Network layer or endpoint layer.
Choose by where AI use happens.
WitnessAI and Aona both govern workforce AI use, but they meet it at different points. WitnessAI watches at the network layer with no endpoint agent. Aona watches at the endpoint across the browser, the native desktop, and the agent. The differences are coverage, deployment model, scale, and how you can evaluate.
Unified AI security and governance platform with network-level visibility, intent-based ML policy, and enterprise audit trails.
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 endpoint coverage that catches native desktop AI apps and off-network use on devices where Aona is deployed, multi-region data residency across 7 regions today, published pricing, and a 30-day self-serve trial with hard-block DLP for prompts and files. Pick WitnessAI only if you require network-layer visibility with no endpoint agent at all; its enterprise-only motion starts at a $180,000-per-year, 1,000-user minimum (as of July 2026).
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Vendor facts last verified July 2026
When to pick which
Five scenarios. The honest answer for each one.
You want AI visibility without deploying any endpoint agent.
WitnessAI inspects at the network layer, so it sees AI traffic without a browser plugin or device agent. Aona requires its browser plugin or native endpoint on the device. There is no network-only or IdP-log-only mode in Aona.
Procurement is weighing a dedicated enterprise contract motion against a self-serve start.
WitnessAI sells enterprise-only at a $180,000-per-year minimum with a 1,000-user floor per its AWS Marketplace listing. Aona starts self-serve at published per-seat pricing and scales into enterprise contracts. Match the motion to how your procurement buys, and ask both vendors for enterprise references given WitnessAI's still-small public review base (as of July 2026).
You need to catch native desktop AI apps, local AI, and off-network use on devices where Aona is deployed.
Aona inspects across three layers: browser plugin, native desktop endpoint app, and AI agent inspection (limited rollout). This reaches native desktop apps like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude desktop, plus local AI that a purely network-layer approach can miss.
You are an EU, UK, or APAC regulated buyer that needs in-region data residency.
Aona ships multi-region data residency today across Australia, France, the UK, Germany, the US, Singapore, and Hong Kong. WitnessAI is US-centric, so EU, UK, and APAC residency requirements are stronger on Aona's side.
You want hard-block DLP for files plus layout-preserving redaction, and a self-serve trial.
Aona ships in-production file redaction that preserves DOCX, XLSX, and PDF layout with length-matched, entity-class-aware replacement, plus hard-block DLP for prompts and files, available on a 30-day self-serve trial.
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 | WitnessAI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | |||
| Network-level AI traffic visibility (no endpoint agent) | Endpoint-based, not network | Endpoint-based, not network | Core of the platform |
| Shadow AI tool discovery on managed devices | Browser surface | Browser plus native AI apps | Network-level discovery |
| Native desktop AI app interception (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude desktop) | Plus generic process-signature detection | Network-visible if traffic is in scope | |
| AI agent inspection (process, network, MCP) | Limited rollout: process, network, MCP | Network-level agent visibility | |
| Govern | |||
| Hard-block DLP on AI prompts | Modal pauses, no override | Intent-based ML policy | |
| Hard-block DLP on file uploads | Network-layer file controls | ||
| Intent-based policy from ML classification | Entity-class and rule-based | Entity-class and rule-based | Core differentiator |
| Governance enforcement on top-tier assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Bing) | Network-level across services | ||
| Protect | |||
| File redaction with layout preservation (DOCX / XLSX / PDF) | Length-matched, in production | Length-matched, in production | Network controls, not in-place redaction |
| Multi-region data residency | 7 regions (AU, FR, UK, DE, US, SG, HK) | 7 regions (AU, FR, UK, DE, US, SG, HK) | US-centric |
| Microsoft Sentinel SIEM integration (OCSF) | In production | In production | Audit trails, SIEM via platform |
| Operations | |||
| Deployment model | Endpoint (browser plugin) | Endpoint (native app) | Network layer |
| Trial motion | 30-day self-serve | 30-day self-serve | Sales-led evaluation |
| macOS at enterprise scale (managed via MDM) | Manual install only today | Network layer, no device agent | |
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 and user / group sync)
- Network routing or proxy integration
- 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.
- Intune is the only shipped MDM push (no Jamf, Workspace ONE, or Kandji), and macOS at enterprise scale is manual install today.
- Requires the browser plugin or native endpoint on the device. No network-only or IdP-log-only mode.
- No mobile coverage (iOS or Android), and no native Okta or SCIM: Microsoft Entra is the production identity path, plus general OIDC/SAML. AI agent inspection is live but in limited rollout.
- Network-layer visibility can miss native desktop AI apps, local AI, and off-network use. On devices where Aona is deployed, the endpoint catches all three.
- US-centric, so EU, UK, and APAC in-region data residency is weaker than Aona's seven-region footprint.
- Sales-led evaluation rather than a self-serve trial. The AWS Marketplace listing starts at $180,000 per year at a 1,000-user minimum (as of July 2026).
- Near-zero public review base as of July 2026, so peer reviews cannot yet validate the platform at scale.
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 | WitnessAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II (audit window ended February 2026). No FedRAMP or IRAP today. | SOC 2 Type I and Type II. 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 $180,000 per year at a 1,000-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. | Prompts are inspected in-line at the network layer as AI traffic is routed through the platform. Processing location details are 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. | US-centric. In-region residency options are 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 WitnessAI
WitnessAI and Aona are not mutually exclusive at the architecture level: one watches the network, the other watches the endpoint. If you are choosing one, the honest path is a 30-day Aona free trial alongside any WitnessAI evaluation. Pick by where your AI risk actually lives. If most of it is native desktop apps, local AI, and off-network use on devices you manage, the endpoint layer matters more. If it is browser traffic at large scale across a managed network, the network layer may suffice.
- Existing identity provider (Microsoft Entra, or any OIDC / SAML provider)
- Existing MDM (Intune)
- Network controls already routing managed traffic
- Sales-led, paid evaluation for AI DLP
- Network-only visibility that misses native desktop and off-network AI use
- 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 WitnessAI, on your real traffic
30-day self-serve free trial. Deploys at the endpoint via Intune and Entra in under an hour, so you can see what network-layer visibility misses. No commitment.