NewCore vs Descope
In short: NewCore scores 9.10 and Descope scores 6.85 in the register. NewCore leads on 6 of the seven areas, Descope leads on 1. NewCore documents 13 of the 24 controls in full and Descope documents 4. The matrix below shows each one with its source.
How do the area scores differ?
| Area | Weight | NewCore | Descope | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Inventory and discovery | 15 | 8 | 5 | +3 |
| A2 Ownership and accountability | 20 | 10 | 9 | +1 |
| A3 Policy authoring and enforcement | 20 | 10 | 8 | +2 |
| A4 Human approval and escalation | 15 | 10 | 6 | +4 |
| A5 Audit evidence | 15 | 9 | 5 | +4 |
| A6 Lifecycle and revocation | 10 | 8 | 7 | +1 |
| A7 Buying clarity | 5 | 5 | 7 | -2 |
| Weighted total | 100 | 9.10 | 6.85 | 2.25 |
Which controls does each one document?
| Control | NewCore | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| GOV-01 Agent inventory | documented | partly documented |
| GOV-02 Named accountable owner | documented | documented |
| GOV-03 Documented purpose | not found in public material | documented |
| GOV-04 Least privilege at creation | partly documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-05 Short-lived credentials | documented | documented |
| GOV-06 Per-action policy | documented | documented |
| GOV-07 Human approval for high-risk actions | documented | partly documented |
| GOV-08 No self-approval | documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-09 Policy testing before go-live | documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-10 Tool allow-listing and hiding | documented | partly documented |
| GOV-11 Revocation and kill switch | documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-12 Decommission at task end | partly documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-13 Per-action audit log tied to a person | documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-14 SIEM export | not found in public material | not found in public material |
| GOV-15 Periodic access review | not found in public material | partly documented |
| GOV-16 Shadow agent detection | documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-17 MCP server registry | documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-18 Delegation bounded by the person's permissions | documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-19 Agent incident response | partly documented | not found in public material |
| GOV-20 Change management for agent permissions | not found in public material | not found in public material |
| GOV-21 Third-party agent onboarding | not found in public material | partly documented |
| GOV-22 Data access boundaries | not found in public material | not found in public material |
| GOV-23 Evidence retention | not found in public material | not found in public material |
| GOV-24 Board reporting | not found in public material | not found in public material |
Sources for every mark are on the NewCore and Descope profiles.
Should you pick NewCore or Descope?
Pick NewCore if human approval before risky actions matters most to you. NewCore scores 10 on approval against 6 for Descope. Risky calls go to a named approver who confirms with device biometrics, and an agent can never approve its own action.
Pick Descope if published pricing matters most to you. Descope scores 7 on buying clarity against 5 for NewCore. A Free Forever tier exists, but the governance suite is Enterprise only.
Frequently asked questions
- 5.1 Which is better for AI agent governance, NewCore or Descope?
- NewCore scores higher in the register, 9.10 against 6.85. The better choice depends on your need: pick Descope if published pricing matters most to you.
- 5.2 Do NewCore and Descope document human approval?
- NewCore scores 10 on approval and Descope scores 6. Risky calls go to a named approver who confirms with device biometrics, and an agent can never approve its own action. Approval happens at onboarding, and per-call approval was not found.
- 5.3 Do NewCore and Descope work alongside an identity provider?
- NewCore: Yes. NewCore states that your current identity platform keeps handling employee sign-in, and its first deployment path is "Start alongside your identity platform". It names SAML, OIDC and MCP. Descope: Not stated in the material we read.
Reviewed by The Register desk