LevelBlue vs Sapphire
LevelBlue and Sapphire are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. LevelBlue targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations, while Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. LevelBlue includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Buyer brief
LevelBlue and Sapphire are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. LevelBlue targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations, while Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. LevelBlue includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Sapphire offers broader coverage (4 surfaces vs. 3). LevelBlue may suit teams that need depth over breadth.
At a glance
| FIELD | ||
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | US federal and state agencies that need FedRAMP/StateRAMP-authorized MDR with deep compliance credentials | UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC |
| Price | Third-party starting estimate: ~$43,775/yr | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 1/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- US federal and state agencies that need FedRAMP/StateRAMP-authorized MDR with deep compliance credentials
- Price
- Third-party starting estimate: ~$43,775/yr
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- 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 | LevelBlueTECH-AGNOSTIC | SapphireTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeMicrosoft DefenderSentinelOnePalo Alto CortexCarbon Black | EDR toolsMicrosoft technologies |
| SIEM integrations | Microsoft SentinelSplunkDevo | ExabeamSIEM tools |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: Optional add-onSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | Custom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Starting at ~$43,775/year (SelectHub estimate). Enterprise pricing is custom/quote-based. | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Identity | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | ≤15 minutes | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote-based pricing in two tiers (Trustwave MDR and MDR Elite). Non-EDR sources priced by MEPD (millions of events per day). EDR telemetry is unlimited for contracted endpoints. | Custom quote. Sapphire does not publish MDR package pricing. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Non-EDR telemetry priced by MEPD (millions of events per day), which is hard to estimate upfront and can spike. Service-level scope varies by product and tier. Confirm whether the Trustwave service-level document applies to the quoted MDR service.. MDR, MXDR, Co-Managed SOC, MTDR, and Cybereason XDR are still separate products at different price points. Ask exactly which product you are being quoted.. Five acquisitions and a 15% launch-day layoff. Ask about contract continuity and staff retention. | 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 | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year | Custom |
| Channels | PortalEmailPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | Europe |
| Onboarding | 10 days or less (Trustwave MDR) | Sapphire references onboarding and implementation that can be shorter than expected, but no standard public MDR onboarding timeline was found. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesHealthcareGovernmentRetailManufacturingEnergy | Public SectorDefenceFinancial ServicesProfessional ServicesIndustrialsManufacturingOperational TechnologyHealthcare |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | 15-minute Security Incident notification SLA. Sub-30-minute MTTR objective and 15-minute MTTA objective apply under narrower Trustwave service-level scope for MDR Elite and MDR U.S. Government. | Not published |
| Community view | G2 4.4/5 (120 reviews, primarily USM Anywhere). Gartner Peer Insights 4.3/5 (Trustwave MDR). Frost & Sullivan MDR Growth Index Leader 2025. Cybereason achieved 100% detection in MITRE ATT&CK 2024. SpiderLabs and FedRAMP authorization are genuine differentiators. Main concern is integration risk from five acquisitions in two years. | 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 | FedRAMPStateRAMPSOC 2ISO 27001PCI DSS QSAPCI Forensic InvestigatorHIPAA | ISO 27001NISTHIPAADORACyber Essentials PlusCRESTGDPRPCI DSS |
| Certifications | FedRAMP Authorized (first pure-play MDR, Feb 2025, FERC-sponsored)StateRAMP Authorized (Aug 2024)SOC 2ISO 27001PCI DSS QSAPCI Forensic Investigator (PCIF)Microsoft Verified MXDR PartnerFrost & Sullivan MDR Frost Radar Growth Index Leader 2025Gartner Market Guide for MDR Representative Vendor 2024Gartner Market Guide for Outsourced MSS Representative Vendor 2026Gartner Market Guide for DFIR Retainer Services Representative Vendor 2025 | CREST SOCCREST Penetration TestingCyber Essentials PlusISO 27001 |
| Founded | 2024 | 1996 |
| Data retention | 1 year (MDR Elite tier). Base MDR tier retention not publicly disclosed. | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between LevelBlue and Sapphire?
LevelBlue is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Sapphire is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: LevelBlue offers ≤15 minutes, Sapphire offers Not disclosed. LevelBlue covers 3 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 4 for Sapphire.
How do LevelBlue and Sapphire differ in response capabilities?
LevelBlue supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Sapphire supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with LevelBlue and included with Sapphire.
How does LevelBlue pricing compare to Sapphire?
LevelBlue pricing: Starting at ~$43,775/year (SelectHub estimate). Enterprise pricing is custom/quote-based.. Sapphire pricing: Not published. Watch for with LevelBlue: Non-EDR telemetry priced by MEPD (millions of events per day), which is hard to estimate upfront and can spike; Service-level scope varies by product and tier. Confirm whether the Trustwave service-level document applies to the quoted MDR service.. 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 LevelBlue or Sapphire?
Choose LevelBlue if: uS federal and state agencies that need FedRAMP/StateRAMP-authorized MDR with deep compliance credentials. Choose Sapphire if: uK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC. LevelBlue is not ideal for organizations that prioritize vendor stability. Five ownership changes and a 15% launch-day layoff are red flags.. 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.