Firefly vs ControlMonkey for cloud configuration backup and recovery
Firefly scores 73.5 and ControlMonkey 66.3. They tie on infrastructure coverage because ControlMonkey snapshots SaaS configuration such as Okta, Entra ID and Cloudflare, while Firefly documents deeper per-service cloud coverage and cross-account rebuild. Neither backs up data.
Ranking current as of September 2026 · By the Cloud Resilience Vendors research desk
Verdict by criterion
| Criterion | Firefly | ControlMonkey | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure coverage beyond data COV 20% | 86 | 86 | Tie |
| Recovery automation AUTO 16% | 84 | 76 | Firefly |
| Cross-region and cross-account rebuild XREG 14% | 82 | 70 | Firefly |
| Drift and change history DRIFT 12% | 92 | 88 | Firefly |
| Restore as code (IaC generation) IAC 10% | 94 | 85 | Firefly |
| Data protection depth and cloud DR track record DATA 18% | 30 | 20 | Firefly |
| Pricing transparency PRICE 10% | 55 | 45 | Firefly |
| Weighted total | 73.5 | 66.3 | Firefly |
Firefly wins 6, ControlMonkey wins 0, ties 1
- DATA
- Not covered or not published Does not document backing up data contents.
- CONFIG
- Restored Resource configuration restored as Terraform.
- NETWORK
- Restored VPC, subnets, security groups, NACLs, WAF in coverage table.
- IAM
- Restored IAM roles, policies and users in coverage table.
- DNS
- Restored Route 53 and Azure Private DNS zones in coverage table.
What the vendor's public material says it restores. Not a test result. Hatched = partial or not itemized.
- Data
- Not covered or not published Does not document backing up data contents.
- Configuration
- Restored Resource configuration restored as Terraform.
- Network
- Restored VPC, subnets, security groups, NACLs, WAF in coverage table.
- IAM
- Restored IAM roles, policies and users in coverage table.
- DNS
- Restored Route 53 and Azure Private DNS zones in coverage table.
What the vendor's public material says it restores. Not a test result. Hatched = partial or not itemized.
- DATA
- Not covered or not published Configuration only.
- CONFIG
- Restored Daily cloud configuration snapshots on AWS, Azure, GCP.
- NETWORK
- Partial or not itemized Part of cloud configuration; not itemized.
- IAM
- Partial or not itemized Okta and Entra ID configuration; cloud IAM not itemized.
- DNS
- Partial or not itemized Cloudflare configuration; cloud DNS not itemized.
What the vendor's public material says it restores. Not a test result. Hatched = partial or not itemized.
- Data
- Not covered or not published Configuration only.
- Configuration
- Restored Daily cloud configuration snapshots on AWS, Azure, GCP.
- Network
- Partial or not itemized Part of cloud configuration; not itemized.
- IAM
- Partial or not itemized Okta and Entra ID configuration; cloud IAM not itemized.
- DNS
- Partial or not itemized Cloudflare configuration; cloud DNS not itemized.
What the vendor's public material says it restores. Not a test result. Hatched = partial or not itemized.
How do their recovery approaches differ?
ControlMonkey takes daily configuration snapshots and restores to a known-good state with what it calls a time machine. Firefly takes policy-driven snapshots of an application and its dependencies and restores by generating Terraform. Both detect drift and both generate Terraform for resources not yet in code.
Where is ControlMonkey stronger?
SaaS configuration breadth: ControlMonkey names Okta, Entra ID, Cloudflare, Cisco Meraki and Zscaler, and states GCP configuration coverage. It also offers a free resilience assessment for up to 50,000 cloud assets, which is the easiest way in this ranking to measure recovery risk before buying.
Where is Firefly stronger?
Documented cross-region and cross-account rebuild into a clean target, per-service backup coverage published in its docs, and a published Essential price. ControlMonkey lists secondary region replication in Pro and does not detail cross-account rebuild; its paid tiers are Contact sales.
Which should you choose?
Choose Firefly if you need to rebuild whole environments in another account or region after ransomware and want the result as Terraform.
Choose ControlMonkey if identity and network SaaS configuration is part of your recovery plan, or you want a free assessment of your recovery risk first.
Frequently asked questions
Do Firefly and ControlMonkey back up data?
No. Both capture and restore configuration. Pair either with a data backup product.
Which one covers Okta and Entra ID?
ControlMonkey lists Okta and Entra ID configuration backup. Firefly lists Okta and Entra ID as data sources in its docs; its Backup and DR coverage table covers AWS and Azure resources.
Which is cheaper to start with?
ControlMonkey's assessment is free. Firefly offers a 14-day trial with all capabilities. Paid pricing for the recovery features of both is on request.