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iluminr vs Reflex Security: crisis simulation for the board or for the breach?
The totals are close: Reflex Security 6.8 of 10, iluminr 6.7. iluminr wins on evidence (9 to 8), with board dashboards and mapping to DORA, APRA CPS 230, ISO 22301 and NIST CSF. Reflex wins on realism (9 to 7) and effort to run (9 to 8) with an adversary that reacts to each decision. They tie on cross-team exercising at 9.
Editorial assessment · Assessed from vendor sites, product pages and published pricing, September 2026
Editorial verdict
iluminr for a resilience program a regulator will inspect; Reflex for a security team that needs to rehearse the breach itself.
11-1How do they score?
| Criterion | iluminr | Reflex Security |
|---|---|---|
| Realism (22%) | 7 | 9Higher |
| Cross-team (20%) | 9Tie | 9Tie |
| Evidence (16%) | 9Higher | 8 |
| Effort to run (14%) | 8 | 9Higher |
| Hands-on depth (12%) | 2Tie | 2Tie |
| Breadth and free access (8%) | 6Higher | 2 |
| Pricing (8%) | 1Tie | 1Tie |
| Weighted total | 6.7 | 6.8 |
| Question | iluminr | Reflex Security |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Operational resilience and crisis management | Security incident response |
| Formats | 3–5 minute microsimulations, 30–45 minute team exercises, facilitated tabletops, IR management | Sixty-minute AI crisis simulation, live or asynchronous |
| What drives the scenario? | Real-time injects and immersive media; AI assesses responses against your plans | Unscripted AI adversary and simulated stakeholders; scenario built from your OSINT and telemetry |
| Absent participants | Not described | AI agents play absent roles, including the CEO |
| Frameworks | DORA, ISO 22301, APRA CPS 230, FCA/PRA, NIST CSF, UK operational resilience, ISO 27001, FFIEC, OSFI E-21 | SOC 2, ISO 27001, DORA |
| Board reporting | Board-ready dashboards; benchmarks by department, region and role | After-action report with findings traced to session moments |
| Scenario scope | Cyber and non-cyber disruption | Cyber incidents |
| Published price? | No | No |
11-2Who is each one built for?
iluminr's buyers are often risk, resilience and compliance leaders, and its scenarios cover disruption in general, cyber included. Reflex's buyer is the CISO or incident response lead, and every scenario is a security incident.
11-3Which leaves better evidence?
iluminr, by a point. It maps exercises to nine named frameworks and benchmarks results across the organization. Reflex's report is detailed for one exercise, with each finding tied to the moment it came from, and maps to SOC 2, ISO 27001 and DORA.
11-4Which feels more like a real incident?
Reflex, by two points. Its scenario starts from the organization's own public footprint and an adversary adapts to what the team does. iluminr's strength is frequency and coverage: many short exercises across many people.
Choose iluminr if
- A regulator such as a DORA or APRA supervisor will ask for exercise evidence.
- You want short, frequent exercises across many staff and regions.
- Scenarios must cover non-cyber disruption too.
Choose Reflex Security if
- The exercise is for the security response team and its executives.
- You want the adversary to react to decisions.
- Scheduling everyone is the reason tabletops slip.
11-5Frequently asked questions
Are iluminr and Reflex Security competitors?
They overlap on executive crisis exercising. iluminr is broader across operational resilience; Reflex is focused on security incidents.
Which one is better for DORA?
Both list DORA. iluminr maps to more frameworks and offers board-level benchmarking, so it scores higher on evidence.
Sources: iluminr.io, reflexsecurity.io, reflexsecurity.io/blog/reflex-security-vs-immersive-labs, reflexsecurity.io/blog/alternatives · Reviewed Sep 2026