Both are AI-native.
Choose by stack fit and trial path.
Harmonic and Aona share a category: purpose-built Workforce AI Security with shadow AI discovery, prompt-layer DLP, and policy enforcement. Harmonic claims coverage of 1,000+ AI surfaces through a browser extension (including Island, Arc, and Comet), a desktop client (ChatGPT and Claude desktop, Cursor, Windsurf), and an MCP gateway. The differences are stack fit, file redaction depth, geography, and how you can evaluate.
AI-native data security platform covering 1,000+ AI surfaces via browser extension, desktop client, and MCP gateway, US-headquartered.
The Workforce AI Security platform for any company adopting generative AI, with broader endpoint coverage than the incumbents, a simpler trial, and one of the few that ships hard-block DLP for AI prompts and files.
Pick Aona if you want a 30-day self-serve trial, hard-block DLP with layout-preserving file redaction (DOCX, XLSX, PDF), published pricing, and in-region data residency across 7 regions. Pick Harmonic only if your top requirement is the broadest MCP and agent-protocol surface today, or US-centred support and processing. Both ship browser-level interception and policy enforcement; the differentiation is trial motion, file redaction depth, and geography.
Jump to the decision matrixSOC 2 Type II · 30-day free trial · No credit card · Live in 1 hour
Vendor facts last verified July 2026
When to pick which
Five scenarios. The honest answer for each one.
You require US-based support coverage and US data processing from your AI security vendor.
Harmonic is US-headquartered with its commercial centre of gravity in the US, and holds SOC 2, ISO 27001, and ISO 42001. Aona is Sydney-headquartered with a live US data residency region. If US-based support hours and US-only processing are hard requirements, confirm the specifics with both vendors during evaluation.
Your top requirement is MCP / agent-protocol coverage today.
Both ship MCP-aware coverage today, and Harmonic's surface is broader: an MCP gateway plus a desktop client covering ChatGPT and Claude desktop, Cursor, and Windsurf. Aona's native endpoint app inspects process, network, and MCP servers on the device in a limited rollout. For agent-protocol breadth today, Harmonic has the depth lead.
You want to evaluate without a paid POC or multi-week sales-led setup.
Aona offers a 30-day self-serve free trial with a proactive 30-min onboarding call. Harmonic typically runs a sales-led evaluation; trial paths are not self-serve.
You need layout-preserving file redaction (DOCX / XLSX / PDF) on AI uploads.
Aona's redaction engine preserves formatting and uses length-matched, consistent entity replacement so documents stay readable. Harmonic does not publicly claim file redaction; Aona redacts in place.
You are a regulated buyer in the EU / UK / APAC and want in-region data residency from day one.
Aona is Sydney-headquartered with EU and UK go-to-market focus, and ships data residency in 7 regions today: Australia, France, the UK, Germany, the US, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Harmonic's centre of gravity is the US.
What each tool actually does
Three columns on the Aona side because the browser plugin and the native endpoint app cover different surfaces. Browser-only customers will see fewer green checks than customers with both.
| Capability | Aona browser plugin | Aona native app | Harmonic Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | |||
| Shadow AI tool discovery on managed devices | Browser surface | Browser plus native AI apps | Browser-based discovery |
| Native desktop AI app interception (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude desktop) | Plus generic process-signature detection | Desktop client: ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Windsurf | |
| AI agent inspection (process, network, MCP) | Limited rollout: process, network, MCP | MCP gateway | |
| Govern | |||
| Hard-block DLP on AI prompts | Modal pauses, no override | ||
| Real-time employee coaching | Coach-first: Nudge, Justify, Redirect | ||
| Custom guardrails (admin-authored or external) | |||
| Out-of-the-box framework templates (EU AI Act, ISO 42001, sector) | Major frameworks covered | ||
| Protect | |||
| File redaction with layout preservation (DOCX / XLSX / PDF) | Length-matched replacement | Length-matched replacement | File redaction not publicly claimed |
| Inline prompt redaction before send | |||
| Operations | |||
| Time to first signal | Hours | Hours | Days to weeks |
| Trial motion | 30-day self-serve | 30-day self-serve | Sales-led evaluation |
| macOS at enterprise scale (managed via MDM) | Manual install only today | ||
Based on vendor documentation as of July 2026. Email trust@aona.ai if you find a factual error.
