Capability comparison · checked 2026-08-12
promptShield vs Amazon Macie
Macie tells you which S3 objects contain sensitive data. It never hands you a redacted file — and it only sees data you have already uploaded to AWS.
The difference in one sentence
Macie is a discovery service. promptShield is a redaction tool.
Macie scans buckets you already own and reports findings: which object, which data type, how severe. Nothing comes back redacted. promptShield takes a document sitting on your machine and gives you a clean copy, without the file being uploaded anywhere.
Where they diverge
Macie only sees Amazon S3
Macie's scope is S3. A contract on your laptop is invisible to it until you upload it to a bucket — which, for a document you are trying to keep private, is precisely the step you were trying to avoid.
Discovery is not redaction
A Macie finding says “this object contains a name and a credit card number.” It does not remove them. Producing a file you can actually send is still your job, with whatever tool you would have used anyway.
Billed by volume scanned
Macie charges per S3 bucket evaluated and per gigabyte inspected, so cost tracks how much data you scan. promptShield is a flat per-seat licence with no per-document metering.
Feature comparison
| Capability | promptShield | Macie |
|---|---|---|
Runs entirely on your machine Macie is an AWS-hosted service | ||
Produces a redacted document Macie reports findings; it does not write a clean copy | ||
Reversible codes you can decode later | ||
Works on a local file with no upload | ||
Human review before anything is exported | ||
Discovery across petabyte-scale storage This is what Macie is built for | ||
Continuous monitoring and alerting Macie integrates with Security Hub and EventBridge |
✓ = supported · ◐ = partial / via configuration · ✗ = not present. Vendor facts checked 2026-08-12 (see Sources).
When Amazon Macie is the right tool
Macie is the right tool, and promptShield does not replace it, when:
- You need to know which objects across your S3 estate contain sensitive data — an inventory problem, not a document problem.
- You want continuous monitoring, with alerts wired into AWS Security Hub or EventBridge.
- Your data already lives in AWS and compliance needs an auditable, organization-wide discovery trail.
These are genuinely different jobs. Plenty of teams have a real use for both.
When to choose promptShield
- You have one specific document to hand to a chatbot, a client, or opposing counsel, and it has to be clean before it leaves your machine.
- The file cannot be uploaded to a cloud service — that constraint is the whole reason you are here.
- You need the redaction reversed later, so the codes have to map back to the original values.
- You want to see and correct every detection yourself before the file is exported.
Pricing at a glance
Amazon Macie
Usage-based
Macie bills per S3 bucket evaluated and per GB inspected; there is no flat tier. Checked 2026-08-12.
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
Every Amazon Macie claim on this page was checked against the vendor's own public documentation on 2026-08-12. Hosted services change without notice — if you spot an inaccuracy, let us know and we'll correct it.
Frequently asked questions
Can Amazon Macie redact a PDF?
No. Macie classifies and reports sensitive data found in S3 objects; it does not write a redacted copy. You would still need a separate tool to produce a file that is safe to send.
Do I need an AWS account to use promptShield?
No. promptShield is a desktop application. It runs offline and requires no cloud account of any kind.
Can I use both?
Yes, and they barely overlap. Macie answers “where is our sensitive data?” across storage. promptShield answers “make this one document safe to send.”
Honest caveats
- This is not a detection benchmark. We compare documented capabilities and architecture, not measured accuracy. Amazon Macie is a paid hosted service that we have not run against our test set. Where we do publish measured numbers — against Microsoft Presidio, an open-source library we can run ourselves — the script, the test documents and the raw results are all public.
- Cloud services move. Amazon Macie can add or change features at any time, and this page is a snapshot. The Sources above are the authority: read them rather than trusting a comparison table.
- We make promptShield. We are not a neutral party. That is exactly why every claim here points at the vendor's own documentation instead of at us.
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