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Expel vs Rapid7 MDR comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Expel
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
SOC as a Service (5th)
Rapid7 MDR
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Expel is 2.4%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 MDR is 1.6%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Rapid7 MDR1.6%
Expel2.4%
Other96.0%
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2917971 - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder And Principal Technical Consultant at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Expel has transformed MDR workflows and now streamlines phishing response and SOC 2 audits
Some of the best features Expel offers is the ease of use. Ease of use is top of mind. It also provides an opportunity for me to replace my SOC. Not necessarily replace my SOC because I utilize contractors on an as-needed basis, but it allows me to stay lean. I do get 24/7 monitoring, although they recently shortened up on the 24/7 monitoring offering. It also allows me to augment the existing SOC that I have for larger companies or larger enterprises that rely on me for that. It then extends the use of the tools I already have, as I mentioned with SentinelOne. Octa is another that comes to mind, and then for larger organizations that use CrowdStrike.
Ehsan Khaleel - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager SOC at PTCL
Comprehensive detection has strengthened real-time protection and streamlined investigations
My experience with detection and response capabilities for Microsoft-centric environments has been positive. While API integration can be challenging with some third-party tools, Microsoft's built-in features facilitate seamless communication. I have found it relatively easy to triage and integrate Microsoft systems with Rapid7 MDR. In terms of digital forensics and incident response included in the MDR service, my experience is that it is not very robust. We lack a dedicated forensic team, which is essential for thorough investigation. Rapid7 has introduced honeypots, which is an encouraging feature, but it is not a comprehensive solution such as those offered by competitors, such as Palo Alto's Unit 42. Apart from forensics, I believe Rapid7 MDR should introduce more forensic services. Another area to improve is the active platform's handling of on-premises tools versus cloud-based tools. We prefer on-premises options for data security, and we find limitations in features compared to cloud-based tools, concerning data access and privacy controls.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Their threat hunting protocol and process with AI and machine learning are strong, allowing for active and rapid responses."
"Expel's customer support is great."
"All stakeholders claim that Rapid7 MDR is very effective at identifying threats in today's AI era."
"In my opinion, the best features Rapid7 MDR offers are the 24/7 coverage with unlimited incident response and also the latest AI-driven alerts, which is one of the best features I have seen recently."
"Rapid7 MDR has slashed our mean time to respond from several hours down to minutes and gives us enterprise-grade 24/7 SOC coverage without the massive overhead of hiring and staffing internally."
"The combination of advanced detection capability and expert SOC analyst support is a particular advantage, as it helps improve threat visibility and streamline investigation and response to security incidents more efficiently."
"Once we introduced Rapid7 MDR along with their vulnerability assessment tool, IVM, we transitioned from using Qualys and Tenable, which are top-tier tools in the market, because the management tool from Rapid7 allows us to access a variety of vulnerabilities in real time to fix them effectively."
"The product allows us to customize our alerts."
"Overall, Rapid7 MDR helps us to strengthen our security operations by providing continuous monitoring, high quality threat detection, and expert analysis support."
"Rapid7 MDR has positively impacted our organization by ensuring that alerts can come at any point in time, and we do not have to worry because someone is there to fix it proactively."
 

Cons

"The one area where Expel may not measure up is if a customer requires a managed SIEM as part of their overall solution. There's a gap there, and solutions might require third-party assistance for management."
"I think the 24/7 SOC could be improved."
"There are potential improvements in reports and dashboards."
"The product should provide full transparency in security operations."
"To improve Rapid7 MDR, I suggest enhancing detection and reporting, including customizable dashboards and more dynamic alert detection rules based on anomalies."
"Rapid7 MDR can be improved by better integration with existing security tools, clearer reporting for security outcomes, and reducing the number of false positives."
"Regarding Rapid7's support team, I must say that their response time is not as quick as I would prefer. While they do respond, it can take a few days or even a week to get on a call."
"AI is present, and I think Rapid7 MDR could add good reporting, more reporting, and perhaps more templates in the future to make the product even better."
"An improvement for Rapid7 MDR would be to make it work with Orchestrator more easily, as it is currently cumbersome and confusing."
"However, I think the best area for improvement is pricing."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The product is not overly priced."
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solutions are best for your needs.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Construction Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Educational Organization
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise18
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Expel?
Expel's pricing has adapted as the market evolved and has become competitive over the past twelve months.
What needs improvement with Expel?
The one area where Expel may not measure up is if a customer requires a managed SIEM as part of their overall solution. There's a gap there, and solutions might require third-party assistance for m...
What is your primary use case for Expel?
I have experience reselling Expel. Customers often come to me wanting to evaluate multiple providers to make a choice based on their specific use cases, requirements, technology investments, and so...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rapid7 MDR?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that the pricing model is clear and manageable, and the setup process is smooth. While it is a strategic security investment, the value gain...
What needs improvement with Rapid7 MDR?
I believe Rapid7 MDR could be improved through enhanced dashboard customization, additional automation capabilities, deeper third-party integration, and more detailed executive reporting for better...
What is your primary use case for Rapid7 MDR?
My main use case for Rapid7 MDR involves points in our infrastructure level, specifically all infrastructure level. A specific example of how I'm using Rapid7 MDR at the infrastructure level is tha...
 

Also Known As

Workbench, Expel SOC-as-a-Service
Rapid7 Managed Detection and Response
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Amanda Fennell CSO
Landmark Health, NISC, Resimac, Starr Companies
Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Huntress and others in Managed Detection and Response (MDR). Updated: October 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.