Feature comparison · facts checked 2026-06-11
promptShield vs CaseGuard Studio for document redaction
Both are offline desktop tools — so data residency isn't the difference. The difference is reversibility: CaseGuard permanently blacks data out; promptShield replaces it with stable codes you can run through an AI and decode back. A sourced feature comparison, dated and cited.
The difference in one sentence
CaseGuard permanently destroys the sensitive content — true, irreversible redaction. promptShield replaces it with stable, consistent codes: you run the redacted document through any AI, then decode its answer back to the real values.
Both products keep your files on your own machine — CaseGuard is on-premise, promptShield is offline-first, so neither uploads your documents. Data residency is a tie. The real divide is what redaction leaves behind: CaseGuard leaves a permanent blackout with nothing to send to an AI; promptShield leaves a reversible code, built for the anonymize → AI → decode loop, where the same entity always gets the same code so the AI can follow the conversation without seeing a single real value.
Where the two genuinely diverge
Reversible codes vs permanent destruction
CaseGuard performs true redaction: the underlying text, metadata and hidden layers are removed and cannot be recovered. That's the right design for releasing a final record. promptShield replaces sensitive data with a structured, reversible code (e.g. [P0ABCD]) — the meaning survives, the real value doesn't leave, and you can restore it later. Two different goals: CaseGuard hands off a sealed document; promptShield hands off a working copy you can decode.
Built for the AI loop — not just for release
Because the redacted value is gone in CaseGuard, there's nothing to hand to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and no way to bring an answer back. promptShield is built for exactly that: anonymize the document into stable codes, send it to any AI, then import the AI's response and decode every code back to its original value. An auto-generated instruction page tells the AI to preserve codes verbatim.
The same name always gets the same code
"Pierre Dubois" becomes [P0ABCD] everywhere — in the contract, the invoice and the attached email — so the AI understands those references point to the same person across the document and across files in the same folder. A blackout makes every occurrence an anonymous box the AI can't connect.
Detection focus: text PII in 7 languages, deep not wide
CaseGuard's breadth is its strength: 750+ file types and video, audio and image redaction with speaker detection — far beyond documents. promptShield is narrower on purpose: it does text-based personal data in documents, across 7 languages with country-specific checksums (IBAN, SSN, TFN…). If you need to redact body-cam footage or call recordings, CaseGuard is the tool. If you need a reversible AI workflow over documents, promptShield is.
Feature comparison
| Feature | promptShield | CaseGuard |
|---|---|---|
Anonymize → AI → decode loop CaseGuard: permanent blackout, nothing to send to an AI | ||
Reversible codes (restore the original later) CaseGuard: true, irreversible redaction by design | ||
Consistent, stable codes (same entity → same code) | ||
Code consistency across multiple files | ||
AI instruction page (preserve codes verbatim) | ||
Decode an AI's response back to real values | ||
Automatic personal-data detection in documents CaseGuard: 30+ PII/PHI categories | ||
Entity detection (names, orgs, locations) | ||
Multilingual text detection (7 languages, mixed) CaseGuard: language coverage for document PII not publicly specified | ◐ | |
Country-specific checksums (IBAN, SSN, TFN…) CaseGuard: pattern detection, checksum validation not documented | ◐ | |
Permanent, irreversible blackout promptShield: optional per region · CaseGuard: the only mode | ||
Per-region choice: encode or permanently remove CaseGuard only does permanent removal | ||
Metadata / hidden-layer removal | ||
100% offline / on-premise processing Both: air-gap capable, no cloud upload | ||
Video / audio / image redaction CaseGuard: core strength, 750+ file types | ||
Transcription & speaker detection | ||
Flat license (vs per-user monthly) CaseGuard: from US$279/user/month (Doc Suite) |
✓ = included · ◐ = partial / via configuration · ✗ = not present. CaseGuard facts checked 2026-06-11 (see Sources).
When to choose CaseGuard
CaseGuard is the right tool when:
- You need to redact video, audio or images — body-cam footage, call recordings, surveillance — not just documents. This is CaseGuard's core strength and promptShield doesn't do it.
- You're producing final, sealed records for release (FOIA, disclosure, court filings) where permanent, irreversible destruction is exactly what you want.
- You need transcription, speaker detection or translation across many media formats in one on-premise platform.
These tools solve different problems. CaseGuard is a broad multi-format redaction suite for producing sealed records; promptShield is a focused document tool for the reversible anonymize → AI → decode loop. A team that releases redacted video and also wants to run contracts through an AI could reasonably use both.
When to choose promptShield
- You want to use an AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini…) on confidential documents — anonymize, send, then decode the answer back to real values. CaseGuard's permanent blackout can't do this.
- You need reversible tokenization — replace a value with a code, then restore it later — not an irreversible blackout.
- You need the same entity to carry one stable, identical code across a whole document and across multiple files, so the AI can follow the conversation.
- Your data is text in documents across 7 languages, and you'd rather pay a flat license than US$279/user/month for a multi-format media suite you won't fully use.
Pricing at a glance
CaseGuard Studio · Doc Suite
US$279 / user / mo
Doc Suite · per user · annual billing · checked 2026-06-11
See the anonymize → AI → decode loop
Load a document in your browser: anonymize it into stable codes, run it through an AI, then decode the answer back to real values — no install, no cloud upload.
Sources
All CaseGuard pricing and features were verified on 2026-06-11. Vendor pricing changes — if you spot an inaccuracy, let us know and we'll correct it.
Frequently asked questions
Can promptShield redact video, audio or images?
It handles images inside documents, including scanned pages, which are processed with text recognition and redacted like any other page. Standalone video and audio are outside its scope — there is no transcription, no speaker detection and no frame-by-frame media redaction. If body-cam footage or call recordings are a real part of your workload, you need a media redaction suite, and this comparison should not talk you out of one.
If both tools are offline, why not just use one for everything?
Because being offline is a shared property, not the difference. The split is what happens to the data: a redaction suite destroys the sensitive content so a record can be released, while promptShield substitutes it so the document can be sent to an AI and the answer brought back. A destroyed value cannot be handed to a model or restored afterwards, and a coded value is not a sealed record. Most teams that need both outcomes end up with both tools.
Can promptShield permanently remove values instead of encoding them?
Yes — removal is a per-region choice, so you can strip some values outright while encoding others in the same document, and the removed ones are gone rather than recoverable. What it does not try to be is a purpose-built tool for producing sealed public-release records, with the metadata scrubbing and multi-format coverage that job involves. Use it for the documents you are reasoning about with AI, not as your disclosure pipeline.
Honest caveats
- This is not a detection benchmark. CaseGuard is a closed product; we can't run its detector over our test documents the way we do for open-source tools. We compare approaches and features, not measured detection rates. For reproducible benchmarks, see /compare.
- Both are offline. CaseGuard is on-premise and air-gap capable, just like promptShield's offline-first design. Data residency is a tie here — reversibility and the AI loop are the real difference.
- CaseGuard does far more than documents. It redacts video, audio and images across 750+ file types with transcription and speaker detection. We compare only the document / personal-data redaction workflow — not its media capabilities, which promptShield doesn't have.
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