The 12 Best Managed XDR Services, Compared and Priced

Best value overall: Bitdefender — competent managed XDR at pricing that mid-market organizations can approve, which most of this list cannot claim.

Best detection research: Secureworks Taegis.

Best telemetry breadth: Palo Alto Unit 42.

Best for keeping your existing tools: Stellar Cyber and ReliaQuest.

Best Microsoft-native: Ontinue.

MXDR is MDR with a wider aperture and a wider bill. While standard managed detection and response (MDR) services focus primarily on endpoint telemetry, managed XDR expands across identity, cloud, and network vectors.

Stage 1 — Test Whether You’re Buying MXDR or Rebranded MDR

The acronym is doing a lot of marketing work. Here’s how to tell the difference in a sales conversation.

Ask this exact question: “List every telemetry source you will ingest, actively monitor, and write custom detections against in my environment and put it in the contract.”

Three answers you’ll get:

• A specific list covering endpoints, identity provider, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, cloud accounts, firewalls, and email security. This is genuine MXDR, providing multi-layered protection aligned with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) principles.

• “We ingest anything” ingestion is not monitoring. Data sitting in a lake nobody writes detections for is storage, not security.

• Endpoint plus “integrations available” this is MDR with a new label.

Why it matters commercially: MXDR typically costs 30–60% more than endpoint-only MDR from the same provider. That premium is worth paying when identity and cloud telemetry are genuinely monitored, because that’s where modern intrusions progress. It is worth nothing if the extra sources are ingested and ignored.

One consolidation fact: Sophos completed its acquisition of Secureworks in February 2025 at approximately $859 million. Secureworks Taegis appears on this list and remains distinct in market, but if a competing provider on your shortlist is also Sophos-owned, that’s one negotiation, not two.

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Stage 2 — Understand the Three Pricing Models

MXDR pricing is more variable than MDR because data volume enters the equation.

Model	How it’s charged	Who uses it	Budget risk
Per endpoint / user	Flat rate per protected asset	Bitdefender, CrowdStrike, Trend Micro	Low — predictable
Per endpoint + ingestion	Base rate plus per-GB data charge	Palo Alto, Rapid7, deepwatch	High — scales with log volume
Per user / per asset, all-in	Flat, ingestion included	Stellar Cyber, Ontinue, ReliaQuest	Low — the reason to prefer it

The practical advice: if your log volume is high or unpredictable — heavy cloud usage, verbose firewalls, large Microsoft 365 estate — strongly prefer models that don’t meter ingestion. The predictability is worth a higher headline rate.

Before taking any quote: estimate your daily gigabyte volume from current tooling. Then require every provider to quote at that volume, with the overage rate written down. This single step prevents the most common MXDR budget failure.

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Stage 3 — The Twelve Providers

Platform-native — deepest correlation, most lock-in

Palo Alto (Unit 42)

The widest native telemetry here, correlating endpoint, network, cloud, and identity in Cortex XDR, monitored by analysts from a dedicated Security Operations Center (SOC) incident response practice.

Cost: per endpoint plus ingestion; premium.

Watch for: ingestion modelling is essential; requires Cortex; but the ability to escalate seamlessly from detection into full IR with the same team is genuinely rare.

Image ALT: Palo Alto Unit 42 managed XDR across endpoint, network and cloud

CrowdStrike

Elite detection with unilateral containment authority, extending natively from Falcon endpoint detection and response (EDR)
into identity and cloud workloads.

Cost: modular per endpoint plus log ingestion; premium.

Watch for: module accumulation as you widen telemetry coverage; requires Falcon.

Image ALT: CrowdStrike managed XDR with OverWatch threat hunting

Trend Micro

Broad native telemetry with email as a first-class source, delivering unified protection across endpoint, email, and cloud security platforms.

Cost: credit-based consumption; mid-to-premium.

Watch for: the credit model is hard to forecast — insist on a modelled estimate.

Image ALT: Trend Micro managed XDR across email, endpoint and cloud

Fortinet

broad Security Fabric telemetry with automated cross-product response, at strong value inside a Fortinet estate.

Cost: per device or endpoint; good value.

