Capability comparison · checked 2026-08-12
promptShield vs Google Cloud Sensitive Data Protection
Cloud DLP genuinely redacts, and it can tokenize reversibly. The difference is not capability — it is that your document has to be sent to it, and that you have to build everything around it.
The difference in one sentence
Cloud DLP is an API you integrate. promptShield is an application you open.
Both detect personal data, and both can produce a de-identified output with reversible codes. Cloud DLP does it as a Google-hosted service called from your code, which means the content is transmitted to Google to be processed. promptShield does it on your machine, in an interface, with nothing leaving the device.
Where they diverge
Your content is sent to Google
Cloud DLP inspects content you transmit to the API, or data already stored in Google Cloud. That is fine for a pipeline you own. It is a non-starter when the reason you are redacting is that this document cannot go to a third party at all.
It is a building block, not a finished product
There is no reviewer interface, no document library, no export step. You get an API and the job of building everything around it — the right trade if you are processing millions of records, the wrong one if you have a contract to send this afternoon.
Billed per unit inspected
Cloud DLP charges by the volume of data inspected and transformed, at rates that vary by method. Predictable at scale, unbounded in principle. promptShield is a flat per-seat licence.
Feature comparison
| Capability | promptShield | Cloud DLP |
|---|---|---|
Runs entirely on your machine Cloud DLP is a Google-hosted API | ||
Produces a de-identified output | ||
Reversible tokenization Both can decode back to the original values | ||
Desktop interface with human review Cloud DLP is API-only | ||
Works with no account and no network | ||
Very large catalogue of built-in detector types Cloud DLP ships more infoTypes than we do | ◐ | |
Scales to warehouse-sized pipelines This is what Cloud DLP is built for |
✓ = supported · ◐ = partial / via configuration · ✗ = not present. Vendor facts checked 2026-08-12 (see Sources).
When Google Cloud Sensitive Data Protection is the right tool
Cloud DLP is the better choice when:
- Your data already lives in Google Cloud and you are de-identifying it in place, at scale.
- You are building a pipeline and want de-identification as a callable service rather than a desktop step.
- You need the breadth of its infoType catalogue, or a specific detector we do not ship.
It is a well-built service. If transmitting content to Google is acceptable in your setting, it is a serious option and we would not pretend otherwise.
When to choose promptShield
- The document cannot be transmitted to a third-party API — that constraint is the reason you are reading this.
- You want to open a file and get a redacted one back, not write and maintain an integration.
- A person needs to see and approve every detection before the file goes out.
- It has to work with no network connection at all.
Pricing at a glance
Google Cloud Sensitive Data Protection
Usage-based
Cloud DLP bills per unit of data inspected and transformed, at rates that vary by method. 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
- Google Cloud — Sensitive Data Protection
- Google Cloud Docs — De-identifying sensitive data
- Google Cloud — Sensitive Data Protection pricing
Every Google Cloud Sensitive Data Protection 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
Does Google Cloud DLP support reversible redaction?
Yes. It offers cryptographic tokenization, including format-preserving encryption, which can be reversed with the key. promptShield does the same thing locally, with the mapping stored on your own machine.
Is Cloud DLP more accurate than promptShield?
We do not claim either way, because we have not benchmarked it. Cloud DLP ships a larger catalogue of detector types than we do. This page compares architecture and workflow, not measured accuracy.
Can promptShield handle the volume Cloud DLP does?
No, and it is not trying to. promptShield is a desktop tool for documents a person is about to send. Warehouse-scale de-identification is Cloud DLP's job, and it is good at it.
Honest caveats
- This is not a detection benchmark. We compare documented capabilities and architecture, not measured accuracy. Google Cloud Sensitive Data Protection 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. Google Cloud Sensitive Data Protection 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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