EDR vs XDR: Differences, Prices and Which One You Need

What is EDR?

EDR (endpoint detection and response) is software that records activity on each laptop, desktop and server and responds when something looks like an attack. The White House budget office’s memo M-22-01 describes EDR as real-time continuous monitoring of endpoint data combined with rules-based automated response and analysis, and says it gives more visibility than traditional security tools.

ThreatDown sells a tier named Advanced EDR at $79 per device per year, and Microsoft Defender for Business includes “endpoint detection and response (EDR)” for $3 per user per month (up to 300 users). CrowdStrike puts its EDR module only in Falcon Enterprise. Gartner no longer reviews EDR as its own market: its old EDR category now redirects to Endpoint Protection Platforms, which Gartner says give security teams ways to investigate and remediate incidents that evade prevention.

What is XDR?

XDR (extended detection and response) is EDR plus data from your other security tools, correlated in one console so one alert can show the whole attack. Gartner’s definition says XDR “integrates threat intelligence and telemetry data from multiple sources” to correlate alerts, and that it must include native sensors. Gartner Peer Insights now labels that XDR market “(Retired)”, a sign the term is folding back into endpoint and security-operations platforms.

Vendors build XDR two ways. “Native” XDR correlates the vendor’s own products: Microsoft Defender XDR, which Microsoft says coordinates detection and response “across endpoints, identities, email, and applications”, is the clearest example. “Open” XDR also pulls in other vendors’ tools, which usually means paying for log ingestion on top.

What does XDR cost compared with EDR?

The only published price list we checked that labels a tier XDR, SentinelOne’s, charges more for it. The table converts each list price to a year; Microsoft prices are per user, every other row is per device or endpoint.

SentinelOne’s jump from Control to Complete, the step where XDR appears, adds $100 per endpoint per year at list price (our arithmetic). SentinelOne sells only through partners, so the price you pay may differ. Microsoft 365 E5 bundles the Defender products that Defender XDR correlates, but it also includes Office and Windows licenses, so it isn’t a security-only price. See every CrowdStrike Falcon tier and every SentinelOne Singularity package with prices.

Do you need XDR?

Most companies under a few hundred people need EDR that someone actually watches more than they need XDR. Use these checks:

• Who reads the alerts? If nobody is on call at night, buy EDR with a managed service before paying for XDR. Our comparison of 15 managed detection providers shows who publishes prices.
• Do you already pay for the suite? Microsoft 365 E5 includes the Defender products that Defender XDR correlates, and Microsoft says Defender XDR uses the signals from products you have licensed.
• Do attacks reach you through email and logins? XDR earns its price when one analyst traces a phishing email to a stolen login to a device.
• Insurance: Coalition, a cyber insurer, tells brokers that clients should install “antivirus or EDR software on all user devices” and doesn’t mention XDR; see cyber insurance requirements for small businesses.

If you only need protection for a handful of PCs, start with antivirus built for small businesses and step up to EDR when you can staff it.

Where MDR fits (EDR vs XDR vs MDR)

MDR (managed detection and response) is a service, not software: an outside team watches your EDR or XDR around the clock and responds for you. CrowdStrike sells this as Falcon Complete, “24/7 expert-led” MDR with no published price, while ThreatDown’s Elite MDR bundle publishes $99 per device per year. You can buy EDR with MDR, or XDR with MDR; the service is the part that answers a 2 a.m. alert. Our EDR vs MDR comparison prices both.

EDR vs XDR vs SIEM

A SIEM (security information and event management) collects logs from almost every system you run and keeps them for months, while XDR correlates alerts mostly from one vendor’s own tools. PCI DSS, for example, requires 12 months of audit log history with the latest three months immediately available (requirement 10.5.1, as restated in Microsoft’s PCI mapping). Many companies run XDR for detection and a SIEM for log retention, or buy a managed SIEM that does both jobs.