Feature comparison · facts checked 2026-06-11
promptShield vs iDox.ai for document redaction
iDox.ai is a cloud tool — your documents are uploaded to be redacted, the redaction is permanent, and you pay per page. promptShield runs fully offline and replaces data with stable codes you can run through any AI and decode back. A sourced feature comparison, dated and cited.
The difference in one sentence
iDox.ai uploads your documents to the cloud and permanently redacts them — the data is gone and never leaves on your terms. promptShield keeps every byte on your machine and replaces sensitive data with stable, consistent codes you run through any AI, then decode back to the real values.
Two differences stack here, not one. First, residency: iDox.ai is cloud-first — your files are uploaded for processing (a private-cloud deployment exists only at the Enterprise tier, and it's still your cloud, not your laptop). promptShield processes everything offline; no document ever leaves the machine. Second, reversibility: iDox.ai's redaction is, in its own words, permanent and irreversible — there's nothing to send to an AI and decode back. promptShield is built for exactly that anonymize → AI → decode loop, with the same entity always getting the same code so the AI can follow the conversation.
Where the two genuinely diverge
Offline vs cloud upload
With iDox.ai your documents are uploaded to its service to be redacted — the company leans on SOC 2 and ISO 27001 to make that trustworthy, and for many teams that's fine. But the file still leaves your control. promptShield never uploads anything: detection and redaction run on your machine, air-gap capable, so the confidential document and its real values stay on the same disk they started on.
Reversible codes vs permanent redaction
iDox.ai states plainly that "redactions are permanent, secure, and irreversible." That's the right design for a final release. promptShield instead replaces each value with a structured, reversible code (e.g. [P0ABCD]): the meaning survives, the real value never leaves, and you can restore it later. It's the difference between sealing a document and getting a working copy you can decode.
The decode loop the cloud tool doesn't have
iDox.ai can anonymize data before it's shared with an AI — but there's no documented way to take the AI's answer and restore the original values. promptShield closes that loop: anonymize into stable codes, send to any AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini), then import the response and decode every code back to its real value. An auto-generated instruction page tells the AI to keep codes verbatim.
Flat license vs per-page billing
iDox.ai bills by annual page volume — a Starter plan caps at 5,000 pages a year, Premium at 50,000 — so a high-volume month can mean an upgrade. promptShield is a flat license with no page meter: redact as many documents as you like, offline, at no extra cost. If your throughput is unpredictable, a meter is a tax you keep paying.
Feature comparison
| Feature | promptShield | iDox.ai |
|---|---|---|
100% offline processing (no upload) iDox.ai: cloud-first; private cloud only at Enterprise | ||
Documents never leave your machine | ||
Anonymize → AI → decode loop iDox.ai: permanent redaction, no decode path documented | ||
Reversible codes (restore the original later) iDox.ai: "redactions are permanent and irreversible" | ||
Consistent, stable codes (same entity → same code) iDox.ai: anonymize/masking module; cross-file consistency not documented | ◐ | |
Code consistency across multiple files | ||
AI instruction page (preserve codes verbatim) | ||
Decode an AI's response back to real values | ||
Automatic personal-data detection iDox.ai: entity recognition for names, addresses, SSN, cards | ||
Multilingual detection (7 languages, mixed) iDox.ai: language coverage not publicly specified | ◐ | |
Country-specific checksums (IBAN, SSN, TFN…) iDox.ai: pattern detection; checksum validation not documented | ◐ | |
Permanent, irreversible redaction promptShield: optional per region · iDox.ai: the only mode | ||
Per-region choice: encode or permanently remove iDox.ai only does permanent removal | ||
Metadata / hidden-content removal | ||
Redaction API iDox.ai: Data Privacy API + No-Code API | ||
Cloud-storage integrations (Box, Drive, OneDrive…) promptShield is offline by design | ||
Flat license (vs per-page subscription) iDox.ai: annual page caps (Starter 5k, Premium 50k) |
✓ = included · ◐ = partial / via configuration · ✗ = not present. iDox.ai facts checked 2026-06-11 (see Sources).
When to choose iDox.ai
iDox.ai is the right tool when:
- You want a cloud service your whole team logs into from anywhere, with integrations into Box, NetDocuments, Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive baked in.
- You're producing final, sealed records where permanent, irreversible redaction is exactly the goal — and uploading to a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 cloud meets your compliance bar.
- You need a redaction API or no-code API to wire redaction into an existing pipeline, and per-page billing fits your volume.
These tools target different buyers. iDox.ai is a cloud platform for teams that want redaction-as-a-service with API access; promptShield is an offline desktop tool for the reversible anonymize → AI → decode loop on documents that must never leave the machine. Which fits depends on whether your files can go to the cloud at all.
When to choose promptShield
- Your documents can't leave the machine — confidentiality, client privilege, or a no-cloud policy means upload is a non-starter.
- You want to use an AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini…) on those documents — anonymize, send, then decode the answer back to real values.
- You need reversible tokenization — replace a value with a code, then restore it later — not an irreversible blackout.
- You'd rather pay a flat license than a per-page subscription with an annual cap that forces an upgrade in a busy month.
Pricing at a glance
iDox.ai · Starter
US$390 / yr
Per-page · up to 5,000 pages/yr · cloud · checked 2026-06-11
See the anonymize → AI → decode loop
Load a document into the live demo: 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 iDox.ai 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
Does SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification make it safe to upload my documents?
Those certifications tell you a provider has audited controls and takes security seriously, which is worth something real. What they do not do is change the fact that a copy of your document left your control. Certification describes how well someone else guards your data; it does not give you a lawful basis for the transfer, satisfy a confidentiality clause, or remove the file from the reach of that provider's jurisdiction and legal obligations. Those questions stay yours to answer.
Does promptShield have an API, or is it desktop only?
There is both a local REST API and a command-line interface, so detection and encoding can be automated in scripts and pipelines. The difference from a cloud redaction API is where it runs: the endpoint is on your own machine or your own server, so automating volume never becomes an upload. Anything the desktop interface can do to a document, the API and CLI can do without a person clicking through it.
Can promptShield run on a server rather than a laptop?
Yes. Alongside the desktop application there is a self-hosted deployment for teams that want a shared internal endpoint, and it keeps the same guarantee: it runs on infrastructure you control, so documents never reach us. That is the important distinction from a vendor's private-cloud tier, which is still the vendor's environment, just a more isolated one.
Honest caveats
- This is not a detection benchmark. iDox.ai is a closed cloud 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.
- iDox.ai's cloud is certified. It cites SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and offers a private-cloud deployment at the Enterprise tier. "Cloud" is not the same as "insecure" — but it is still an upload, which is the line promptShield's offline design never crosses.
- iDox.ai has an Anonymize module. Its suite includes data masking / anonymization alongside redaction. We found no public documentation of a decode-the-AI's-answer-back-to-real-values loop, so we mark that capability as not present — if that's changed, tell us and we'll update.