Armor vs Sapphire
Armor is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Sapphire is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Armor targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Armor includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Buyer brief
Armor is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Sapphire is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Armor targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Armor includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Armor is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Sapphire is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Healthcare or financial services teams already running Microsoft Sentinel who need compliance consulting baked in | UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC |
| Price | XDR+SOC estimate: from ~$4,317/mo | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 4/6 actions · Configurable | 1/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Requires own platform | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Healthcare or financial services teams already running Microsoft Sentinel who need compliance consulting baked in
- Price
- XDR+SOC estimate: from ~$4,317/mo
- Response authority
- 4/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | ArmorPLATFORM | SapphireTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Requires their platform | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Armor Anywhere Agent (Trend Micro)Microsoft Defender | EDR toolsMicrosoft technologies |
| SIEM integrations | Microsoft Sentinel | ExabeamSIEM tools |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: Optional add-onSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateContainQuarantineCustom playbooks | Custom playbooks |
| IR included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Starting at ~$4,317/month for XDR+SOC (per SourceForge listing) | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | Yes | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Identity | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom pricing, platform subscription model | Custom quote. Sapphire does not publish MDR package pricing. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Armor Anywhere agent is built on Trend Micro. Running it alongside CrowdStrike or SentinelOne may cause conflicts, forcing a swap.. Compliance consulting (HIPAA readiness, HITRUST prep) is billed as professional services on top of the MDR subscription.. Full coverage assumes Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR are already licensed. Those Microsoft costs are yours.. No macOS or mobile agent support. If you have Apple endpoints, you need a separate tool. | Public pages do not publish response SLAs or exact response-authority rules.. MDR, MXDR and OT SOC scope can differ materially, so buyers should define monitored surfaces in the order form.. The page publishes vendor-reported comparative metrics without independent methodology.. IR hours are included as standard, but buyers should confirm number of hours, coverage triggers and overage rates. |
| Data portability | Limited | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual | Custom |
| Channels | EmailPortalPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaAsia-Pacific | Europe |
| Onboarding | Not publicly disclosed | Sapphire references onboarding and implementation that can be shorter than expected, but no standard public MDR onboarding timeline was found. |
| Industry focus | HealthcareFinancial ServicesRetailInsuranceUtilitiesSaaS/Technology | Public SectorDefenceFinancial ServicesProfessional ServicesIndustrialsManufacturingOperational TechnologyHealthcare |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published |
| Community view | Almost no public review footprint. G2 shows 4.8/5 but from only 12 reviews, and Gartner Peer Insights has none. Employee reviews on Indeed raise leadership and strategy concerns. Frost & Sullivan included Armor in their 2025 Top 20 MDR list, but that is analyst recognition, not customer validation. | Sapphire has limited MDR-specific community review volume. The public buyer case is strongest for UK ownership, UK-based SOC delivery, CREST SOC accreditation and IT/OT services depth. Buyers should validate response authority, price, metrics and the exact split between MDR, MXDR, OT SOC and incident-response work. |
| Compliance | PCI DSSHIPAAHITRUSTISO 27001ISO 27018ISO 27701GDPRFedRAMPNISTSEC | ISO 27001NISTHIPAADORACyber Essentials PlusCRESTGDPRPCI DSS |
| Certifications | ISO 27001ISO 27018ISO 27701MISA Member (Microsoft)Microsoft Advanced Specialization: Threat ProtectionMicrosoft Advanced Specialization: Cloud Security | CREST SOCCREST Penetration TestingCyber Essentials PlusISO 27001 |
| Founded | 2009 | 1996 |
| Data retention | Not publicly disclosed | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between Armor and Sapphire?
Armor is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Sapphire is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Armor covers 3 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 4 for Sapphire.
How do Armor and Sapphire differ in response capabilities?
Armor supports 4 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment) and approval is configurable. Sapphire supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable.
How does Armor pricing compare to Sapphire?
Armor pricing: Starting at ~$4,317/month for XDR+SOC (per SourceForge listing). Sapphire pricing: Not published. Watch for with Armor: Armor Anywhere agent is built on Trend Micro. Running it alongside CrowdStrike or SentinelOne may cause conflicts, forcing a swap.; Compliance consulting (HIPAA readiness, HITRUST prep) is billed as professional services on top of the MDR subscription.. Watch for with Sapphire: Public pages do not publish response SLAs or exact response-authority rules.; MDR, MXDR and OT SOC scope can differ materially, so buyers should define monitored surfaces in the order form..
Should I choose Armor or Sapphire?
Choose Armor if: healthcare or financial services teams already running Microsoft Sentinel who need compliance consulting baked in. Choose Sapphire if: uK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC. Armor is not ideal for teams running macOS or mobile-heavy environments with no agent support for either. Sapphire is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing or contractual response SLAs before sales engagement.
Daylight Security
AI-native MDR for buyers comparing active remediation across endpoint, cloud, identity, and SaaS. Daylight works with existing EDR/SIEM stacks and uses ChatOps-native collaboration, so it can be a useful third reference point in this comparison.