GuideSecurity · 6 min

What does a 24/7 MDR service cost, and what drives the price?

MDR is priced per endpoint or per user, and the price moves with what's watched, whether the provider can act, and how long your data's kept. Here's how.

The Clectiv team · October 2026

Clectiv AI sources security for buyers. Real bids in days, not months.Start a project

No MDR price list survives contact with your scope. Two quotes for "24/7 MDR" can cover very different things. Learn what moves the number, and you can read any quote and make each provider price the same thing.

How is MDR priced?#

Most MDR (managed detection and response) is priced per endpoint or per user, per month. An endpoint is a laptop, server or other device running the provider's software. Some providers price by how much data they take in each day, and some sell tiers with a set count and a set list of features.

The ways MDR is priced, and what to check.
Unit	What you're counting	Check
Per endpoint	Every device the provider watches	Do servers cost more than laptops?
Per user	Every person, across their devices and accounts	Who counts as a user? Contractors too?
Per data volume	How much log data they take in each day	What happens when volume spikes?
Tiered bundle	A set number of endpoints or users, with features by tier	What's in your tier, and what's extra?

The unit matters less than what's inside it. A per-endpoint price that covers laptops only can't be compared with a per-user price that covers email, identity and cloud too.

Before you call anyone#

Write the scope in Clectiv AI first, then let the providers come. Clectiv AI runs the process from there: the providers that fit get it as a bid, they compete for it, and you choose. Call an MDR provider first and you get its tiers, its tools and its number, from a rep who'd rather you didn't compare.

Start a project

What makes the price go up or down?#

Scope moves the price more than anything else. Write these down with Clectiv AI before anyone quotes, and each proposal has to price the same thing.

What's watched. Endpoints alone is EDR (endpoint detection and response, software on each device). Add identity, email and cloud and it's XDR (extended detection and response, one view across them), with more coverage and more cost.
Whether they can act. Some providers only alert you, while others contain the threat themselves by isolating the laptop or locking the account. Acting costs more, and in the middle of the night it's the whole point.
Whose tools. Bring your own detection tools, or use theirs with the license included.
Where the logs live. A SIEM (security information and event management) is the system that stores and searches your logs. If the provider runs it, log volume can drive the price.
The network side. ZTNA (zero trust network access) lets each person reach only the apps they're allowed to, usually delivered through SASE or SSE. If its alerts go to the provider too, that's more to watch and more cost.
How long they keep your data. A month costs less than a year. Your auditor or your insurer may decide this for you.
Incident response. Hours included, a separate retainer, or billed when it happens.
Minimums and setup. A floor on endpoints or users, and a one-time onboarding fee.
Term. How long you sign for, and what changes if you sign longer.

A cheap quote that only emails you about an attack overnight isn't cheap. The question that matters is what they'll do, on their own, before they wake you up. The plan asks it of every proposal.

MDR, an MSSP, or our own SOC: which do we need?#

It comes down to who watches, and who runs the tools. A SOC (security operations center) is the team that watches around the clock. A week has 168 hours and one person works about 40 of them, so a single chair, covered every hour, takes several people.

Three ways to get eyes on your environment.
Option	What you get	Fits when
MDR	A provider watches, investigates and responds, often on its own tools.	You need 24/7 coverage and fast response.
MSSP	A managed security service provider runs more of your security: firewalls, logging, the SOC, and often the network operations center (NOC).	You want one provider accountable for all of it.
Your own SOC	Your team, your tools, your hours.	You've got the budget, the people, and a reason to keep it in-house.

Some buyers want the SOC and the NOC from one provider, working in tandem. A NOC (network operations center) watches the network, so one team can tell an outage from an attack.

Zero trust is the architecture behind ZTNA: nobody is trusted by default, inside the network or out. It changes what gets watched, so it belongs in the scope.

A dozen tools from nine vendors is a reason to pick one provider to run them. An MSSP can run the tools you already have, so nothing gets ripped out and the finger-pointing stops.

Know when coverage really starts. The first weeks go to tuning alerts to your environment. Who does that work, and the date 24/7 begins, belong in writing.

Some of our providers that do it: LevelBlue, BlueVoyant, AgileBlue, Thrive and Cipher Security all sell MDR and managed security. Many run on tools from Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet. Clectiv AI runs the process for you: start a project.

Here's the thing: this has been done before. Clectiv AI runs the process we've run for buyers like you, so you start where they ended up. From there the plan goes straight to these providers, for the best pricing, terms and contract we can get.

Common questions#

How much does MDR cost?#

It's priced per endpoint, per user or by data volume. The number moves with what's watched, whether the provider can act, and how long your data's kept. Clectiv AI writes those into your plan, so the providers that fit price the same scope.

What's the difference between MDR and an MSSP?#

MDR watches, investigates and responds to threats. An MSSP runs more of your security, often MDR included. Clectiv AI writes down what you need covered, and the providers that fit bid on it.

Is MDR cheaper than building our own SOC?#

It depends on your size and your tools. Covering every hour of every week takes several people per seat. Clectiv AI writes the plan, the providers that fit bid, and you compare them with the cost of your own team.

Do I have to replace what I already use?#

No. The Blueprint Clectiv AI writes starts with what's covered. The proposals are for the gaps, and for someone to run it if that's the gap.

Does MDR satisfy our cyber insurer?#

Endpoint detection and response is one of the twelve key controls on Marsh's list for insurability, and MDR puts people behind it around the clock. Bring the questionnaire to Clectiv AI, and read what a cyber insurance renewal wants.

How does Clectiv AI get this done?#

It starts in Clectiv AI. Tell it what you run and who watches it today. It scopes your security with you and writes your plan: your tools, what they cover, where the gaps are, and who has to watch.

Then the Clectiv team takes your plan to the MDR and managed-security providers that fit, all at once, through our partner network of 620+ providers. They put in bids and compete for the work, the team pushes on terms with each, and you choose the winner.

Plenty of companies have stood where you are. Clectiv AI runs the process we've run for companies like yours, so you start where they finished. The plan goes straight to the providers that fit for the best pricing, terms and contract we can get on each.

It stays free to you, and it takes days, not months. Everything we cover in security is on the security page.

Comparing the kinds of detection? Read XDR vs MDR vs EDR, and for the team behind it, SOC and NOC options.

Sources and method. No prices appear in this guide. Pricing units and drivers describe how MDR is commonly sold, not any one provider's terms. The insurer point is Marsh's, listed below. Provider names are examples of who sells MDR and managed security, from Clectiv's provider directory, not a ranking.

Marsh, "Cyber resilience: Twelve key controls to strengthen your security" (April 2022)