Cipher vs Mandiant
Cipher and Mandiant are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. Cipher targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations, while Mandiant serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Cipher includes 0 attack surfaces in base pricing (), compared to 5 for Mandiant (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Buyer brief
Cipher and Mandiant are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. Cipher targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations, while Mandiant serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Cipher includes 0 attack surfaces in base pricing (), compared to 5 for Mandiant (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Mandiant offers broader coverage (5 surfaces vs. 0). Cipher may suit teams that need depth over breadth.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mid-market and enterprise buyers that want a managed service layered over existing security tools | Enterprise organizations wanting threat intelligence integrated directly into MDR from 500+ frontline analysts |
| Price | Custom quote | Mandiant software benchmark: ~$83K/yr; not Managed Defense |
| Response authority | 0/6 actions · Approval required | 3/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| 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
- Enterprise organizations wanting threat intelligence integrated directly into MDR from 500+ frontline analysts
- Price
- Mandiant software benchmark: ~$83K/yr; not Managed Defense
- Response authority
- 3/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | CipherTECH-AGNOSTIC | MandiantTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Positive |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Customer EDR | CrowdStrike FalconMicrosoft Defender for EndpointSentinelOne Singularity |
| SIEM integrations | None listed | Google Security Operations (native integration) |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: Not coveredSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Guided Response | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Approval Required | Configurable |
| Response actions | Alert and notify only | IsolateContainCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Third-party buyer data reports an average Mandiant software cost around $83,000/year. Treat this as a Mandiant buyer benchmark, not a clean Managed Defense MDR quote. |
| 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 | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote. Cipher does not publish xMDR package pricing. | Custom enterprise subscription pricing. Factors: users, data volume, features, contract terms. |
| 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. | ~$83K+/year estimated, premium enterprise pricing. IR retainer is separate and must be purchased independently for full incident response. Managed Defense for Google SecOps currently GA in US only, international customers face limitations |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Custom, xMDR Services, xMDR Platform | Custom enterprise agreements |
| Channels | Portal | PortalPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeLATAM | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | Cipher advertises 20 days for full service activation, but buyers should confirm scope and contract timing. | 4-8 weeks typical for enterprise deployments |
| Industry focus | HealthcareProfessional ServicesPayments | Financial ServicesHealthcareGovernment (Federal)DefenseCritical Infrastructure |
| MTTD | Not published | Not formally published. Claims alerts triaged by expert within minutes. |
| MTTR | Not published | Not formally published. Claims response in minutes, not hours. Participated in 2020 MITRE ATT&CK evaluation (APT29) with one of the highest enriched alert counts in the MSSP detection category. |
| 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. | Mandiant brand is synonymous with threat intelligence and incident response. TrustRadius 6.9/10 (11 reviews). PeerSpot 8.4/10 (Mandiant Advantage, not MDR-specific). Limited public reviews for Managed Defense specifically. Primary criticism: premium pricing, dashboard complexity, and IR being a separate retainer despite Mandiant's IR reputation. |
| Compliance | ISO 27001ISO 22301ISO 20000ISO 9001SOC 1SOC 2PCI DSSCREST | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001ISO 27017ISO 27018FedRAMP HighPCI DSSGDPR |
| Certifications | ISO 27001ISO 22301ISO 20000ISO 9001SOC ISOC IIPCI QSAPCI ASVCRESTTF-CSIRTCIPHER-CSIRT RFC2350 | SOC 2 Type II (via Google Cloud)ISO 27001 (via Google Cloud)FedRAMP High P-ATO (Google Cloud infrastructure, 150+ services). Mandiant Advantage Automated Defense is FedRAMP Ready at High Impact Level (2022).ISO 27017 (via Google Cloud)ISO 27018 (via Google Cloud) |
| Founded | – | 2004 |
| 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. Google Cloud data residency options available. |
| API available | – | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Cipher and Mandiant?
Cipher is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Mandiant is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Cipher covers 0 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for Mandiant.
How do Cipher and Mandiant differ in response capabilities?
Cipher supports 0 autonomous actions (none) and requires approval before acting. Mandiant supports 3 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable.
How does Cipher pricing compare to Mandiant?
Cipher pricing: Not published. Mandiant pricing: Third-party buyer data reports an average Mandiant software cost around $83,000/year. Treat this as a Mandiant buyer benchmark, not a clean Managed Defense MDR quote.. 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 Mandiant: ~$83K+/year estimated, premium enterprise pricing; IR retainer is separate and must be purchased independently for full incident response.
Should I choose Cipher or Mandiant?
Choose Cipher if: mid-market and enterprise buyers that want a managed service layered over existing security tools. Choose Mandiant if: enterprise organizations wanting threat intelligence integrated directly into MDR from 500+ frontline analysts. Cipher is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing before sales. Mandiant is not ideal for sMBs or budget-constrained organizations (~$83K+/year estimated pricing).
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.