CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Cequence Security vs Escape

Cequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection. Escape sells an offensive security platform that uses AI agents to discover, test and remediate vulnerabilities in engineering workflows. CISO Tribune files both under API security. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Cequence Security
  • Escape
Cequence Security vs Escape: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
Cequence SecurityCequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection.cequence.aiEscapeEscape sells an offensive security platform that uses AI agents to discover, test and remediate vulnerabilities in engineering workflows.escape.tech
What it sells
  • Cequence API Security[7][12]Discovers, monitors and tests APIs.
  • Cequence AI Gateway[8]Contains agents and governs their actions in real time.
  • AI Pentesting[2][4][5][10]Continuous AI-powered pentesting that learns the customer's business and proves exploitability.
Categories
Headquarters
Sunnyvale, United StatesBiarritz, France[3]
Founded
2015[2]2020[1]
Ownership and funding
Privately held[4]Privately held[4][9][11][12]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • October 7, 2026Cequence Security launched Agent Trust, a capability in its Application and API Protection that verifies AI agents presenting an identity and detects those that do not.[18]
  • August 6, 2026Cequence Security announced that NTT DOCOMO has deployed its application and API protection platform.[16]
  • June 23, 2026Cequence Security launched two new capabilities, Intent Graph and Biometric Check, for bot defense across web, mobile, API and agentic AI traffic.[17]
  • April 28, 2026Cequence Security announced general availability of Agent Personas in its AI Gateway, giving enterprises control over what AI agents are permitted to do.[15]
  • March 10, 2026Escape announced an $18 million Series A round led by Balderton Capital, with Uncorrelated Ventures, IRIS and Y Combinator also participating.[8]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[4]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[9]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, Cequence sells mainly to organizations that run applications and APIs and need to protect them against attacks, business logic abuse and fraud. Financial services organizations are a named audience, including those with digital banking, payment systems and open banking initiatives. Organizations that store, process or transmit credit card information are addressed through its PCI DSS content. Modern retailers with AI-powered shopping experiences and agentic checkout flows are another described audience. Enterprises whose teams delegate work to AI agents with access to internal apps, data and systems are a further stated audience.From its own pages, Escape sells mainly to security teams that want to replace legacy scanners and manual offensive security processes. Escape says its platform can replace manual pentest and bug bounty programs, and legacy DAST. Escape describes cloud and on-prem hybrid deployments so that internal applications can be assessed without giving external consultants or bug hunters access. Its compliance support names frameworks such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, CRA, SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
Last verified
November 2, 2026September 27, 2026

Where they overlap

  • API security is the primary category of both Cequence Security and Escape.
  • Both are privately held.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Cequence Security is also filed under Bot and abuse management and WAF and WAAP. Escape is also filed under Dynamic application security testing and External attack surface management.
  • Cequence Security lists Cequence API Security and Cequence AI Gateway. Escape lists AI Pentesting.
  • Cequence Security is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States. Escape is headquartered in Biarritz, France.
  • Cequence Security was founded in 2015. Escape was founded in 2020.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files both Cequence Security and Escape under API security as the primary category, but the two sell different things around that category. Cequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection, with products named Cequence API Security and Cequence AI Gateway. Escape sells an offensive security platform that uses AI agents to discover, test and remediate vulnerabilities in engineering workflows, including AI Pentesting. CISO Tribune also files Cequence Security under bot and abuse management and WAF and WAAP, and Escape under dynamic application security testing and external attack surface management.

Cequence API Security discovers internal, external and third-party APIs, while Escape discovers APIs and SPAs, both internal and external. Cequence AI Gateway governs the actions of AI agents in real time, and Cequence Security launched Agent Trust on October 7, 2026. Escape says its platform can replace manual pentest and bug bounty programs, and legacy DAST. Cequence Security names financial services organizations, retailers and organizations that handle credit card information as audiences, and it announced on August 6, 2026 that NTT DOCOMO had deployed its application and API protection platform. Escape names PCI-DSS, HIPAA, CRA, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 among supported compliance frameworks.

