How Much Should You Pay for EDR? A Real-World Pricing Guide (2026)
How Much Should You Pay for EDR? (Actual Numbers, Not “Contact Sales”)
Every EDR vendor’s website says “Contact sales for pricing.” Translation: you’re walking into a negotiation blind, with no idea whether the quote is competitive or highway robbery.
We’ve reviewed dozens of EDR quotes across Australian businesses from 20 to 2,000 endpoints. This guide shares what companies are actually paying — not list prices, not “starting from” marketing fiction.
The Shortlist (2026)
The EDR market has consolidated. For most Australian SMBs, the realistic options:
- CrowdStrike Falcon — Market leader. Premium pricing, strong detection, cloud-native.
- SentinelOne Singularity — The main CrowdStrike alternative. Competitive features, often cheaper.
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint — Bundled with M365 E5. “Free” if you’re already paying.
- Sophos Intercept X — Popular with MSPs. Strong value for smaller orgs.
- Trend Micro Vision One — Solid if you’re already in the Trend ecosystem.
- Palo Alto Cortex XDR — Enterprise-focused. Less common in SMB.
Others exist (Cybereason, Trellix, Elastic), but these six dominate Australian deployments.
What You’ll Actually Pay (AUD, per endpoint/month, annual contracts)
CrowdStrike Falcon
| Tier | $/Endpoint/Month | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Falcon Go (≤100 endpoints) | $8–$12 | NGAV + basic EDR |
| Falcon Pro | $12–$18 | EDR + threat intelligence |
| Falcon Enterprise | $18–$28 | EDR + threat hunting + USB control |
| Falcon Elite | $28–$40+ | Full XDR + identity protection |
In practice: Most SMBs land on Pro or Enterprise at $14–$22 after negotiation. CrowdStrike’s list prices are high, but they negotiate — especially for 100+ endpoints or multi-year deals.
Watch out for: Module creep. CrowdStrike’s base product is strong, but they’ll push add-ons for identity, cloud, and log management at $3–$8/endpoint/month each. Decide what you need before the sales call.
SentinelOne Singularity
| Tier | $/Endpoint/Month | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Singularity Core | $6–$10 | NGAV + basic EDR |
| Singularity Control | $10–$15 | EDR + device control + firewall |
| Singularity Complete | $15–$22 | Full EDR + storyline visibility |
| Singularity Commercial | $22–$30 | XDR + identity + cloud |
In practice: 15–25% cheaper than CrowdStrike for equivalent functionality. Most SMBs land on Control or Complete at $11–$18.
Watch out for: Data retention tiers. Base retention (14 days) is often insufficient for compliance. Extended retention (90–365 days) is an upsell. Factor this in.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
| Licence | $/User/Month | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Included in M365 E5 | ~$85/user (full E5 suite) | Full Defender for Endpoint P2 |
| Defender P2 standalone | $7–$9/user | Full EDR |
| Defender P1 (in M365 E3) | Included | Basic prevention, no EDR |
| Defender for Business | $4–$5/user | SMB-focused EDR |
In practice: If you’re on M365 E5, start here — you’re already paying. Defender for Business is surprisingly capable for under 300 users.
Watch out for: Per-user vs per-endpoint licensing. Multiple devices per user? Microsoft’s model can be cheaper. Shared devices, kiosks, or servers? Gets complicated. Servers need separate licences.
Sophos Intercept X
| Tier | $/Endpoint/Month | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Intercept X Advanced | $4–$7 | NGAV + basic EDR |
| Advanced with XDR | $7–$12 | Full EDR/XDR |
| Advanced with MDR | $12–$20 | EDR + 24/7 managed detection |
In practice: The value play, especially via MSP partners. Their MDR tier is worth considering if you lack in-house security — often cheaper than buying EDR + separate MDR.
Watch out for: MSP pricing varies significantly by provider margin. Get multiple Sophos partner quotes.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions
Implementation and tuning
Budget 20–40 hours for initial deployment and policy tuning (100-endpoint environment). MSP setup fee: typically $3,000–$8,000.
Ongoing management
EDR isn’t set-and-forget. Someone reviews alerts, tunes policies, responds to detections. Options:
- In-house: 5–10 hours/week of IT time
- MSP/MDR: $3–$10/endpoint/month on top of the licence
Alert fatigue tax
A poorly tuned EDR generates hundreds of alerts. Each costs investigation time. If you don’t invest in tuning, you pay in wasted hours and missed real threats.
Integration costs
Connecting EDR to SIEM, SOAR, or ticketing adds complexity. Some vendors charge extra for API access or premium integrations.
Worth Paying For (And What Isn’t)
Worth it
- MDR — If you don’t have dedicated security staff, this is the single most valuable add-on. A $15/endpoint EDR+MDR beats a $25/endpoint premium EDR nobody watches.
- Extended data retention — Compliance requirements or incident investigation? Pay for at least 90 days.
- Identity protection — If Active Directory is central to your environment, genuinely useful.
Often not worth it
- Cloud security modules — Unless you’re running significant IaaS workloads, your cloud provider’s native tools suffice.
- Vulnerability management add-ons — Dedicated tools (Tenable, Qualys) are typically better and cheaper.
- Premium threat intel feeds — Unless you have a threat intel analyst on staff, you won’t use it. Base intel is fine for SMBs.
Negotiation Tips That Work
-
Get three quotes minimum. Shortlist CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, and one other. Let each know they’re competing. This alone knocks 15–20% off.
-
Ask for “competitive displacement” pricing. Replacing existing AV or EDR? Every major vendor has a switch programme — routinely 20–30% off.
-
Multi-year for discount (read the terms). Three-year deals save 15–25%, but ensure exit clauses and locked pricing.
-
Negotiate on retention, not seats. If per-endpoint price is firm, push for extended retention, extra modules, or pro services credits.
-
Time your purchase. Vendor fiscal year-ends (CrowdStrike/SentinelOne: January, Microsoft: June) = maximum sales motivation.
-
Don’t buy what you don’t need. Vendors bundle to inflate deals. If you don’t need USB control or firewall management, don’t pay for the tier that includes them.
💰 Check If You’re Overpaying — Free Tool
Our Cyber Vendor Pricing Reality Checker compares what you’re paying against real-world benchmarks for your size and region.
The Honest Recommendation
Already on M365 E5? Start with Defender. It’s included, it’s improved massively, and it integrates natively. Layer on dedicated EDR later if needed.
Want best-of-breed with budget? CrowdStrike Falcon Pro or Enterprise. Market leader for a reason. But skip Elite unless you genuinely need identity protection and full XDR.
Strong protection, lower price? SentinelOne Complete. Matches CrowdStrike on most independent evaluations, 15–25% cheaper.
Small business (<100 endpoints), cost-sensitive? Sophos Intercept X via MSP, or Defender for Business. Both capable and affordable.
No security staff? Prioritise MDR over features. Sophos MDR, CrowdStrike Complete, or SentinelOne Vigilance will serve you better than a premium console nobody monitors.
The Bigger Picture
EDR is one piece. Before optimising your EDR spend, understand your overall posture:
- Security Control Coverage Calculator — map where your tools cover (and miss) common techniques
- Security Stack Maturity Score — see how your programme compares
- AI Security Landscape Explorer — 50+ tools across every category
The Bottom Line
EDR pricing is opaque by design — vendors profit from information asymmetry. Arm yourself with real data before you negotiate.
The most expensive EDR isn’t the best one. A well-tuned, actively monitored mid-tier EDR will outperform a premium product that’s deployed and forgotten. Every time.