Catalyst vs Guided Mode: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Catalyst

Teams under 50 people running alert overload on existing ticketing systems should start with Catalyst; it's the only free SOAR that actually closes the loop between your alerts and your incident response without forcing you to rip out Jira or ServiceNow. The 519 GitHub stars and zero pricing barrier mean you can pilot playbook automation without budget justification. Skip this if you need enterprise integrations with premium EDR platforms or multi-tenant role-based access; Catalyst prioritizes speed over breadth and will feel thin once you scale past your first few playbooks.

Guided Mode

SOC analysts and incident responders working with limited investigative experience will get the most from Guided Mode, which structures threat hunts through AI-driven step-by-step workflows rather than leaving teams to figure out what to do next. The tool maps directly to NIST RS.AN and RS.MA, meaning it actively coaches you through incident analysis and response coordination, not just flagging alerts. Skip this if your team is already staffed with senior analysts who work faster without guardrails, or if you need deep forensic capabilities that extend into recovery and remediation orchestration beyond investigation guidance.