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Cytactic vs iluminr
iluminr scores higher overall on our weights, 7.5 of 10 to 6.0. Cytactic does not lead on any criterion; iluminr leads on cross-team (9 to 7), evidence (9 to 6), effort to run (8 to 7) and breadth and free access (6 to 3). They tie on realism, hands-on depth and pricing.
Editorial assessment · Assessed from vendor sites, product pages and published pricing, September 2026
Editorial verdict
Cytactic for an exercise that reacts to the decisions your team makes; iluminr for evidence you can hand to a board, auditor or insurer.
11-1How do they score?
| Criterion | Cytactic | iluminr |
|---|---|---|
| Realism (25%) | 7Tie | 7Tie |
| Cross-team (25%) | 7 | 9Higher |
| Evidence (20%) | 6 | 9Higher |
| Effort to run (15%) | 7 | 8Higher |
| Hands-on depth (5%) | 2Tie | 2Tie |
| Breadth and free access (5%) | 3 | 6Higher |
| Pricing (5%) | 1Tie | 1Tie |
| Weighted total | 6.0 | 7.5 |
11-2How do pricing and formats compare?
| Question | Cytactic | iluminr |
|---|---|---|
| What it sells | Cyber incident response management hub with a simulation generator: five ready-made crisis simulations and an AI engine that builds new ones from the organisation's profile. | Operational resilience exercising for boards, executives and crisis teams, from 3–5 minute microsimulations to facilitated tabletops, with evidence mapped to regulations. |
| Formats | Tabletop and crisis simulation | Tabletop and crisis simulation |
| Audiences | Incident response team | Executives and board, Incident response team, Whole company |
| How it is delivered | Simulation Mode inside the Cytactic platform | Microsimulations, team exercises and facilitated tabletops |
| Free access | No free tier | No free tier |
| Published price | Not published | Not published |
| Pricing notes | Not published, contact sales. Access is through a demo. | Not published, contact sales. |
Choose Cytactic if
- You need an exercise that reacts to the decisions your team makes: Cytactic scores 7 to 7 here.Exercises run in a Simulation Mode where attacker emails, ransom notes, breaking news and system data appear automatically, built from the organisation's profile; a scenario that branches on each decision is not described.
- You need executives, legal, communications and responders in the same exercise: Cytactic scores 7 to 9 here.Generated exercises include stakeholder discussions, with crisis communication and legal disclosure agents in the platform; an exercise format for executives or the board is not described.
Choose iluminr if
- You need evidence you can hand to a board, auditor or insurer: iluminr scores 9 to 6 here.Board-ready dashboards, benchmarking by department, region and role, and evidence trails for DORA, APRA CPS 230, ISO 22301, NIST CSF and other frameworks.
- You need executives, legal, communications and responders in the same exercise: iluminr scores 9 to 7 here.Built for boards, executives, crisis teams and risk functions, from single-player microsimulations to multiplayer team drills.
11-3Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Cytactic or iluminr?
On our weights, iluminr scores higher (7.5 to 6.0 of 10). Cytactic leads on 0 of seven criteria and iluminr on 4; they tie on 3. The better choice depends on your gap: see the criterion table above.
Which is cheaper, Cytactic or iluminr?
Neither publishes a price, so we cannot say. Ask both for a quote scoped to the same audience and number of exercises.
Can you use Cytactic and iluminr together?
They overlap on tabletop and crisis simulation, so most teams choose one of them for that format.
Sources: cytactic.com, cytactic.com/platform, cytactic.com/blog/the-next-generation-of-cyber-tabletops-is-here-powered-by-ai, iluminr.io, iluminr.io/pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026