Expel vs Rapid7
Buyer brief
Updated 2026-03-09
Both give you full query access to your security data, which puts them in a small minority among MDR providers. Rapid7 keeps 13 months of data in InsightIDR, while Expel's Workbench retention is set per contract. Both support Slack for real-time SOC communication, though Expel gates that behind the Premium tier.
Expel connects to your existing tools via API and requires no agent. Rapid7 needs their Insight Agent on 80%+ of assets with a 500-asset minimum, so if you have fewer than 500 assets or don't want to deploy another agent, Rapid7 isn't an option.
Rapid7 Ultimate bundles unlimited DFIR, a $1M breach warranty and InsightConnect SOAR, none of which Expel includes. Expel also charges separately for threat hunting. But Rapid7's tiered pricing creates a real gap between what Essential customers get (no dedicated advisors, limited response) and what Ultimate customers get.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing security tools wanting vendor-agnostic MDR | Mid-market to enterprise organizations (500+ assets) wanting full SIEM data transparency alongside MDR |
| Price | TrustRadius: from $11,640/yr | Est from ~$17/asset/mo, 500-asset min |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 6/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Requires own platform |
| Data access | Full query access | Full query access |
| Warranty | None listed | $1,000,000 |
- 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
- Best fit
- Mid-market to enterprise organizations (500+ assets) wanting full SIEM data transparency alongside MDR
- Price
- Est from ~$17/asset/mo, 500-asset min
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- $1,000,000
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | ExpelTECH-AGNOSTIC | Rapid7PLATFORM |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Very Positive | Positive |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Requires their platform |
| EDR integrations | Elastic CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, SentinelOne, Carbon Black, Palo Alto Cortex, Cybereason | Rapid7 Insight AgentCisco Secure EndpointTrend Micro Carbon Black, CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, SentinelOne, Palo Alto Cortex, Cybereason |
| SIEM integrations | SplunkMicrosoft SentinelPalo Alto Cortex XSIAMGoogle ChronicleExabeamSecuronixSumo LogicIBM QRadar | InsightIDR |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Starting at $11,640/year. Custom quotes based on environment size and coverage areas. | Third-party estimate: starting ~$17/asset/month. Mid-market deployments typically $60K-$80K/year. Enterprise $150K+/year. |
| Minimum seats | None | 500 |
| Breach warranty | – | $1,000,000 |
| ›› 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 | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | Extra cost | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | 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. | Per-asset monthly pricing. Three tiers: Essential, Advanced, Ultimate. Managed Threat Complete (MTC) bundles MDR + SIEM + VM + SOAR. MDR Elite available as standalone MDR service. |
| Hidden cost warnings | 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 | Requires Rapid7 Insight Agent on 80%+ of supported assets, minimum 500 assets. Breach warranty and unlimited DFIR only available on Ultimate tier. Essential tier has no dedicated cybersecurity advisors (Support Center only). Custom event sources and custom detections only on Advanced/Ultimate tiers |
| Data portability | Full | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | SlackTeamsEmailPortal | SlackEmailPortalPhone |
| Data access | Full query access | Full query access |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | North America | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | Hours to days via API integrations. 7-minute initial tool connection demonstrated. | Weeks, varies by environment size and Insight Agent deployment scope |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesHealthcareTechnologyEducationEnergy | ManufacturingHealthcareFinancial ServicesTechnologyRetail |
| MTTD | Not separately published | No absolute MTTD published. Comparative claim: 63% faster than in-house SOC teams. |
| MTTR | 14 minutes for critical/high incidents with auto-remediation. 22 minutes average alert-to-fix for critical alerts. | Not published |
| Community view | 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. | PeerSpot 8.6/10 (MDR). Gartner SIEM MQ recognized 7th year (2025). MITRE 2023: all 19 Turla attack phases detected. Praised for data transparency and analyst pod familiarity. Company underwent 18% layoffs in Aug 2023, explored PE sale in Q4 2024 (no deal), Jana Partners activist investor added 3 board seats in 2025. Revenue $860M (FY2025), guidance for 2026 slightly lower ($835-843M). |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001:2013ISO 27701:2019GDPR | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001GDPRCyber Essentials PlusFedRAMP Moderate (InsightGovCloud) |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II (annual audit May 1 to April 30)ISO 27001:2013ISO 27701:2019 (processor) | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001Cyber Essentials PlusFedRAMP Moderate (InsightGovCloud Platform) |
| Founded | 2016 | 2000 |
| Data retention | Per-contract basis with automated secure disposal per retention policy | 13 months |
| API available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between Expel and Rapid7?
Expel is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Rapid7 is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack).
How do Expel and Rapid7 differ in response capabilities?
Expel supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Rapid7 supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Expel and included with Rapid7.
How does Expel pricing compare to Rapid7?
Expel pricing: Starting at $11,640/year. Custom quotes based on environment size and coverage areas.. Rapid7 pricing: Third-party estimate: starting ~$17/asset/month. Mid-market deployments typically $60K-$80K/year. Enterprise $150K+/year. (500-seat minimum). 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. Watch for with Rapid7: Requires Rapid7 Insight Agent on 80%+ of supported assets, minimum 500 assets; Breach warranty and unlimited DFIR only available on Ultimate tier.
Should I choose Expel or Rapid7?
Choose Expel if: mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing security tools wanting vendor-agnostic MDR. Choose Rapid7 if: mid-market to enterprise organizations (500+ assets) wanting full SIEM data transparency alongside MDR. Expel is not ideal for organizations wanting platform-native MDR from a single vendor (Expel requires existing security tools). Rapid7 is not ideal for organizations with fewer than 500 assets (minimum requirement).
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.