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Government · head to head

Periscope Holdings vs Sophos Intercept X

Periscope Holdings logo

Periscope Holdings

Government

Statewide e-procurement systems and supplier networks for large public agencies

From
On request
Free plan
No
Sophos Intercept X logo

Sophos Intercept X

Cybersecurity

Advanced endpoint protection with deep learning

From
$28/year
Free plan
No

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Periscope Holdings it is scaled and priced for statewide programmes, so a single city or county typically finds both the implementation effort and the cost out of proportion to its needs.; Sophos Intercept X sophos publishes no price for endpoint protection: the product page names editions but gives no per user rate, no minimum seat count and no contract length, and routes buyers to a sales enquiry
  • They diverge on capability: Periscope Holdings covers Sealed bid solicitation, Sophos Intercept X covers Deep learning AI.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Periscope Holdings and Sophos Intercept X actually diverge.

Attributes where Periscope Holdings and Sophos Intercept X differ
AttributePeriscope HoldingsSophos Intercept X
Starting priceOn request$28/year
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWebDesktop, Mobile, Api
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
FoundedUnknown1985

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Periscope Holdings

  • Sealed bid solicitation
  • Supplier registration network
  • Contract catalogues
  • Cooperative purchasing
  • Spend and compliance reporting
  • Supplier diversity tracking

Only in Sophos Intercept X

  • Deep learning AI
  • Anti-ransomware
  • Exploit prevention
  • CryptoGuard
  • WipeGuard
  • Root cause analysis
  • Active adversary mitigation
  • Synchronized security

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Periscope Holdings

  • A state building a central procurement portal serving many agencies and local entitiesnot Sophos Intercept X
  • A large agency needing statutory sealed bidding with a public opening recordnot Sophos Intercept X
  • A purchasing programme that must report spend and supplier diversity across entitiesnot Sophos Intercept X
  • A state wanting local governments to buy from its awarded cooperative contractsnot Sophos Intercept X

Sophos Intercept X

  • Endpoint protection across Windows, macOS, and Linux devicesnot Periscope Holdings
  • Ransomware detection with CryptoGuard file encryption monitoringnot Periscope Holdings
  • AI-powered zero-day exploit mitigation with 60+ proprietary techniquesnot Periscope Holdings
  • Shadow AI and generative AI tool usage control across the organizationnot Periscope Holdings
  • Mobile device encryption and managed detection and response servicesnot Periscope Holdings

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Periscope Holdings

  • It is scaled and priced for statewide programmes, so a single city or county typically finds both the implementation effort and the cost out of proportion to its needs.
  • The interface reflects the age and regulatory weight of the platform, and suppliers routinely describe registration and bidding as harder than on newer portals, which can suppress bid response.
  • Ownership has changed twice since 2021, from independent to mdf commerce to KKR, so roadmap and support continuity should be written into the contract rather than assumed.
  • Sibling products inside mdf commerce cover adjacent procurement ground, which means an apparently competitive shortlist may contain two products with the same owner.
  • Statewide implementations are multi year projects with heavy configuration and change management, and the professional services cost commonly exceeds the software over the contract term.

Sophos Intercept X

  • Sophos publishes no price for endpoint protection: the product page names editions but gives no per user rate, no minimum seat count and no contract length, and routes buyers to a sales enquiry
  • Extended detection and response requires the Advanced with XDR edition rather than the base endpoint product
  • 24x7 monitored detection and response is sold as the separate Sophos MDR service on top of the endpoint licence
  • The Intercept X name has been retired in favour of Sophos Endpoint, so older documentation refers to a brand the vendor no longer uses

Pricing, plan by plan

Periscope Holdings

On request
  • BuySpeed$undefined/year
    • Quoted per programme, scaled to entities served and transaction volume
    • Multi year statewide contracts with implementation priced separately
    • Supplier side registration fees form part of the commercial model on some programmes

Sophos Intercept X

$28/year
  • Intercept X Essentials$28/year
    • Per user
    • Deep learning
    • Anti-ransomware
  • Intercept X Advanced$44/year
    • All Essentials features
    • Root cause analysis
    • Sophos Central
  • Intercept X with XDR$55/year
    • All Advanced features
    • Extended detection
    • Live Discover

Which should you pick?

Choose Periscope Holdings if

  • You need sealed bid solicitation.
  • You also want supplier registration network.

Choose Sophos Intercept X if

  • You need deep learning ai.
  • You work on Desktop, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want anti-ransomware.

Questions people ask

Is Periscope Holdings or Sophos Intercept X better?
Neither clearly leads. Periscope Holdings starts at On request and Sophos Intercept X at $28/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Periscope Holdings or Sophos Intercept X?
Periscope Holdings starts at On request and Sophos Intercept X at $28/year.
Does Periscope Holdings or Sophos Intercept X run on more platforms?
Periscope Holdings runs on Web. Sophos Intercept X runs on Desktop, Mobile, Api.
What is Periscope Holdings best used for?
Periscope Holdings is most often used for a state building a central procurement portal serving many agencies and local entities, a large agency needing statutory sealed bidding with a public opening record, a purchasing programme that must report spend and supplier diversity across entities, a state wanting local governments to buy from its awarded cooperative contracts. Of those, a state building a central procurement portal serving many agencies and local entities and a large agency needing statutory sealed bidding with a public opening record are not what Sophos Intercept X is typically brought in for.
What can Periscope Holdings do that Sophos Intercept X cannot?
Periscope Holdings covers Sealed bid solicitation, Supplier registration network, Contract catalogues, Cooperative purchasing. Sophos Intercept X covers Deep learning AI, Anti-ransomware, Exploit prevention, CryptoGuard.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Periscope Holdings: Who owns Periscope Holdings?

mdf commerce acquired it in 2021, and mdf commerce was itself acquired by KKR in 2024.

Sophos Intercept X: How much does Sophos Endpoint cost?

Sophos does not publish Endpoint pricing on its website. The vendor directs customers to contact sales or request a quote for pricing.

Source
Periscope Holdings: Is it suitable for a single city?

Usually not. It is built and priced for statewide or very large agency programmes.

Sophos Intercept X: Does Sophos Endpoint offer a free trial?

Sophos provides a free 30-day trial of Sophos Endpoint for customers with an active Sophos Fusion account. Trial activation does not require payment information.

Source
Periscope Holdings: What is BuySpeed?

The e-procurement platform behind its statewide deployments, covering solicitation through catalogue ordering and reporting.

Sophos Intercept X: What support levels are available for Sophos Endpoint?

Sophos Fusion customers receive 8x5 support included with subscriptions. Extended support tiers and costs are not listed on the public website.

Source
Periscope Holdings: Can we see what a state paid?

Yes. State procurement awards are public records and typically disclose the full multi year contract value.

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