Polymer ships agentless SaaS DLP.
Aona ships endpoint Workforce AI Security.
Polymer connects via OAuth to Slack, Teams, Drive, and GitHub to scan and remediate sensitive content moving through SaaS apps, and ships a browser extension with real-time controls for ChatGPT and Claude plus employee coaching. Aona ships a browser plugin and native endpoint app that hard-block on submit before content reaches any AI tool, with layout-preserving file redaction and framework templates. Same weight class, different enforcement posture.
SaaS DLP with API integrations for Slack, Teams, Google Workspace, and GitHub, plus a browser extension with real-time controls for ChatGPT and Claude and NLP-based redaction.
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 for enforcement posture: pre-submission hard block on any AI site, native desktop app coverage, layout-preserving file redaction, in-region residency across 7 regions, and a 30-day self-serve trial. Pick Polymer for SaaS-side DLP breadth across Slack, Teams, Drive, and GitHub with a low entry price. Both publish pricing, rare in this category.
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 need Slack and Drive DLP as well as AI prompt control.
Polymer covers Slack and Drive natively via API connectors; Aona covers the AI surface with pre-submission hard block and layout-preserving file redaction. Neither tool does both jobs: Polymer is broader on SaaS, Aona deeper on AI.
Org with strict Mac fleet on Jamf, no Microsoft Intune.
Polymer's SaaS coverage is API-based with no endpoint software required. Aona's native endpoint app has no enterprise MDM path on Mac today.
Regulated buyer who must hard-block sensitive prompts before submit, not redact after.
Polymer's extension adds real-time controls for ChatGPT and Claude, but its SaaS-side remediation is post-hoc. Aona hard-blocks at submit on any AI site plus native desktop apps, with no override.
You need coverage of ChatGPT desktop and Copilot desktop, not just web ChatGPT.
Native desktop apps are outside Polymer's API surface. Aona's native endpoint app intercepts them.
Self-serve buyer comparing published entry pricing.
Both publish pricing, rare in this category: Polymer Lite from $95 per month for one policy and one integration, Aona from $9.99 per user per month with a 30-day self-serve trial. Below roughly 10 seats Polymer's flat Lite tier costs less; at team scale Aona's per-seat price covers the full AI enforcement surface. As of July 2026.
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 | Polymer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | |||
| Shadow AI discovery across endpoint | Browser surface | Browser plus native AI apps | Connected apps plus ChatGPT and Claude extension |
| Slack / Teams / Drive content discovery | Polymer core | ||
| Native desktop AI app interception | ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude desktop | ||
| Govern | |||
| EU AI Act / ISO 42001 templates | Polymer is GDPR / HIPAA-led | ||
| Protect | |||
| Browser plugin interception | Extension covers ChatGPT and Claude | ||
| Hard block on submit (before send) | Modal pauses, no override | Real-time in extension; SaaS side is post-hoc | |
| File redaction with layout preservation | Length-matched entity replacement | Redacts text, not formatted DOCX layout | |
| Operations | |||
| Mac coverage without an agent | Browser plugin only on Mac today | Manual install only on Mac | Agentless API approach |
| In-region data residency | 7 live regions (AU, FR, UK, DE, US, SG, HK) | 7 live regions (AU, FR, UK, DE, US, SG, HK) | Not advertised |
| Pricing floor | Business $9.99 per user per month | Business $9.99 per user per month | Lite $95/month, Enterprise from $33,000/year |
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)
- Admin consent for SaaS connectors
- 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.
- No SaaS API coverage today. Polymer's Slack, Teams, Drive, GitHub coverage is broad and Aona has none.
- Agentless deployment is genuinely faster for Mac fleets without Intune. Polymer ships in minutes via OAuth; Aona's native endpoint app needs manual install on Mac.
- No native Okta or SCIM. Microsoft Entra is the production SSO path plus general OIDC/SAML; there is no SCIM auto-provisioning.
- No FedRAMP or IRAP today. SOC 2 Type II is Aona's only certification as of July 2026.
- Coverage is bounded by the connector and extension list. Real-time browser controls cover ChatGPT and Claude, but native desktop AI apps (ChatGPT desktop, Copilot desktop, Claude desktop) are out of scope.
- Redact-and-revoke remediation model. For regulated buyers who must demonstrate prevention rather than after-the-fact remediation, this is weaker than Aona's hard-block on submit.
- Polymer's framework focus is GDPR / HIPAA / SOC 2 / CCPA. EU AI Act and ISO 42001 are not central.
- AU data residency is not on offer or advertised.
- Seed-stage vendor: roughly $5M raised with no Series A announced as of July 2026. Weigh vendor durability alongside the price advantage.
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 | Polymer | |
|---|---|---|
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II (audit window ended February 2026). No FedRAMP or IRAP today. | SOC 2 Type II. |
| 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. | Published pricing, rare in this category: Lite from $95 per month (one policy, one integration), Standard from $5 per user per month per integration, Enterprise from $33,000 per year. 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. | Browser extension applies real-time controls for ChatGPT and Claude; API integrations scan and remediate SaaS content after the fact, with NLP-based redaction. |
| 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.
How Aona and Polymer work together
Run them at different enforcement points. Polymer connects to your SaaS apps via OAuth and scans content as it moves through them, with a browser extension adding real-time checks for ChatGPT and Claude. Aona installs on the device and hard-blocks on submit before content leaves to any AI tool, browser or native desktop app. The two postures complement each other: Polymer for SaaS-side catch-all DLP, Aona for pre-submission AI prompt DLP at the source.
SaaS layer
Polymer's OAuth connectors scan content moving through Slack, Teams, Drive, GitHub.
Endpoint AI layer
Aona intercepts at the browser and native AI apps. Hard-block DLP at submit.
Catch-all plus prevention
Polymer redacts what slipped through; Aona prevented what would have.
Add hard-block AI prompt DLP on top of Polymer
30-day self-serve free trial. Deploys via Intune and Entra in under an hour. No SaaS reconfiguration.