5ironCyber vs Critical Start Cortex XDR with MDR: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

5ironCyber: 24/7 managed SOC providing threat detection, investigation, and response. built by 5ironCyber. Core capabilities include 24/7 US-based Security Operations Center (SOC), Real-time threat detection using threat intelligence, automation, and machine learning, Cross-platform threat investigation and correlation..

Critical Start Cortex XDR with MDR: MDR service layered on Palo Alto Cortex XDR for alert resolution and breach prevention. built by Critical Start. Core capabilities include Monitoring of unlimited data volumes ingested from Cortex XDR Prevent and Pro, Resolution of all alerts regardless of severity or priority level, Coverage across endpoint, network, and cloud data sources..

Both serve the Managed Detection and Response market but differ in approach, feature depth, and target audience.

5ironCyber differentiates with 24/7 US-based Security Operations Center (SOC), Real-time threat detection using threat intelligence, automation, and machine learning, Cross-platform threat investigation and correlation. Critical Start Cortex XDR with MDR differentiates with Monitoring of unlimited data volumes ingested from Cortex XDR Prevent and Pro, Resolution of all alerts regardless of severity or priority level, Coverage across endpoint, network, and cloud data sources.

5ironCyber is developed by 5ironCyber. Critical Start Cortex XDR with MDR is developed by Critical Start. Vendor maturity, funding stage, and team size can be important factors when evaluating long-term viability and support quality.

5ironCyber and Critical Start Cortex XDR with MDR serve similar Managed Detection and Response use cases: both are Managed Detection and Response tools. Review the feature comparison above to determine which fits your requirements.