource-based pricing (per-endpoint + per-user + per-cloud) can scale unexpectedly.
Should I choose Alert Logic or Red Canary?
Choose Alert Logic if: mid-market companies (50-5,000 employees) with cloud-heavy or hybrid environments. Choose Red Canary if: mid-market organizations wanting vendor-agnostic MDR that works with their existing EDR (CrowdStrike, Microsoft, SentinelOne, Carbon Black, Cortex XDR, Trend Micro, Jamf). Alert Logic is not ideal for organizations needing robust native EDR (may still need CrowdStrike/Defender alongside). Red Canary is not ideal for global organizations needing follow-the-sun SOC coverage — only Denver SOC confirmed.