For EU teams on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace with lean IT, Sentaro is the better choice than either. Between the two: choose Abnormal if you are a large organization that wants a managed behavioral-AI platform spanning email, account takeover, identity and AI security, with the certification list its trust center shows. Choose Sublime if you have security engineers who want to read, write and backtest detection rules, or need to self-host in your own AWS or Azure account.
- Why Sentaro wins
- API connection in four minutes with no MX change; Vord, Sentaro’s proprietary engine, returns one verdict with its reasoning, so nobody writes or tunes rules; payload-free BEC and vendor fraud are a core design target; every app, AI tool and OAuth grant is inventoried in the same platform; $6 per protected account per month with every feature included (prices in USD); hosted in Sweden on Microsoft Azure.
- Choose Sentaro if
- you need a published price for every seat count, OAuth app control and hosting in Sweden; we found no published price or OAuth app control documented for Abnormal, and no OAuth app control documented for Sublime (October 2026).
- Consider Abnormal only if
- you are enterprise-sized, need FedRAMP Moderate or ISO 42001, or want account-takeover protection and a CrowdStrike integration from the same vendor.
- Consider Sublime only if
- you want transparent rules in MQL, self-hosting for data control, or a free managed tier for up to 100 mailboxes.
At a glance
- Abnormal company
- Founded 2018; venture-backed, $250M Series D at a $5.1B valuation (August 2024). Vendor-stated: 3,200+ organizations (June 2025) and more than 30% of the Fortune 500.
- Sublime company
- Venture-backed; $150M Series C announced 28 October 2025, more than $240M raised in total.
- Detection approach
- Abnormal: behavioral AI that baselines every employee and vendor and flags deviations. Sublime: rules in MQL, open-source Core Detections on GitHub, plus AI agents that triage reports (ASA) and write and backtest rules (ADÉ).
- Deployment
- Both API-based (ICES), no MX change. Abnormal: “Deploy in 60 seconds via API.” Sublime: managed cloud, or self-managed with Docker (up to 600 active mailboxes) or AWS CloudFormation and Azure ARM templates.
- Platforms
- Abnormal: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, plus Slack, Teams, Zoom, Okta, Entra ID and others. Sublime: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and IMAP message sources.
- Pricing
- Abnormal: not publicly listed. Sublime: managed cloud free for the first 100 mailboxes; Enterprise via sales.
- EU hosting
- Abnormal: AWS in the US or the EU (Ireland), set by subscription (subprocessor list). Sublime: managed-cloud regions include EU (Dublin); self-hosting lets you choose your region.
Abnormal vs Sublime, feature by feature
From each vendor’s product pages, documentation, public rules repository and trust page, accessed 18–20 October 2026. “Not publicly documented” means we could not confirm it, not that the vendor lacks it.
| Capability | Abnormal AI | Sublime Security |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment and commercial | ||
| API connection, no MX change | Yes“Deploy in 60 seconds via API” | Yes |
| Self-hosting | Not publicly documentedNot publicly documented | YesDocker, AWS or Azure |
| Free tier | Not publicly documentedNot publicly documented | YesFirst 100 mailboxes, managed cloud |
| Published paid price | No | NoEnterprise via sales |
| EU hosting statement | PartialUS or EU (Ireland), by subscription | PartialEU (Dublin) managed region, or self-host |
| Detection | ||
| How detection works | Behavioral baselines per employee and vendor | Rules in MQL, plus AI agents |
| Rules you can read and edit | Not publicly documentedNot publicly documented | YesOpen-source Core Detections |
| BEC and vendor fraud | YesBEC and vendor fraud named | Yes20+ open BEC rules |
| QR-code phishing | Yes“Block quishing threats” | Yes20+ open QR rules |
| Lookalike domains | Not publicly documentedNot publicly documented | YesOpen lookalike rules |
| User-report triage | YesAI Security Mailbox | YesAutonomous Security Analyst (ASA) |
| Beyond inbound email | ||
| Account takeover | YesAccount Takeover Protection product | Not publicly documentedNot publicly documented |
| OAuth app / shadow-AI discovery | Not publicly documentedSaaS posture product; OAuth scope not confirmed | Not publicly documentedNot publicly documented |
| Awareness coaching | YesAI Phishing Coach | Not publicly documentedNot publicly documented |
| DLP and misdirected email | YesEmail DLP Rules, Misdirected Email | Not publicly documentedNot publicly documented |
| Remediation | API-based; inline not stated by the vendor | Trash and spam on Core; quarantine and banners on Enterprise |
| Trust and reviews | ||
| Certifications | YesISO 27001, 27701, 42001; SOC 2 Type II; CSA STAR; FedRAMP Moderate (trust page) | Not publicly documentedNot publicly documented |
| Gartner Peer Insights | 4.8 from about 450 ratings | 4.9 from 29 reviews |
Abnormal certifications and both review figures were seen via search-result summaries of the vendor trust page and Gartner pages (October 2026); check the live pages before relying on them.