Watch for: Value collapses outside the Fabric; Fortinet’s exploited-vulnerability record, including items listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, makes patch and response commitments important contract terms.

Image ALT: Fortinet managed XDR Security Fabric telemetry and response

Bitdefender

The best value in this list, delivering competent managed XDR and proven business antivirus protection at pricing well below the premium providers.

Cost: per endpoint, accessible tiers.

Watch for: telemetry breadth narrowest among the serious contenders; threat research below the leaders.

Image ALT: Bitdefender managed detection and response console

Huntress

Managed EDR combines endpoint detection and response (EDR) with 24/7 security operations, threat hunting, and human-led investigation, helping reduce alert noise and the workload on internal security teams.

Cost: per endpoint; generally transparent subscription pricing rather than traditional quote-only enterprise pricing.

Watch for: Huntress is primarily a managed EDR/MDR service, so it is not a one-for-one replacement for Cybereason’s MalOp-centric XDR investigation model. Confirm integrations, response capabilities, telemetry coverage, and enterprise requirements before switching.

Image ALT: Huntress Managed EDR threat detection, investigation, and response

Open and tool-agnostic — keep your stack

Secureworks (Taegis)

The strongest detection research in this list applied across an open telemetry model, backed by advanced threat intelligence tools and a transparent portal showing analyst work.

Cost: per endpoint or asset; premium.

Watch for: now inside Sophos — ask about Taegis roadmap commitment.

Image ALT: Secureworks Taegis managed XDR detection portal

Stellar Cyber

Purpose-built open XDR delivered as a managed service, heavily utilized by leading managed security service providers (MSSPs) for flexible multi-tenancy.

Cost: flat per user/asset; strong predictability.

Watch for: correlation depth necessarily shallower than native platforms; smaller vendor.

Image ALT: Stellar Cyber open XDR managed service ingesting third-party telemetry

ReliaQuest

GreyMatter normalizes and automates across the security tools you already own, ranking among top cybersecurity platforms for vendor-agnostic orchestration.

Cost: generally flat; mid-to-premium.

Watch for: value scales with how many tools you’re unifying; confirm your specific tools are supported.

Image ALT: ReliaQuest GreyMatter unified security operations platform

Rapid7

Managed detection combined with vulnerability management and broad network security tools in one relationship.

Cost: per asset with ingestion allowances.

Watch for: response generally advisory rather than unilateral; scope the portfolio carefully.

Image ALT: Rapid7 managed XDR with vulnerability and cloud context

deepwatch

SIEM-centric managed operations with a named squad model, optimizing log feeds from cloud access security brokers (CASB) and enterprise repositories.

Cost: SIEM-based, so ingestion matters; mid-to-premium.

Watch for: confirm supported SIEM platforms and whether licensing is included.

Image ALT: deepwatch managed detection and response squad operations

Ontinue

Microsoft-native managed XDR built entirely around Defender and Sentinel, operating seamlessly within the Microsoft Zero Trust ecosystem with collaboration delivered inside Microsoft Teams.

Cost: flat per user; assumes Microsoft licensing you already hold, which makes total cost unusually low.

Watch for: Microsoft-only by design; irrelevant if your telemetry isn’t Defender-based.

Image ALT: Ontinue Microsoft-native managed XDR with Teams collaboration

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Stage 4 — Scope the Service Properly

Write the telemetry source list into the contract. Endpoints, identity provider, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, cloud accounts, firewalls, email security, SaaS applications. For each, specify: ingested, monitored, or custom detections written. These are three different levels of service and providers will happily let you assume the highest.

Confirm response authority per source. A provider may have containment authority on endpoints but only advisory capability on identity — which matters, because disabling a compromised account is often the most urgent action available.

Establish the IR boundary. MXDR typically covers containment. Forensics, root cause analysis, regulatory notification support, and recovery are usually separate. Palo Alto’s Unit 42 is notable for having both under one roof; most providers do not.

Ask what happens to your data. Where is it stored, for how long, in what format, and can you export it if you leave? MXDR generates a lot of data and it is a real switching cost.