Cequence Security is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States, was founded in 2015 and is privately held. Escape is headquartered in Biarritz, France, was founded in 2020 and is privately held. On March 10, 2026, Escape announced an $18 million Series A round led by Balderton Capital.

What it sells: Cequence Security

What Cequence API Security does[7][12]
Cequence API Security is an AI-first solution that discovers, monitors and tests APIs. Cequence API Security assesses risks that can lead to compliance or governance issues, data loss and business disruption. Cequence API Security discovers internal, external and third-party APIs. Cequence API Security ships more than 200 pre-built risk rules mapped to 25 global frameworks.
What Cequence AI Gateway does[8]
Cequence AI Gateway contains every agent wherever it runs and governs its actions in real time, across any model, MCP server, API or application, at enterprise scale. Agent Personas scope every agent to the tools, APIs, skills and LLMs its job requires. Prompt Guard detects prompt injection, override instructions and safety filter bypass attempts before they reach a model or tool.

What it sells: Escape

What AI Pentesting does[2][4][5][10]
AI Pentesting delivers reports that auditors and engineers can act on. White-box pentesting is available, so it can run with the customer's source code. Escape converts previous AI pentesting findings into automated regression tests that run on every build with DAST.

Questions about Cequence Security and Escape

What do Cequence Security and Escape sell?
Cequence Security sells Cequence API Security and Cequence AI Gateway. Escape sells AI Pentesting.
Are Cequence Security and Escape in the same category?
Yes. API security is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Where are Cequence Security and Escape headquartered?
Cequence Security is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States. Escape is headquartered in Biarritz, France.
When were Cequence Security and Escape founded?
Cequence Security was founded in 2015. Escape was founded in 2020.
Who owns Cequence Security and Escape?
Cequence Security is privately held. Escape is privately held.
Who are Cequence Security and Escape sold to?
From its own pages, Cequence sells mainly to organizations that run applications and APIs and need to protect them against attacks, business logic abuse and fraud. From its own pages, Escape sells mainly to security teams that want to replace legacy scanners and manual offensive security processes.
What have Cequence Security and Escape announced recently?
October 7, 2026: Cequence Security launched Agent Trust, a capability in its Application and API Protection that verifies AI agents presenting an identity and detects those that do not. March 10, 2026: Escape announced an $18 million Series A round led by Balderton Capital, with Uncorrelated Ventures, IRIS and Y Combinator also participating.

About Cequence Security

Cequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection. Cequence says the platform welcomes legitimate traffic and shuts out abuse.[5]

Cequence says its platform gives organizations the security, governance and control they need to protect their applications and data against attacks, business logic abuse and fraud. Cequence says that core technology now extends to securing the AI agents and workflows modern enterprises depend on.[6]

Cequence analyzes behavioral intent so good agents transact smoothly while fraud, abuse and account takeover are kept at bay. Cequence says the platform distinguishes humans and bots, and legitimate automation from threats. Cequence says the platform continuously evaluates live traffic to identify threats in real time and trigger countermeasures. Cequence says its detection runs independent of the client. Cequence also says customers do not need to replace their CDN, because Cequence is separate from the delivery network.[5][6]

Cequence API Security is an AI-first solution that discovers, monitors and tests APIs. Cequence API Security assesses a broad range of risks that can lead to compliance or governance issues, data loss and business disruption. Cequence API Security discovers internal, external and third-party APIs. Cequence integrates with existing infrastructure such as API gateways, or can be deployed inline. Cequence identifies and masks sensitive data using ML-based rules with predefined and customizable data patterns. Cequence API Security test plans can be generated automatically from Postman collections or API specifications. Cequence API Security exposes every capability as MCP tools.[7]

