Research vs Security AI moats
Security AI has the wider moat: an average of 79 out of 100 against 56 for Research AI, 23 points apart. They rank 1st and 21st of 29 AI markets. Security rates a wide moat and Research a narrow one. Security on regulatory barrier, switching costs, ecosystem, habit and retention and hard to copy. Research is less crowded, with a saturation of 14 against 33 for Security. Security is better protected but more crowded; Research is more open but easier to copy.
Side by side
The two markets on FalcoScan's moat rating, crowding and threats. The better figure of each pair is in bold; for crowding, threats and the no-moat share, lower is better.
| Measure | Research | Security | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moat rating | Narrow moat | Wide moat | |
| Average moat | 56 of 100 | 79 of 100 | Security, by 23 points |
| Rank among AI markets | 21 of 29 | 1 of 29 | Security, by 20 places |
| Main moat | Hard to copy | Regulatory barrier | |
| Products with a wide moat | 3% | 84% | Security, by 81 points |
| Products with no moat | 26% | 0% | Security, by 26 points |
| Saturation (crowding) | 14 | 33 | Research, by 19 points |
| Wrapper exposure | 1% | 0% | Security, by 1 point |
| Platform dependency | 23 | 36 | Research, by 13 points |
| Products rated | 142 | 348 |
Moat sources
Each source and threat on a 0 to 100 scale, averaged across each market and rated against all AI markets.
Research, filled · Security, dashed
Where Research is stronger
No moat source more than 5 points ahead of Security.
Where Security is stronger
- Regulatory barrier+82
- Switching costs+37
- Ecosystem+26
- Habit and retention+25
- Hard to copy+10
Widest moats in each market
The five products with the highest moat score in each market, shown as bands. Exact scores are on paid plans.
Widest moats in Research
- 01Lila SciencesAutonomous AI scientistWide moat
- 02NotCoAI-driven plant-based food formulationWide moat
- 03Open Alex Research APIFree open API for 250 million scholarly works with AI filteringWide moat
- 04InstaDeepDecision-making AI for the enterpriseWide moat
- 05Periodic LabsAI scientist for accelerated researchNarrow moat
Widest moats in Security
- 01ApiiroAI application risk graphWide moat
- 02CrowdStrike Charlotte AIGenerative AI for cybersecurity workflowsWide moat
- 03Axonius CyberCybersecurity asset management platformWide moat
- 04CyeraAI data security posture managementWide moat
- 05Drata ComplianceAI-powered security compliance automationWide moat
More comparisons
Each market against its closest rivals by moat, and against the widest and narrowest markets. The figures are the two average moats.
Research against
Questions
Which has a wider moat, Research AI or Security AI?
Security AI, with an average moat of 79 out of 100 across 348 rated products, against 56 across 142 in Research AI. 84% of Security products have a wide moat, against 3% in Research.
Is Research AI or Security AI more crowded?
Research is less crowded, with a saturation of 14 against 33 for Security. Saturation runs from 0 to 100 and measures how crowded a market is. Security is better protected but more crowded; Research is more open but easier to copy.
How do the moats of Research AI and Security AI differ?
Research's main moat is hard to copy and Security's is regulatory barrier. Security leads on regulatory barrier (+82), switching costs (+37), ecosystem (+26), habit and retention (+25) and hard to copy (+10).
Is Research AI or Security AI more exposed to wrappers?
Research AI: 1% of its products could be rebuilt on a public model quickly, against 0% in Security AI.
Which Research and Security AI products have the widest moats?
In Research: Lila Sciences, NotCo and Open Alex Research API. In Security: Apiiro, CrowdStrike Charlotte AI and Axonius Cyber. Exact moat scores for every product are on FalcoScan's paid plans.
Cite and share
Quote a figure, link to the comparison or take the data for every market.
FalcoScan, “Research vs Security AI moats”, data updated 9 October 2026. https://falcoscan.com/moats/compare/research-vs-security
@misc{falcoscan_moats_compare_research_vs_security_2026,
author = {{FalcoScan}},
title = {Research vs Security AI moats},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
howpublished = {\url{https://falcoscan.com/moats/compare/research-vs-security}},
note = {Data updated 9 October 2026}
}<a href="https://falcoscan.com/moats/compare/research-vs-security">Research vs Security AI moats (FalcoScan)</a>
Every market’s moat rating, average, sources, threats and saturation, as a CSV or as Markdown with the method and definitions. Free to use with a citation.
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