Test the escalation path. Ransomware detected at 2 a.m. Saturday: who does what, in what order, how fast, and who calls you. The answer quality predicts your experience.

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Stage 5 — Negotiate

Normalize scope across quotes. Same telemetry sources, same retention, same response authority. Otherwise you’re comparing different products with the same acronym.

Separate platform cost from service cost. Palo Alto, CrowdStrike, Trend Micro, Fortinet, and Bitdefender services require their platforms. Secureworks, Stellar Cyber, ReliaQuest, deepwatch, and Ontinue are more flexible. Add the platform line before comparing.

Prefer committed ingestion tiers to on-demand rates where ingestion is metered committed volume is substantially cheaper, and mid-term adjustment is usually negotiable.

Push for price protection on multi-year terms. Ingestion rates tend to rise; lock them.

Common mistakes: paying the MXDR premium for sources that are ingested but not monitored; excluding identity telemetry when identity is where most attacks progress; and buying premium XDR platform licensing and premium MXDR when a mid-priced platform plus strong managed service delivers more security per pound.

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Cost-Focused FAQ

How much do managed XDR services cost?

MXDR is priced per endpoint or per user per month, often with data ingestion charged separately by volume, and nearly all providers are quote-based.

Expect MXDR to cost roughly 30–60% more than endpoint-only MDR from the same provider. Providers using flat per-user or per-asset licensing without ingestion metering — Stellar Cyber, Ontinue, ReliaQuest — offer far more predictable budgeting.

Which managed XDR service is cheapest?

Bitdefender offers the best value among the broad providers, and Ontinue is often lowest in total cost for Microsoft-centric organizations because it leverages Defender and Sentinel licensing you already hold.

Fortinet is strong value inside a Fortinet estate. The cheapest headline rate is rarely the cheapest total once ingestion is counted.

Is MXDR worth the premium over MDR?

Only if the additional telemetry sources are genuinely monitored with custom detections written against them, not merely ingested. Modern intrusions progress through identity and cloud, so monitoring those sources has real value — but verify in the contract that monitoring, not just ingestion, is what you’re buying.

Do I have to buy the provider’s XDR platform?

It depends. Palo Alto, CrowdStrike, Trend Micro, Fortinet, and Bitdefender services run on their own platforms which you must license. Secureworks Taegis, Stellar Cyber, ReliaQuest, deepwatch, and Ontinue work with tools you own or with Microsoft licensing you already hold. Normalize for this before comparing monthly prices.

What is the hidden cost of managed XDR?

Data ingestion. MXDR means more telemetry, and most providers meter it by volume. Estimate your daily gigabyte volume before taking quotes, require every provider to price at that volume, and get the overage rate in writing. This is where MXDR budgets most commonly fail.

Does managed XDR replace a SIEM?

For security detection, often yes — MXDR providers bring their own detection content and analyst coverage, which removes much of the engineering burden a SIEM imposes.

For compliance log retention and non-security data, a SIEM is usually still required. Several providers here, notably deepwatch, operate on top of your existing SIEM rather than replacing it.

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Bottom Line

Bitdefender is the value pick for mid-market organizations, and Ontinue is often cheapest in total for Microsoft-centric estates because it rides licensing you already own.

Secureworks Taegis brings the strongest detection research while letting you keep your tools, and Palo Alto Unit 42 offers the widest telemetry with a clean path into full incident response.

Stellar Cyber and ReliaQuest deserve attention purely for pricing predictability — flat licensing beats metered ingestion when your log volume is uncertain.

Before any of that, make the provider write the telemetry list into the contract. That list is the product; the acronym is not.

More on GBHackers:

•             Best Managed Detection & Response (MDR) Services, Compared and Priced

•             Best Extended Detection & Response (XDR) Platforms, Compared and Priced

•             Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Companies

•             Best Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) Solutions, Compared and Priced

•             Best MSSP (Managed Security Service Providers)

•             Best EDR Companies

•             Best Antivirus (Endpoint Protection) Software for Business, Compared and Priced

•             Best Zero Trust Solutions

•             Best Network Security Tools

•             Best Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB)

•             Best Cybersecurity Companies