Comparison
ShadowLock vs Kipling Secure
Kipling Secure is a broad AI governance (AIDR) platform for MSPs - built to discover, govern, and monetize AI usage - with shadow AI as one capability in the suite. ShadowLock is purpose-built for shadow AI across three layers: the Windows endpoint, the managed browser, and the Microsoft 365 tenant via Microsoft Graph.
The quick verdict
Kipling Secure markets itself as an "AI Governance Platform" built around "AI Detection & Response" (AIDR) - a broad platform MSPs buy to discover, govern, and monetize AI usage. Shadow AI is one capability inside it. ShadowLock does one job: find and control shadow AI everywhere it shows up, including the M365 tenant Kipling’s product doesn’t scan, at a per-device price you can read off a page.
Both tools detect shadow AI on the endpoint. ShadowLock also scans the Microsoft 365 tenant via Graph for AI OAuth grants and Copilot plugins - a cloud-side surface Kipling Secure's product documents no coverage of - and publishes transparent per-device pricing ($0.80–$1.00/device/month) instead of a sales-gated quote.
More in the State of Shadow AI 2026 report →Side by side
| Dimension | ShadowLock | Kipling Secure |
|---|---|---|
| M365 tenant / Copilot OAuth | Microsoft Graph integration scans for AI OAuth grants (Copilot plugins, third-party add-ins). Alerts on new consent; can block or revoke at the tenant. | No Microsoft 365 tenant scanning documented (as of June 2026); coverage is endpoint, browser, and network detection. Cloud-side AI grants consented in your M365 tenant are outside that surface. |
| Pricing | Public. $1.00 → $0.80/device/month, billed monthly, no minimum. | No public price; sales-gated and quote-driven. The unit is ambiguous - the site leans per-user, a 2026 company profile says per-endpoint. |
| Product focus | Purpose-built for shadow AI across endpoint, browser, and M365 - one job, done at three layers. | Broad AI governance platform - discover, govern, and monetize AI usage. Shadow AI is one capability in a platform purchase. |
| Prompt-data classification | Shannon entropy + Luhn validation on every paste, locally on the endpoint, in any app. | Inspects prompts and responses to redact or block sensitive data as part of the platform. |
| Where it blocks | At paste time on the endpoint, plus NTFS-ACL blocking of desktop AI apps and browser-extension enforcement. | Block and redact policy violations after detection; a 2026 company profile also cites device isolation and session termination. |
| Policy authoring | Toggle-based detection types with a partner → org → device policy cascade. | Natural-language policies (e.g. "block PII for all users except HR") - a genuine strength. |
| MSP delivery | Direct, multi-tenant, read-only partner API included, transparent pricing. | MSP-channel, multi-tenant, with a 45-day managed-service launch program; no named PSA/RMM integrations published. |
The Microsoft 365 tenant blind spot
An employee consents a third-party "AI meeting assistant" into your Microsoft 365 tenant, or someone installs a Copilot plugin that reads mailbox and SharePoint data. That grant lives in the cloud - it never touches an endpoint or a network egress point. An endpoint/network XDR platform doesn't enumerate it.
ShadowLock's Microsoft Graph integration scans the tenant directly for AI OAuth grants, alerts on new consent, and can block or revoke. As of June 2026, Kipling Secure's public product material documents no Microsoft 365 tenant scanning - its coverage is described as endpoint, browser, and network detection, and "Copilot" appears only as a tool it detects, not a tenant it scans. For the cloud half of shadow AI, it's a surface you'd need a second tool to cover.
Per-endpoint pricing you can actually model
Kipling Secure publishes no pricing - it's sales-gated - and even the unit is ambiguous: its site leans per-user while a 2026 company profile cites per-endpoint. It pitches MSPs on turning AI governance into recurring revenue, but the path from sign-up to "what this client costs me at renewal" runs through a quote cycle.
ShadowLock publishes its per-device tiers: $1.00 down to $0.80/device/month at volume, billed monthly, no minimum. Procurement can model the renewal without a quote cycle. For an MSP repricing AI governance across a book of clients, a number you can read off a page beats a number you have to negotiate.
A focused control vs a platform purchase
Kipling Secure's pitch is breadth: a broad AI governance platform that discovers, governs, and monetizes AI usage, with natural-language policy authoring (a genuine strength) and - per its 2026 company profile - containment actions like device isolation and session termination. If you're standing up a wide AI-governance program on one platform, that breadth is the pitch.
ShadowLock isn't trying to be your XDR. It's the focused shadow AI layer - clipboard classification, desktop-app blocking, browser enforcement, and M365 OAuth scanning - that you can drop in next to whatever EDR/XDR you already run. Many MSPs don't want to rip out their detection stack to govern AI; they want the AI-specific control without the platform migration.
Which one fits your situation?
Choose ShadowLock when…
- ✓You need Microsoft 365 tenant visibility - Copilot plugins and AI OAuth grants - which Kipling Secure does not scan.
- ✓You want a public, predictable per-device price you can model at renewal instead of a channel quote.
- ✓You want a focused shadow AI control you can run beside your existing EDR/XDR, not a platform you have to migrate onto.
- ✓You need clipboard-level classification that blocks the paste at the endpoint, in any app, before it reaches an AI tool.
- ✓You want to prove the "train on my data" setting is off on every AI tool and gate prompts until it is.
Kipling Secure still fits if…
- •You want a broad AI governance platform - discover, govern, and monetize AI usage - rather than a focused shadow AI control.
- •You want natural-language policy authoring and the broader containment Kipling’s profile describes (device isolation, session termination).
- •You want a managed-service launch program (Kipling’s 45-day path) to stand up an AI-governance offering end to end.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kipling Secure scan Microsoft 365 for shadow AI?+
As of June 2026, no. Kipling Secure’s public material describes AI-usage detection from endpoint, browser, and network telemetry, with no mention of Microsoft 365, Microsoft Graph, or scanning AI OAuth grants and Copilot plugins consented inside your tenant. ShadowLock’s Microsoft Graph integration scans the tenant directly for those grants.
Is Kipling Secure’s pricing public?+
No. Pricing is sales-gated with no public figure, and even the unit is ambiguous - Kipling’s site leans per-user while a 2026 company profile cites per-endpoint. ShadowLock publishes its per-device tiers ($0.80–$1.00/device/month), so procurement can budget without a quote.
Is Kipling Secure a shadow AI tool or an XDR platform?+
It markets itself as an "AI Governance Platform" built around "AI Detection & Response" (AIDR), designed to discover, govern, and monetize AI usage for MSPs, with shadow AI as one capability; it positions against traditional endpoint/network/app tools rather than calling itself XDR. ShadowLock is purpose-built for shadow AI across the endpoint, browser, and M365 tenant, designed to sit beside whatever detection stack you already run.
Can ShadowLock and Kipling Secure run on the same endpoint?+
They can coexist during an evaluation, though running two endpoint agents long-term is rarely the goal. Most MSPs pick one based on scope: a broad AI-native XDR platform, or a focused shadow AI control with M365 tenant coverage and transparent pricing.
Compare ShadowLock to other shadow AI tools
Researching alternatives? Honest side-by-side comparisons against every MSP-channel shadow AI tool.
Browser-only. We add endpoint and M365 tenant.
Blocks AI apps. We inspect the prompt content.
Resolver-layer only. Blind to embedded AI and M365 OAuth.
Browser isolation. We are purpose-built for shadow AI.
Governs shadow AI inside the E5 stack. We need no E5 license.