Cipher vs Expel
Cipher is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Expel is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Cipher targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Expel serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Cipher includes 0 attack surfaces in base pricing (), compared to 5 for Expel (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Buyer brief
Cipher is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Expel is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Cipher targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Expel serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Cipher includes 0 attack surfaces in base pricing (), compared to 5 for Expel (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Cipher (Services firm) and Expel (Pure-play MDR) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Cipher's cipher xmdr fits buyers that want a vendor-neutral mdr service backed by prosegur and delivered t... or Expel's api-first, vendor-agnostic mdr with 160+ integrations and full transparency into every soc action....
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mid-market and enterprise buyers that want a managed service layered over existing security tools | Mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing security tools wanting vendor-agnostic MDR |
| Price | Custom quote | TrustRadius: from $11,640/yr |
| Response authority | 0/6 actions · Approval required | 6/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Mid-market and enterprise buyers that want a managed service layered over existing security tools
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 0/6 actions · Approval required
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing security tools wanting vendor-agnostic MDR
- Price
- TrustRadius: from $11,640/yr
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | CipherTECH-AGNOSTIC | ExpelTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Very Positive |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Customer EDR | CrowdStrikeMicrosoft DefenderSentinelOneCarbon BlackPalo Alto CortexElasticCybereason |
| SIEM integrations | None listed | SplunkMicrosoft SentinelPalo Alto Cortex XSIAMGoogle ChronicleExabeamSecuronixSumo LogicIBM QRadar |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: Not coveredSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Guided Response | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Approval Required | Configurable |
| Response actions | Alert and notify only | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Starting at $11,640/year. Custom quotes based on environment size and coverage areas. |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Identity | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| Network | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | Extra cost |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote. Cipher does not publish xMDR package pricing. | Custom pricing by coverage type: cloud infrastructure (by resources), on-prem (by endpoints), SaaS (by user accounts), phishing (by email count). Three tiers: Starter, Select, Premium. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Cipher says xMDR works with the existing technology stack, so buyers should confirm which tools are included in the quote and what integration work is extra.. Public pages do not publish response SLAs, contract minimums or service-credit language.. The site names EDR and IPS/IDS integration but does not publish named vendor integrations.. Response wording is broad, so buyers should document pre-approved actions before go-live. | Threat hunting is NOT included in base MDR, it is a separate add-on. Incident response is NOT included and must be obtained separately. Premium tier required for direct Slack/Teams SOC communication. Pricing scales significantly based on number of integrations and coverage areas |
| Data portability | Partial | Full |
| Contract terms | Custom, xMDR Services, xMDR Platform | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | Portal | SlackTeamsEmailPortal |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeLATAM | North America |
| Onboarding | Cipher advertises 20 days for full service activation, but buyers should confirm scope and contract timing. | Hours to days via API integrations. 7-minute initial tool connection demonstrated. |
| Industry focus | HealthcareProfessional ServicesPayments | Financial ServicesHealthcareTechnologyEducationEnergy |
| MTTD | Not published | Not separately published |
| MTTR | Not published | 14 minutes for critical/high incidents with auto-remediation. 22 minutes average alert-to-fix for critical alerts. |
| Community view | No meaningful MDR-specific buyer-review signal was found in major English-language review communities during this pass. The public buyer case rests on Cipher's Prosegur ownership, xMDR Platform, 24/7 SOC claim, six-SOC footprint, portal access and existing-stack positioning. Buyers should validate pricing, response authority, named integrations and SOC delivery details directly. | Forrester Wave MDR Leader Q1 2025 (5/5 in 15 of 21 criteria). Gartner Peer Insights 4.6/5 (142 reviews). G2 4.8/5. PeerSpot 9.0/10. Widely praised for transparency, integration breadth, and speed. Primary criticism: threat hunting and incident response are add-ons, not included. |
| Compliance | ISO 27001ISO 22301ISO 20000ISO 9001SOC 1SOC 2PCI DSSCREST | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001:2013ISO 27701:2019GDPR |
| Certifications | ISO 27001ISO 22301ISO 20000ISO 9001SOC ISOC IIPCI QSAPCI ASVCRESTTF-CSIRTCIPHER-CSIRT RFC2350 | SOC 2 Type II (annual audit May 1 to April 30)ISO 27001:2013ISO 27701:2019 (processor) |
| Founded | – | 2016 |
| Data retention | Cipher says all platform information is online 24/7 and available from any device. No public standard MDR data-retention period was found. | Per-contract basis with automated secure disposal per retention policy |
| API available | – | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Cipher and Expel?
Cipher is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Expel is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Cipher covers 0 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for Expel.
How do Cipher and Expel differ in response capabilities?
Cipher supports 0 autonomous actions (none) and requires approval before acting. Expel supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable.
How does Cipher pricing compare to Expel?
Cipher pricing: Not published. Expel pricing: Starting at $11,640/year. Custom quotes based on environment size and coverage areas.. Watch for with Cipher: Cipher says xMDR works with the existing technology stack, so buyers should confirm which tools are included in the quote and what integration work is extra.; Public pages do not publish response SLAs, contract minimums or service-credit language.. Watch for with Expel: Threat hunting is NOT included in base MDR, it is a separate add-on; Incident response is NOT included and must be obtained separately.
Should I choose Cipher or Expel?
Choose Cipher if: mid-market and enterprise buyers that want a managed service layered over existing security tools. Choose Expel if: mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing security tools wanting vendor-agnostic MDR. Cipher is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing before sales. Expel is not ideal for organizations wanting platform-native MDR from a single vendor (Expel requires existing security tools).
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.