Client Posture vs Galactic: a passive first look vs independent penetration testing

Galactic, whose old galacticscan.com address now redirects to galacticsecurity.com, sells independent security testing to MSPs: penetration testing, monthly vulnerability assessments, and analyst-reviewed reports. Client Posture is a passive external posture check that turns public findings into branded Security Briefs and proposals. The two answer different questions. Galactic asks how far an attacker could get. Client Posture asks what's visible from the outside, and whether a prospect is worth a conversation.

The short version

Client Posture reads public information only, from a domain name. Its Security page lists the signals: DNS over HTTPS, certificate transparency logs, domain registration (RDAP) data, TLS handshake metadata, and one normal request to the homepage. It says Client Posture does not "port scan, brute-force paths, probe vulnerabilities, attempt logins, crawl beyond the homepage, or send exploit payloads." Nobody at the client has to click or install anything. The same scan feeds a branded Security Brief for prospects, and on Pro, a Good / Better / Best proposal the client accepts online.

Galactic tests from inside the environment. Galactic offers three ways in, per its own pages:

• Baseline cybersecurity analysis: "No agents to install, no hardware to ship." You send a link to a user. When they click it, "the assessment launches and runs while the user continues working," analyzing "the identity layer, network, and endpoints."
• Vulnerability assessment: "An agent does the work." It installs once and scans monthly across "internal and external assets, anything facing the internet, and the network devices connected to it all."
• Penetration testing: recurring testing "across both MSP and client environments, simulating real-world attacks," covering Microsoft 365, firewall rules, Active Directory, credentials and dark-web exposure. Galactic describes it as "human-led" and says every report is reviewed by its own analysts.

So the baseline analysis needs no install either, but it isn't passive. It runs on a user's machine inside the environment, after someone there clicks the link. Client Posture never runs anything on the client's side.

Comparison table

Where Galactic is the better fit

• You need a penetration test. Client Posture isn't one and never claims to be. When a contract, insurer or auditor asks for pentest evidence, Galactic's recurring testing addresses that directly.
• Independent third-party validation. Galactic argues that "when the same team grades its own work, that's a conflict of interest." If your client wants someone other than their MSP testing the MSP's work, that's Galactic's pitch.
• Testing your own MSP. GalacticWatch is aimed at the MSP's own environment, with quarterly penetration testing and monthly vulnerability analysis. GalacticWatch also includes unlimited prospecting scans (Galactic, For MSPs).
• Inside-the-network risk: identity, Active Directory paths, weak or reused credentials, firewall rules and PII exposure, none of which a passive external check can see.
• Human review. Galactic says its analysts review findings before you get them.

Where Client Posture is the better fit

• Before there's a relationship. Prospect scans need nobody on their side to click a link or install anything.
• Volume prospecting. 150 prospect scans a month on Pro and Founding Partner, ranked by opportunity in the Grow pipeline.
• Email security as the opener. SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS and filtering checks, explained in plain English.
• From findings to a signed proposal. On Pro, findings map to a 48-service library, and the client accepts a Good / Better / Best proposal online. Client Posture doesn't take the client's payment.
• Transparent pricing you can see before talking to anyone.

Using them together

One way to combine them: start with Client Posture's passive check and Brief to earn the meeting, sell a paid assessment, and bring in Galactic when the client needs an independent penetration test or insurer-ready evidence from inside the network.

Try the passive first look

Scan a prospect's domain free →

No signup to scan. Public information only. When you're ready, 7 days of Pro, no card. See pricing →

Founding Partner: $1,999, one time. It includes 50 client domains with your logo and colors, weekly rescans and change alerts, unlimited Security Briefs (150 prospect scans a month), the Grow toolkit, the Policy library, a branded service menu, webhooks, the API, and MCP access (except quote drafts). Proposals and the Service Library require Pro. If you later subscribe to Pro, you pay $299/mo instead of $399 for as long as that subscription stays active. The offer is capped at 50 seats and closes Dec 15, 2026, or sooner if all 50 seats are claimed. See Founding Partner details →