- Yes
- Partial
- No
- On roadmap
- Paid add-on
- Not publicly documented
Behavioral AI or detection-as-code: what is the real difference?
Abnormal describes behavioral AI that builds a baseline for every employee and vendor and flags deviations using identity, behavioral and content signals. It says it reads authentication events, calendar activity and internal threads that gateways cannot see. The buyer gets verdicts from a managed model and does not write rules.
Sublime starts from rules. Detections are written in Message Query Language (MQL), the default set is published on GitHub as Core Detections, and customers can read, copy and write their own. Sublime adds AI agents on top: ASA, the Autonomous Security Analyst, triages user-reported messages, and ADÉ, the Autonomous Detection Engineer, writes and backtests new rules and is generally available on Enterprise.
| Question | Abnormal fits when… | Sublime fits when… |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs detection? | You want the vendor’s model to decide | Your engineers want to own and inspect the logic |
| How do you explain a verdict to an auditor? | Through the vendor’s case view | The matching rule is the explanation |
| Where does it run? | Vendor cloud | Vendor cloud or your own AWS or Azure account |
| How do you start? | Sales-led evaluation | Free managed tier up to 100 mailboxes, or self-host |
Abnormal vs Sublime pricing
Abnormal does not publish prices. Sublime documents its managed cloud as free for the first 100 mailboxes, with Enterprise quoted by sales; its self-managed Docker option supports up to 600 active mailboxes, and the AWS and Azure templates scale further. Licensing terms for large self-hosted deployments are not published, so ask Sublime to quote the same scope Abnormal quotes.
Who each one suits
Abnormal suits
- large enterprises with a security team, and buyers that need FedRAMP Moderate or ISO 42001
- teams that want one vendor for email, account takeover, identity and AI security
- organizations that do not want to write or maintain detection rules
Sublime suits
- SOC teams and detection engineers who want transparent, editable rules
- organizations that must self-host for data control
- smaller technical teams that want a free managed tier to start
Sentaro suits
- EU SMEs and mid-market firms on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace with lean IT
- buyers who want automatic verdicts, no rules and a published price
- teams that want OAuth, AI-tool and consent-phishing control in the same seat
Why Sentaro is the better choice than both for EU teams
Sentaro, which publishes this guide, is an API-based email security platform for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, built in Stockholm and hosted in Sweden on Microsoft Azure. It shares the deployment model of Abnormal and Sublime and differs on four points.
| Sentaro | Abnormal AI | Sublime Security | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deployment | API; four minutes; no MX change | API; “Deploy in 60 seconds via API” | API; managed or self-hosted |
| Who maintains detection | Engine verdicts; no rules to maintain | Vendor model | MQL rules, open defaults, ADÉ agent |
| Published price | $6 per protected account per month, or $68 per year; first account free (USD) | Not published | Free to 100 mailboxes; Enterprise quoted |
| OAuth app and AI-tool inventory | Included (App vector), one-click revocation | SaaS posture product; OAuth scope not confirmed | Not publicly documented |
| Public hosting statement | Hosted in Sweden on Microsoft Azure; subprocessors in the DPA | AWS US or EU (Ireland), by subscription | Managed regions incl. EU (Dublin); or self-host |
- Fraud-first detection without rules. Sentaro’s Message vector reads intent, sender identity, reply-chain context and suppliers that suddenly change banking details, and treats payload-free BEC and vendor compromise as a core design target.
