Red Canary vs ReliaQuest: MDR Comparison 2026
Red Canary and ReliaQuest are both categorized as Pure-play MDRs, but differ in execution. Red Canary works with your existing tools and targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations. ReliaQuest works with your existing tools and focuses on Mid-market and Enterprise. Red Canary includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 6 for ReliaQuest (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network, OT/ICS).
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Red Canary vs ReliaQuest: Which Should You Choose?
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
Choose ReliaQuest if:
- •Large enterprises with complex multi-vendor security stacks
- •Organizations wanting to keep existing SIEM/EDR investments
- •Security teams needing AI-driven automation at scale
- •You need OT/ICS coverage included in base pricing
Bottom line: ReliaQuest offers broader coverage (6 surfaces vs. 5). Red Canary may suit teams that need depth over breadth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Red Canary and ReliaQuest?
Red Canary is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). ReliaQuest is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Red Canary offers Not disclosed, ReliaQuest offers ≤15 minutes. Red Canary covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 6 for ReliaQuest.
How do Red Canary and ReliaQuest differ in response capabilities?
Red Canary supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. ReliaQuest 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 Red Canary and included with ReliaQuest.
How does Red Canary pricing compare to ReliaQuest?
Red Canary pricing: Not publicly disclosed. User-reported: ~$100/endpoint/year (2023 PeerSpot data point, may have changed). Available through AWS Marketplace.. ReliaQuest pricing: $172,500 average annual; up to $1,200,000 for large deployments. $5,000 per additional integrated technology.. 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. Watch for with ReliaQuest: High minimum contract value (enterprise-focused); Additional technology integrations add cost quickly.
Should I choose Red Canary or ReliaQuest?
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). Choose ReliaQuest if: large enterprises with complex multi-vendor security stacks. Red Canary is not ideal for global organizations needing follow-the-sun SOC coverage — only Denver SOC confirmed. ReliaQuest is not ideal for sMBs with limited security budgets.