Rapid7 vs Red Canary: MDR Comparison 2026
Rapid7 (EDR vendor) and Red Canary (Pure-play MDR) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Rapid7 requires its own security platform, while Red Canary works with your existing tools. Rapid7 targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; Red Canary focuses on SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise.
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Rapid7 vs Red Canary: Which Should You Choose?
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
- •Breach warranty matters to you (Rapid7 offers one, Red Canary does not)
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: Rapid7 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 Rapid7 and Red Canary?
Rapid7 is an EDR vendor 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 Rapid7 and Red Canary differ in response capabilities?
Rapid7 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 Rapid7 and not included with Red Canary.
How does Rapid7 pricing compare to Red Canary?
Rapid7 pricing: Starting ~$17/asset/month; $30,000-$150,000+/year for enterprise deployments. 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 Rapid7: Requires Rapid7 Insight Agent on at least 80% of supported assets; Enterprise tier significantly more expensive than Essentials. 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 Rapid7 or Red Canary?
Choose Rapid7 if: mid-market to enterprise organizations wanting full data transparency alongside MDR. 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). Rapid7 is not ideal for small organizations with fewer than 100 assets seeking budget MDR. Red Canary is not ideal for global organizations needing follow-the-sun SOC coverage — only Denver SOC confirmed.