Red Canary vs ThreatDown: MDR Comparison 2026
Red Canary (Pure-play MDR) and ThreatDown (MDR provider) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Red Canary works with your existing tools, while ThreatDown requires its own security platform. Red Canary targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; ThreatDown focuses on SMB and Mid-market. Red Canary includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 1 for ThreatDown (Endpoint).
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Red Canary vs ThreatDown: 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
- •You need Cloud and SaaS and Identity and Network coverage included in base pricing
Choose ThreatDown if:
- •SMBs and IT-constrained mid-market organizations wanting affordable MDR with published pricing ($99/endpoint/year)
- •MSPs wanting channel-first MDR with multi-tenant OneView console and RMM integrations
- •Organizations needing fast deployment — agent installs in minutes, MDR activates immediately
Bottom line: ThreatDown 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 Red Canary and ThreatDown?
Red Canary is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). ThreatDown is a MDR provider that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Red Canary covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 1 for ThreatDown.
How do Red Canary and ThreatDown 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. ThreatDown supports 3 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, file quarantine) and approval is configurable.
How does Red Canary pricing compare to ThreatDown?
Red Canary pricing: Not publicly disclosed. User-reported: ~$100/endpoint/year (2023 PeerSpot data point, may have changed). Available through AWS Marketplace.. ThreatDown pricing: MDR included at $99/endpoint/year (Elite) or $119/endpoint/year (Ultimate). Server endpoints: $129-179/year. Mobile: $10/device. (5-seat minimum). 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 ThreatDown: Endpoint-only coverage — no cloud workload, SaaS, identity, or network monitoring; Platform-native lock-in — cannot BYO CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, or Defender.
Should I choose Red Canary or ThreatDown?
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 ThreatDown if: sMBs and IT-constrained mid-market organizations wanting affordable MDR with published pricing ($99/endpoint/year). Red Canary is not ideal for global organizations needing follow-the-sun SOC coverage — only Denver SOC confirmed. ThreatDown is not ideal for enterprise organizations needing multi-surface coverage (cloud, SaaS, identity, network, OT).