Arctic Wolf vs Rapid7: MDR Comparison 2026
Arctic Wolf (Pure-play MDR) and Rapid7 (EDR vendor) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Arctic Wolf works with your existing tools, while Rapid7 requires its own security platform. Arctic Wolf targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Rapid7 focuses on SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Arctic Wolf vs Rapid7: Which Should You Choose?
Choose Arctic Wolf if:
- •Mid-market organizations (50-1000 employees) without a dedicated SOC
- •IT generalists overwhelmed by managing multiple security point solutions
- •Organizations wanting a technology-agnostic MDR that works with existing tools
Choose Rapid7 if:
- •Mid-market to enterprise organizations wanting full data transparency alongside MDR
- •Security teams that want to retain query access to their own data
- •Organizations needing active remediation without a fully outsourced model
- •You want direct Slack integration with your SOC
Bottom line: Rapid7 is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Arctic Wolf is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Arctic Wolf and Rapid7?
Arctic Wolf is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Rapid7 is an EDR vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). SLA commitments differ: Arctic Wolf offers ≤1 hour, Rapid7 offers Not disclosed.
How do Arctic Wolf and Rapid7 differ in response capabilities?
Arctic Wolf supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Rapid7 supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Arctic Wolf and included with Rapid7.
How does Arctic Wolf pricing compare to Rapid7?
Arctic Wolf pricing: Starting ~$20/user/month; MDR Basic ~$44,000/year for up to 100 users. Enterprise pricing is custom.. Rapid7 pricing: Starting ~$17/asset/month; $30,000-$150,000+/year for enterprise deployments. Watch for with Arctic Wolf: Incident response and remediation is guided, not performed on your behalf — may need separate IR retainer; Normalized data and active threat feed not directly accessible to customers — security operates as a 'black box' for some. Watch for with Rapid7: Requires Rapid7 Insight Agent on at least 80% of supported assets; Enterprise tier significantly more expensive than Essentials.
Should I choose Arctic Wolf or Rapid7?
Choose Arctic Wolf if: mid-market organizations (50-1000 employees) without a dedicated SOC. Choose Rapid7 if: mid-market to enterprise organizations wanting full data transparency alongside MDR. Arctic Wolf is not ideal for large enterprises requiring deep data access and custom detection engineering. Rapid7 is not ideal for small organizations with fewer than 100 assets seeking budget MDR.