Red Canary vs ThreatDown
Red Canary is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. ThreatDown is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Red Canary targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; ThreatDown serves SMB and Mid-market. Red Canary includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 1 for ThreatDown (Endpoint).
Buyer brief
Red Canary is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. ThreatDown is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Red Canary targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; ThreatDown serves SMB and Mid-market. Red Canary includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 1 for ThreatDown (Endpoint).
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.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Linux-heavy environments needing purpose-built Linux EDR for containers and Kubernetes | SMBs and IT-constrained organizations wanting affordable MDR with published pricing |
| Price | Core rates, period unstated: $120/endpoint + $100/user + $250/cloud resource | $99/endpoint/yr |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 3/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Requires own platform |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Linux-heavy environments needing purpose-built Linux EDR for containers and Kubernetes
- Price
- Core rates, period unstated: $120/endpoint + $100/user + $250/cloud resource
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- SMBs and IT-constrained organizations wanting affordable MDR with published pricing
- Price
- $99/endpoint/yr
- Response authority
- 3/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Red CanaryTECH-AGNOSTIC | ThreatDownPLATFORM |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market |
| Sentiment | Positive | Positive |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Requires their platform |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeMicrosoft DefenderSentinelOneCarbon BlackPalo Alto CortexTrend MicroJamfRed Canary Linux EDR | ThreatDown EDR (native, required) |
| SIEM integrations | Microsoft Sentinel | Splunk Enterprise (log export)Microsoft Sentinel (log export)Google Chronicle (log export) |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: Not coveredIDIdentity: Not coveredSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: Not coveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | IsolateKill processQuarantine |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Core Plan: $120/endpoint + $100/user + $250/cloud resource. Billing period not stated in profile data. Complete and Enterprise plans priced higher. Available through AWS Marketplace. | MDR at $99/endpoint/year (Elite) or $119/endpoint/year (Ultimate). Server: $129-179/year. Mobile: $10/device. |
| Minimum seats | None | 5 |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | Yes |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | Not offered |
| Identity | ✓ Included | Not offered |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | Not offered |
| Network | ✓ Included | Not offered |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Resource-based pricing: per-endpoint + per-user + per-cloud-resource. Three tiers: Core (SMB), Complete (mid-market), Enterprise (custom with dedicated support). | Per-endpoint, published pricing. Four bundles: Core ($69), Advanced ($79), Elite ($99, includes MDR), Ultimate ($119, MDR+DNS+Premium). Server: $129-179/year. Mobile: $10/device. 5-endpoint minimum. 10% discount for 2-year commitment. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Resource-based pricing (endpoint + user + cloud) can scale unexpectedly as environments grow. Elevated customer churn post-Zscaler acquisition disclosed in Feb 2026 earnings, market mindshare declined 4.2% to 2.9% year-over-year. Single SOC location in Denver with no follow-the-sun model documented. Enterprise tier required for dedicated support and custom features. Vendor-agnostic positioning may erode over time under Zscaler ownership per Forrester | Endpoint-only coverage, no cloud workload, SaaS, identity, or network monitoring. Platform-native lock-in, cannot BYO CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, or Defender. No dedicated analyst or account manager, pooled SOC model |
| Data portability | Partial | Limited |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year | Annual, 2-year (10% discount) |
| Channels | SlackTeamsEmailPortalPhone | SlackTeamsPortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North America | North America |
| Onboarding | Days to weeks depending on environment complexity and number of integrations | Minutes after agent deployment |
| Industry focus | TechnologyFinancial ServicesHealthcareGovernmentEducation | EducationGovernmentHealthcareManufacturingMSP/Channel |
| MTTD | Sub-minute median time to acknowledge (vendor-published, measured from alert reaching analyst) | Not published |
| MTTR | Seconds for automated containment, minutes for analyst-driven response | Not published |
| Community view | Forrester Wave MDR Leader Q1 2025. G2 4.7/5 (127 reviews, #1 customer satisfaction). Gartner Peer Insights 4.6/5 (131+ reviews). PeerSpot 9.0/10. Product quality remains strong post-Zscaler acquisition, but Zscaler disclosed elevated customer churn in Feb 2026 earnings with market mindshare declining from 4.2% to 2.9% year-over-year. | G2 4.6/5 (1,074 reviews) with multiple Leader awards (Best ROI, Easiest to Use). Gartner Peer Insights 4.6/5 (904 reviews) for EDR, though MDR-specific reviews are fewer. MRG Effitas EPP Product of the Year 2025. IDC MarketScape 2024: Leader for endpoint security (Small Business). Praised for simplicity and price transparency. Main knock: endpoint-only with platform lock-in. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001 |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II (annual independent assessment)ISO 27001:2013 (annual independent assessment)Working toward FedRAMP certification | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001 |
| Founded | 2014 | 2008 |
| Data retention | Security Data Lake with SQL query interface during service. Specific retention periods available on request. | Not publicly disclosed |
| API available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
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 Platform vendor 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 (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. ThreatDown supports 3 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, file quarantine, process termination) and approval is configurable.
How does Red Canary pricing compare to ThreatDown?
Red Canary pricing: Core Plan: $120/endpoint + $100/user + $250/cloud resource. Billing period not stated in profile data. Complete and Enterprise plans priced higher. Available through AWS Marketplace.. ThreatDown pricing: MDR at $99/endpoint/year (Elite) or $119/endpoint/year (Ultimate). Server: $129-179/year. Mobile: $10/device. (5-seat minimum). Watch for with Red Canary: Resource-based pricing (endpoint + user + cloud) can scale unexpectedly as environments grow; Elevated customer churn post-Zscaler acquisition disclosed in Feb 2026 earnings, market mindshare declined 4.2% to 2.9% year-over-year. 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: organizations with existing EDR investments (CrowdStrike, Microsoft, SentinelOne, Carbon Black, Cortex XDR, Trend Micro, Jamf) wanting MDR layered on top. Choose ThreatDown if: sMBs and IT-constrained organizations wanting affordable MDR with published pricing. 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).
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.