Ontinue vs Red Canary: MDR Comparison 2026
Ontinue (Microsoft-ecosystem) and Red Canary (Pure-play MDR) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Ontinue requires its own security platform, while Red Canary works with your existing tools. Ontinue targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Red Canary focuses on SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Ontinue vs Red Canary: Which Should You Choose?
Choose Ontinue if:
- •Organizations heavily invested in Microsoft E5/Defender ecosystem
- •Teams wanting Microsoft Teams as primary SOC communication channel
- •Mid-market and enterprise needing fast onboarding on Microsoft stack
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
- •You want direct Slack integration with your SOC
Bottom line: Ontinue 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 Ontinue and Red Canary?
Ontinue is a Microsoft-ecosystem 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).
How do Ontinue and Red Canary differ in response capabilities?
Ontinue supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, 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 Ontinue and not included with Red Canary.
How does Ontinue pricing compare to Red Canary?
Ontinue pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. 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 Ontinue: Requires Microsoft E5 or Defender licenses as prerequisite; Microsoft Sentinel consumption costs are separate. 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 Ontinue or Red Canary?
Choose Ontinue if: organizations heavily invested in Microsoft E5/Defender ecosystem. 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). Ontinue is not ideal for organizations using non-Microsoft EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne). Red Canary is not ideal for global organizations needing follow-the-sun SOC coverage — only Denver SOC confirmed.