Cequence AI Gateway contains every agent wherever it runs and governs its actions in real time, across any model, MCP server, API or application, at enterprise scale. Cequence says its Agent Personas scope every agent to the tools, APIs, skills and LLMs its job requires. Agent Behavior Protection evaluates each tool call in the context of the full session. Agents authenticate with Agent Access Keys while the gateway brokers backend tokens, so agents never have direct access to backend credentials. Prompt Guard detects prompt injection, override instructions and safety filter bypass attempts before they reach a model or tool. Cequence AI Gateway can monitor, redact and block sensitive data across more than 100 out-of-the-box detection types. Budgets in Cequence AI Gateway cap spend per employee, team and agent persona, by day or by month. Trusted registries of MCP servers, APIs, LLMs and skills define exactly what agents can connect to.[8]

Cequence takes a network-based approach that monitors all API transactions to protect against AI bot attacks, IP scraping and sensitive data exposure. Cequence says its approach requires no application modification. Cequence discovery identifies and inventories all APIs in use, whether they are internal, external or third-party. Cequence actively monitors API transactions, including GenAI and agentic AI APIs, for inappropriate sensitive data flows. Cequence describes business logic abuse as targeting the intended functionality of applications and APIs rather than exploiting traditional technical vulnerabilities. Cequence says it protected multiple major telecommunications companies from a series of six high-profile BOLA API attacks.[9][10][11]

Cequence describes use cases that include stopping credential stuffing and brute force attacks before attackers seize legitimate user accounts. Cequence describes use cases that include neutralizing scalper bots that buy out high-demand inventory before real customers can. Cequence describes use cases that include blocking bots that enumerate account numbers and drain gift card and rewards balances. Cequence describes use cases that include identifying and redacting PII, credentials and regulated data moving through API traffic in real time. Cequence says PCI DSS v4.0.1 includes provisions that require capabilities found in Cequence API Security and Bot Management, including API discovery and sensitive data identification and masking. Cequence describes digital banking platforms, mobile apps, payment systems, trading portals, partner integrations and open banking initiatives as relying on interconnected APIs to move money and data in real time.[1][3][5][6][7][12][13][14]

Cequence Security on the record

Sources

Cequence Security full record

  1. [1]cequence.aiCequence Security · cequence.ai · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Cequence security opens emea headquarters and names key execs to accelerate protection of hyper connected enterprises across emeaCequence Security · cequence.ai · published December 23, 2024 · Tier A
  3. [3]PlatformCequence Security · cequence.ai · published July 22, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Cequence Security Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]Application & API SecurityCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]The Cequence Platform – Securing Applications, APIs, and AICequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]API Security Tool | Posture Management, Compliance & TestingCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AI Gateway: The missing agentic AI security and governance layerCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]AI Security Tool for Generative and Agentic AI | Cequence SecurityCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Business Logic Vulnerabilities | Prevent Logic Abuse | CequenceCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]BOLA Vulnerability Protection & Attack Prevention | CequenceCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance | Cequence SecurityCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]API Security & Fraud Prevention for Financial Services | Cequence AICequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Agentic AI GovernanceCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Cequence Launches AI Gateway With Secure Agent PersonasCequence Security · published April 28, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Cequence Security Deployment Expands to NTT DOCOMOCequence Security · published August 6, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Cequence Launches Intent Graph for AI Agent SecurityCequence Security · published June 23, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Meta's Muse Reached More Than Half of Customers Cequence Studied in Two Weeks Without Identifying Itself as an AI AgentGlobeNewswire · published October 7, 2026 · Tier A

Escape full record

  1. [1]Seed fundraising api securityEscape · escape.tech · published June 6, 2023 · Tier A
  2. [2]escape.techEscape · escape.tech · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]TermsEscape · escape.tech · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Escape: AI-Powered Offensive Security PlatformEscape · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Continuous AI Pentesting Actionable for Engineers - EscapeEscape · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Escape Attack Surface ManagementEscape · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Escape - AI-powered DASTEscape · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Escape raises $18M Series A to replace legacy scanners with AI agent-driven discovery, pentesting, and remediationEscape · published March 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Escape Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier C
  10. [10]Platform - Escape DocumentationEscape · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Private Locations - Escape DocumentationEscape · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Internal Network Scanning - Escape DocumentationEscape · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Privacy & Security - Escape DocumentationEscape · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A

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