What it takes to ship each one
- Microsoft Intune (Windows MDM, only path shipped)
- Microsoft Entra (admin SSO + user/group sync)
- Browser MDM coverage
- Identity provider for SSO
Where each one falls short
From public docs and customer interviews. If you find a factual error, email trust@aona.ai.
- Narrower browser and OS coverage. Aona's plugin ships for Chrome and Edge only, and macOS at enterprise scale is a manual install; Harmonic's extension covers a wider browser set including Island, Arc, and Comet. As of July 2026.
- AI agent inspection is in limited rollout, and there is no MCP gateway today. Harmonic ships an MCP gateway plus a desktop client covering ChatGPT and Claude desktop, Cursor, and Windsurf.
- SOC 2 Type II only today. No FedRAMP. Some US-federal buyers will need that bar before adopting either vendor.
- No 30-day self-serve free trial. Evaluations are sales-led with longer timelines.
- File redaction (DOCX, XLSX, PDF) is not publicly claimed. Layout-preserving, in-place redaction on AI uploads stays Aona's differentiator.
- Geographic centre of gravity is the US. EU / UK / AU buyers may face longer sales cycles or weaker local support.
- Thin public review base: G2 shows a 3.5 rating from a single review as of July 2026.
What your security review will ask
Certifications, pricing reality, data handling, and residency for both vendors, answered up front so your GRC and legal review can start from this page.
| Aona | Harmonic Security | |
|---|---|---|
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II (audit window ended February 2026). No FedRAMP or IRAP today. | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, and HIPAA. As of July 2026. |
| Pricing and trial | Published pricing: Business plan $9.99 per user per month, Enterprise custom. 30-day self-serve free trial, no credit card. As of July 2026. | No public pricing, no self-serve trial. AWS Marketplace listing shows $163 per user per year with a 200-user minimum. As of July 2026. |
| Where prompts are processed | Prompt content is processed server-side by the Aona API in your chosen region. Retention configurable: 30, 90, or 180 days. | Harmonic states detection runs on-device via small language models with sub-200ms judgments. Server-side handling beyond that is not publicly documented (as of July 2026). |
| Data residency | 7 live regions: Australia, France, UK, Germany, US, Singapore, Hong Kong. Prompts, files, and audit logs stay in-region. | Not publicly documented (as of July 2026) |
| DPA and security docs | DPA available on request. Security overview at aona.ai/security. SOC 2 report under NDA. | Not publicly documented (as of July 2026) |
Competitor facts come from public documentation and pricing pages. Where a vendor does not publish a fact, we say so rather than guess. Corrections: trust@aona.ai.
Migrating from Harmonic Security
If you are evaluating both side by side, the honest path is a 30-day Aona free trial alongside whatever Harmonic POC you set up. Both ship as endpoint deployments, so they can run on the same machines without conflict during evaluation. Pick by which one fits your stack, your geography, and your trial budget.
- Existing identity provider (Entra / Okta / Google Workspace)
- Existing MDM (Intune)
- Browser allow-list policy at the network layer
- Sales-led, paid POC for AI DLP
- Manual policy authoring without out-of-the-box framework templates
- Block-and-label-only file handling
- Duplicate browser-DLP extensions on the same browser
- Manual incident triage if Aona's policy violation trend reporting covers your board reporting need
Try Aona alongside Harmonic, on your real traffic
30-day self-serve free trial. Deploys alongside any existing AI security platform via Intune and Entra in under an hour. No commitment.