Capability comparison · checked 2026-08-12
promptShield vs Microsoft Purview
Purview is a compliance platform for an organization's whole estate. promptShield is a tool for one document on one machine. They rarely compete, but they are often confused.
The difference in one sentence
Purview governs data across a tenant. promptShield redacts the file on your desk.
Purview classifies, labels and applies policy to data across Microsoft 365 and beyond: an administrator's platform, deployed organization-wide. promptShield is opened by the person actually holding the document, and produces a redacted copy locally.
Where they diverge
A tenant-wide platform, not a per-document tool
Purview is configured by administrators and applies policy across an estate. There is no “open this PDF and clean it up” workflow for an individual who simply has a file to send.
Labels and policy, not a redacted file
Purview's controls are sensitivity labels, DLP policies and access restrictions. Those govern how a document may be handled. They do not hand you a copy with the names removed that you can safely paste into a chatbot.
It assumes your data is in Microsoft's cloud
Purview's reach is strongest across Microsoft 365 and Azure. A document that cannot be uploaded at all sits outside its model, and that is exactly the case promptShield exists for.
Feature comparison
| Capability | promptShield | Purview |
|---|---|---|
Runs entirely on your machine | ||
Produces a redacted copy of a file Purview labels and restricts; it does not emit a redacted document | ||
Reversible codes you can decode later | ||
Used directly by the document's owner Purview is largely administrator-configured | ◐ | |
Works with no account and no network | ||
Organization-wide policy and audit across Microsoft 365 This is what Purview is built for | ||
Sensitivity labels that travel with the file |
✓ = supported · ◐ = partial / via configuration · ✗ = not present. Vendor facts checked 2026-08-12 (see Sources).
When Microsoft Purview is the right tool
Purview is the right tool when:
- You are an administrator setting data policy for an organization across Microsoft 365.
- You need auditable compliance reporting and retention across a whole tenant.
- You want sensitivity labels applied and enforced automatically wherever a file travels inside your estate.
Purview and promptShield work at different altitudes. Having one does not remove the need for the other.
When to choose promptShield
- You have a document in front of you and it needs to be clean before you send it or paste it somewhere.
- The file cannot be uploaded to Microsoft 365, or anywhere else.
- You need the redaction reversed later from the codes.
- You want to review every detection yourself before exporting.
Pricing at a glance
Microsoft Purview
Per user / usage
Purview is licensed through Microsoft 365 plans, with additional pay-as-you-go components. 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
- Microsoft — Microsoft Purview
- Microsoft Learn — Microsoft Purview documentation
- Microsoft Learn — Learn about sensitivity labels
Every Microsoft Purview 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 Microsoft Purview redact a PDF?
Not in the sense meant here. Purview classifies documents and applies sensitivity labels and policy; it does not produce a redacted copy with the personal data removed.
We already pay for Purview. Do we need anything else?
If someone in your organization needs to paste a document into a chatbot, yes. Purview governs where a file is allowed to go. It does not make the file's contents safe to share.
Does promptShield replace Purview?
No. Purview is an organization-wide governance platform; promptShield is a desktop tool for individual documents. They solve different problems.
Caveats
- This is not a detection benchmark. We compare documented capabilities and architecture, not measured accuracy. Microsoft Purview 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. Microsoft Purview 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, which is why every claim here points at the vendor's own documentation instead of at us.
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