Guide · MDR pricing
MDR cost guide
How MDR is priced
MDR sits between a product and a service, and its pricing reflects that. Providers meter on whatever maps best to their delivery model — most commonly users or endpoints, sometimes assets or a flat retainer. The common models:
| Model | Typical rate | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Per user / month | $7 – $25 | People-centric orgs; predictable headcount. |
| Per endpoint / month | $6 – $20 | Device-heavy estates. |
| Per asset / log source | varies | Server- and cloud-heavy environments. |
| Flat retainer | $3K – $30K+/mo | Fixed scope; defined SLA. |
Rates vary widely with response depth and coverage; active containment commands a premium over alert-only.
The vendor spread
"MDR" is a crowded label covering very different services. The spread in price tracks the spread in what you actually get — from alert triage to full 24/7 active response with a named analyst team.
| Tier | What you get | ~$/user/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Entry MDR | Endpoint monitoring, alert triage, business hours. | $7 – $12 |
| Standard MDR | 24/7 monitoring, investigation, guided response. | $12 – $18 |
| Full MDR | + active containment across endpoint, identity, cloud. | $18 – $25+ |
| Premium / IR-included | + tight SLA, threat hunting, incident-response hours. | $25+ |
In-house SOC vs MDR
The build-vs-buy decision turns on one expensive fact: 24/7 coverage requires roughly three shifts of analysts. Covering nights, weekends, and holidays takes 8–12 people, plus a SIEM, plus tooling and management. The comparison below is fully loaded (salary, benefits, tooling, overhead).
| Approach | Annual cost | Coverage | Time to value |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house 24/7 SOC | $1.2M – $3M+ | 24/7, full control | 6 – 18 months |
| Hybrid (day + MDR nights) | $400K – $1.2M | 24/7, shared | 2 – 4 months |
| MDR (fully outsourced) | $60K – $400K | 24/7, vendor-run | 2 – 6 weeks |
In-house SOC salary inputs anchored on BLS occupational statistics for security analysts and engineers.
"The hard part of a SOC isn't the tools — it's staffing 3am on a holiday weekend. MDR exists because that shift is brutally expensive to fill in-house, and attackers know exactly when you're not watching."
— SecurityBudget Research Team
Frequently asked questions
How much does MDR cost?
MDR is most often priced per user or per endpoint, commonly $7–$25 per user per month depending on scope and response depth. For mid-market organizations, all-in annual spend frequently lands between $60K and $400K. Asset-based and flat-retainer models also exist.
Is MDR cheaper than building an in-house SOC?
For most organizations under a few thousand employees, yes. A 24/7 in-house SOC needs 8–12 analysts to cover three shifts plus tooling, which runs well over $1M/year fully loaded. MDR delivers round-the-clock coverage for a fraction of that until you reach the scale where an internal SOC amortizes.
What is the difference between MDR and MSSP?
An MSSP traditionally manages devices and forwards alerts — you still investigate and respond. MDR is outcome-focused: the provider monitors, investigates, and actively responds (including containment) on your behalf, usually with their own detection platform. MDR typically costs more but reduces your in-house workload far more.
What drives MDR pricing?
Coverage scope (endpoints vs full estate including cloud and identity), response depth (alert-only vs active containment), data volume, and SLA tightness. A provider that will isolate a host at 3am costs more than one that emails you a ticket.
When does building an in-house SOC make sense?
Usually above roughly 2,000–5,000 employees, or when regulatory, data-residency, or latency requirements demand it. At that scale the fixed cost of a 24/7 team spreads across enough assets to rival or beat MDR — and many large orgs run a hybrid: internal team by day, MDR for after-hours.
References
See MDR in your full budget
MDR is one slice of detection & response. See how it weighs against SIEM and EDR in a complete program.
Open the budget calculatorEstimates are based on public pricing, industry benchmarks, and security frameworks. For planning only — not professional, financial, or legal advice.