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IBM Security QRadar vs Rapid7 MDR comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 5, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Security QRadar
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
9th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
207
Ranking in other categories
Log Management (6th), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (4th), User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) (1st), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (17th), Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR) (4th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (11th)
Rapid7 MDR
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
18th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of IBM Security QRadar is 0.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 MDR is 2.5%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Md. Shahriar Hussain - PeerSpot reviewer
Real-time incident detection and user-friendly dashboard benefit daily operations
There are many types of AI, and this AI is very limited in SQL and features. There may be potential for improvement. So far, it seems very limited. It shows some good features in the correlation part, but I think there is room for improvement. For instance, when creating rules, it can suggest more rules, reducing the effort needed. If AI-related support can suggest rules and integrate with existing security devices like MD, IPS, this SIM can create more relevant rules. Sometimes logs I receive don't mean anything, and I need technical stakeholders to share or forward logs, but these are sometimes inadequate. Keywords can help identify insufficient logs. I often lack time to verify logs. Sharing false positive results could be reduced to help my team.
Oluwaseun Sonaike - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good integrations , very scalable and flexible and we can send as many logs as we want
We've filled in crucial gaps we had with our previous solution. This was a key factor in choosing Rapid7 during the selection process. The ROI is already starting to show, too. We saw specific cost reductions. We used to pay extra for external user insight and availability management in our old setup. Now, that's all included in Rapid7, which saves us money and simplifies management.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It'll get you from point A to B."
"In terms of the most valuable features, the log collections and log processing mechanisms are good. They have good dashboards."
"When it comes to QRadar, they can do the correlation and not only in networks but also endpoints. This is one of the good features that we have noticed."
"We've found the solution to be scalable."
"The detection rate is good and the false positive rate is low."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"It's quite scalable. We have upgraded some solutions from 1000 APS up to 3500 APS to 5000 APS. It's a good solution, they have no scalability issues."
"The features that I have found most valuable in QRadar are its data enrichment, use case creations, and adding references - those kinds of features are very good. Also QRadar's event filtration and device integration are perfect."
"The solution uses its own SIM solution, InsightIDRC, and offers an unlimited incident response as part of the package."
"We've filled in crucial gaps we had with our previous solution. This was a key factor in choosing Rapid7 during the selection process. The ROI is already starting to show, too."
"The product allows us to customize our alerts."
 

Cons

"They should introduce some automation into the product."
"The solution lacks some maturity."
"I don't give it a 10 because it is something we have to request. I would love it if UBA was included out of the box like Microsoft."
"The released patch quality is poor. IBM should test those patches on their side, not on the client's side."
"The interface is very old. IBM should remake it into a more modern interface."
"There is a lot of manual configuration required in order for the product to run smoothly, and I think that it could be made more automatic."
"Right now, if you look at the compatibility, if you need to deploy QRadar in a physical appliance you have only two choices of server, their own or a Lenovo server. In today's world, you cannot keep something tied to such a big brand. Clients want to be able to use whatever type of server they want."
"IBM QRadar has a margin for development, for out-of-the-box use cases. It can be enhanced with better support and automate the use cases for that."
"The product should provide full transparency in security operations."
"There are potential improvements in reports and dashboards."
"Currently, I can't think of any improvements, although there's always room for improvement in any solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's too expensive. The licensing is also a little bit difficult to understand because you have to license it per event and per number of flows."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate IBM Security QRadar's pricing a five out of ten."
"We use QRadar as a managed service and we pay licensing fees to the partner."
"There are additional costs, such as the cost associated with the different hardware required for implementation and deployment. Along with the add-on apps, these are all additional costs, and they require licensing as well."
"The price of this product is high."
"IBM has subscriptions plans that run for one year."
"It would be great if this product were cheaper."
"The price of this solution is a little high."
"The product is not overly priced."
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solutions are best for your needs.
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Comparison Review

VS
Jun 28, 2015
Qradar vs. ArcSight
Continuing with the SIEM posts we have done at Infosecnirvana, this post is a Head to head comparison of the two Industry leading SIEM products in the market – HP ArcSight and IBM QRadar Both the products have consistently been in the Gartner Leaders Quadrant. Both HP and IBM took over niche SIEM…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
23%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Educational Organization
14%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What are the biggest differences between Securonix UEBA, Exabeam, and IBM QRadar?
It mostly depends on your use-cases and environment. Exabeam and Securonix have a stronger UEBA feature set, friendlier GUI and are not licensed based on capacity (amount of logs and information in...
What SOC product do you recommend?
For tools I’d recommend: -SIEM- LogRhythm -SOAR- Palo Alto XSOAR Doing commercial w/o both (or at least an XDR) is asking to miss details that are critical, and ending up a statistic. Also, rememb...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Security QRadar?
The cost depends. The price I negotiated varies by region and relationship with the OEM. Cost is not shared due to another procurement team handling negotiations, but it was reasonable as far as I ...
What do you like most about Rapid7 MDR?
We've filled in crucial gaps we had with our previous solution. This was a key factor in choosing Rapid7 during the selection process. The ROI is already starting to show, too.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rapid7 MDR?
Cost savings are realized as it's more cost-effective to purchase the entire service rather than individual technology stacks. The MDR service provides better value for the organization's investment.
What needs improvement with Rapid7 MDR?
Currently, I can't think of any improvements, although there's always room for improvement in any solution.
 

Also Known As

IBM QRadar, QRadar SIEM, QRadar UBA, QRadar on Cloud, IBM QRadar Advisor with Watson
Rapid7 Managed Detection and Response
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Clients across multiple industries, such as energy, financial, retail, healthcare, government, communications, and education use QRadar.
Landmark Health, NISC, Resimac, Starr Companies
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Security QRadar vs. Rapid7 MDR and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.