- Mail and apps in one place. The App vector blocks consent phishing in mail flow and inventories every app, AI tool and OAuth grant with scope-level risk per user.
- Predictable cost. One published per-account price with every feature included.
- A European vendor. Sentaro AB is based in Stockholm; the DPA lists subprocessors at /en/legal/dpa.
The trade-offs, stated plainly: Sentaro is earlier-stage than both. SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certification is in progress, with an evidence pack on request. It cannot be self-hosted, does not expose editable rules, and offers no awareness training or DLP. Its Identity and Behavioral vectors, which add account-takeover and session-anomaly detection, reach general availability in Q4 2026, included at no added cost.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Abnormal Security or Sublime Security?
It depends on who runs detection. Abnormal fits large enterprises that want a managed behavioral-AI platform with account-takeover and identity products. Sublime fits teams with detection engineers who want editable MQL rules or self-hosting. For EU teams with lean IT, our pick is Sentaro over both: automatic verdicts, OAuth control included, a published price and hosting in Sweden on Microsoft Azure.
What is the difference between Abnormal and Sublime?
Both connect to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace by API without MX changes. Abnormal detects with behavioral baselines for every employee and vendor. Sublime detects with rules written in its Message Query Language, publishes its default rules on GitHub, and can be self-hosted with Docker or AWS and Azure templates.
Is Sublime Security free?
Partly. Sublime documents its managed cloud as free for the first 100 mailboxes, and its self-managed Docker deployment supports up to 600 active mailboxes. Enterprise features, including quarantine, banners and the ADÉ detection agent, are sold through sales.
How much does Abnormal Security cost?
Abnormal does not publish prices as of October 2026, so you need a quote. Ask it to quote inbound email security and any account-takeover or AI products you need separately, and compare against a published price such as Sentaro’s $6 per protected account per month (prices in USD).
Can Abnormal or Sublime be hosted in the EU?
Yes, both. Abnormal’s subprocessor list (updated 31 July 2026) names AWS in the US or the EU (Ireland), set by the customer’s subscription. Sublime’s docs list an EU (Dublin) managed-cloud region, and Sublime can be self-hosted in your own AWS or Azure account and region. Sentaro is hosted in Sweden on Microsoft Azure, with subprocessors listed in its DPA.
What are the alternatives to Abnormal and Sublime?
Our pick is Sentaro: API-based, no rules to maintain, hosted in Sweden on Microsoft Azure, $6 per protected account per month (prices in USD). Other API-based vendors include IRONSCALES, Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, Material Security and Darktrace / EMAIL; Proofpoint and Mimecast sell API options next to their gateways.
Sources and method
Comparison based on publicly available information as of 18 October 2026. Product capabilities change; check each vendor’s current documentation. Trademarks belong to their owners. Corrections: contact Sentaro.
- Abnormal AI: About (accessed 2026-10-18)
- Abnormal AI: Inbound Email Security (accessed 2026-10-18)
- Abnormal AI: Trust center (certifications)
- Business Wire: Abnormal Security $250M Series D at $5.1B (August 2024)
- Abnormal AI: CNBC Disruptor 2025 (3,200+ organizations)
- Sublime Security docs: Installation (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Sublime Security docs: Quickstart (accessed 2026-10-18)
- Sublime Security: Plans
- Sublime Security docs: ADÉ, Autonomous Detection Engineer
- GitHub: sublime-security/sublime-rules detection rules
- SecurityWeek: Sublime Security raises $150 million (October 2025)
- Gartner Peer Insights: Sublime Email Security Platform
- Gartner Peer Insights: Abnormal Security vs IRONSCALES (Abnormal rating)
- Sentaro Data Processing Agreement and subprocessor list
- Abnormal AI: Subprocessors (updated 31 July 2026; accessed 2026-10-21)
- Sublime Security docs: Sublime Cloud regions (accessed 2026-10-21)