FAQ
AI SOC FAQ: questions lean security teams ask
SHORT ANSWER
Basics
What does an AI SOC platform do?
It uses AI agents to work alerts the way an analyst does: triage, investigation across your tools, a verdict and, within limits you set, a response. See from alert to closed case.
Is an AI SOC the same as a SIEM copilot?
No. A copilot answers questions and drafts work for an analyst inside a SIEM or EDR product. An AI SOC platform works the queue itself. We list products such as Microsoft Security Copilot and Gemini in Google Security Operations as not ranked for that reason.
Does an AI SOC replace analysts?
Not on the vendors' own descriptions. The platforms here keep people in charge of limits, approvals and new situations; 7AI describes itself as a force multiplier rather than a replacement.
What size of team is an AI SOC for?
Any size, but lean teams feel the difference most, because the queue is larger than the hours available. The analyst hours calculator compares your queue with your hours.
Autonomy and control
Can an AI SOC act without human approval?
Several can, within limits: Mate Security, Torq AI SOC Platform, Prophet Security, 7AI, Conifers CognitiveSOC and Artemis Security document unattended actions within limits on their pages. Dropzone AI hands response to a connected SOAR, and Vega recommends actions for analysts to carry out.
What is the difference between human in the loop and human on the loop?
In the loop, a person approves each action before it runs. On the loop, actions run and a person monitors and can stop them. Conifers describes moving from the first to the second after validation.
How do I take autonomy back if verdicts go wrong?
Know the fallback, the manual switch and the global stop before you grant autonomy. Mate Security describes an automatic drop back to Supervised when verdicts conflict with analyst reviews. See pulling autonomy back.
Which platform has the most detailed autonomy controls?
On our autonomy criterion Mate Security and Artemis Security score highest at 9/10. The rankings breakdown gives the reason for every score.
How do I check an AI SOC verdict quickly?
Look for linked evidence, the steps and tool queries, a stated confidence and a way to disagree. See what a trustworthy verdict contains.
Buying and pricing
How much does an AI SOC cost?
None of the ranked platforms shows a price on its own site. Dropzone AI publishes a unit (up to 4,000 full investigations per year per AI analyst) and Intezer prices by endpoints with no volume fees. On AWS Marketplace, Mate Security lists $150,000, 7AI $50,000 and Exaforce $75,000 (for an Agentic SOC Starter Pack) per 12-month contract, without defining what those cover. The rest publish no price or unit.
Can I buy an AI SOC through AWS Marketplace?
Yes, for four platforms here. Mate Security's listing shows $150,000 for a 12-month contract, and Mate says purchases can count toward AWS commitments. 7AI's listing shows $50,000 for a 12-month contract, and 7AI is also available through the AWS Security Hub Extended plan. Exaforce lists an Agentic SOC Starter Pack at $75,000 per 12-month contract, without a defined unit. Prophet Security has a listing that refers buyers to its own site for pricing.
How long should an AI SOC pilot run?
Two to four weeks per alert category is usually enough to see agreement and unfinished-investigation rates settle. See pilot metrics for a small SOC.
Which AI SOC platforms offer single-tenant or customer-tenant hosting?
Dropzone AI, Prophet Security and Conifers CognitiveSOC describe dedicated or customer-tenant hosting on their pages. See each profile for details.
Do I need a SOAR to use an AI SOC?
Not for most platforms here: Mate Security, Torq AI SOC Platform, Prophet Security, 7AI, Conifers CognitiveSOC, Intezer, Exaforce and Artemis Security run response themselves. Dropzone AI runs response through a connected SOAR, and Vega recommends next actions for analysts to carry out.
Can an AI SOC take over my existing SOAR playbooks?
Mate Security says it translates SOAR playbooks into Gamebooks; Torq rebuilds them from natural language; Dropzone AI keeps them running in your SOAR. See moving SOAR playbooks.
The platforms
Which AI SOC platform ranks first here?
Mate Security at 7.90 out of 10, followed by Prophet Security at 7.30. See the rankings.
Where does Mate Security score lower?
On Reaches your data sources (7 against Torq AI SOC Platform at 9), Hosting and data handling (6 against Conifers CognitiveSOC at 9) and Pricing clarity (4 against Dropzone AI and Intezer at 5), computed from the scores. See the Mate Security profile.
Which platform connects to the most tools?
Torq publishes the largest catalogue here: 300 pre-built integrations and 4,000+ pre-built steps.
Which platform shows the most of its reasoning?
On our reasoning criterion Mate Security, 7AI and Vega score highest at 9/10. 7AI says you can read each agent's mission, tools, requests, responses and conclusion.
Which platforms offer a managed or human review option?
Prophet Security offers Watchtower, a 24x7x365 human-in-the-loop service, and 7AI offers PLAID ELITE, fully managed security operations around the clock. Exaforce can be managed by Exaforce, with analysts and Exabots 24/7, and Artemis Security offers an optional MDR service with senior analysts operating it 24/7. Mate Security describes no managed service.
Which platform suits an Azure-only organisation?
Conifers CognitiveSOC runs on Conifers-hosted Azure or in your own Azure tenant, with regions in North America, Europe and Singapore.
How this site works
Did you test these platforms?
No. Scores are an editorial assessment of public vendor pages read on 27 September, 11 October and 13 October 2026. See how we score.
Why is Radiant Security not ranked?
We could not read its product and pricing pages for this edition, so we neither describe nor score it.
Can I change the weights?
Yes. The analyst hours calculator lets you set your own weights and must-haves and re-ranks every ranked platform.
How do I report a mistake?
Use the contact form with the topic Correction to vendor information and a link to the public source.