CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

C1.ai vs Credo AI

C1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime. Credo AI sells a platform that helps enterprises discover their AI, enforce policy and manage AI risk across every agent, application, model and AI vendor. CISO Tribune files both under AI model and agent 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.

Change the companies

Up to four companies side by side.

  • C1.ai
  • Credo AI
C1.ai vs Credo AI: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
C1.aiC1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime.c1.aiCredo AICredo AI sells a platform that helps enterprises discover their AI, enforce policy and manage AI risk across every agent, application, model and AI vendor.credo.ai
What it sells
  • AI-Native Identity Governance[1][2]Automates lifecycle, access requests, reviews, and compliance for human and non-human identities.
  • NHI & Identity Security[1][2]Discovers and alerts on identity and non-human identity risks across the workforce and agents.
  • Agent SSO & Runtime Governance[1][2]Enforces runtime guardrails and access controls for AI agents, with human-in-the-loop approval.
  • Apps & MCP Self Service[1][2]Provides on-demand self-service access to approved apps, MCPs, and AI tools.
  • Deploy Custom Agents[1][2]Lets organizations run autonomous agents across connected systems with guardrails.
  • Shadow AI Discovery[1][2]Finds unsanctioned AI tools, agents, MCP servers, and credentials in use.
  • AI Governance Platform[1][4][12]Helps enterprises discover their AI, enforce policy and manage AI risk across agents, applications, models and AI vendors.
  • AI Registry[4][11][13][14]A centralized source of truth for tracking AI and ML products across the enterprise.
  • Policy Packs[1][4][8][15]Standardize governance requirements for AI with pre-built packs for regulations and standards.
  • Model Trust Scores[16]A framework that helps enterprises assess which foundation models meet their requirements.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesSan Francisco, United States[3]
Founded
Not stated on its pages2020[2]
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesPrivately held[4][7]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • October 13, 2026Workday announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire C1.ai, with the transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of Workday's fiscal year 2027, ending January 31, 2027.[9]
  • April 28, 2026Credo AI announced that it has joined a partner program.[6]
  • February 20, 2026G42 and Credo AI announced a memorandum of understanding to advance Responsible AI across the Global South.[5]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 4, 2026[7]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, C1.ai sells to organisations that manage access for people, non-human identities, and agents, and to technical teams that extend the platform through APIs and Terraform. The pages describe governed access for infrastructure teams through the tools they already use. The pages cover on-premises technology such as Active Directory and back-office apps. A named energy-sector customer sought an identity governance solution after an external auditor recommended one to streamline user access reviews.From its own pages, Credo AI sells mainly to enterprises deploying agents, models and applications that need to govern them. Credo AI offers procurement teams a standardized way to collect and evaluate AI risk-specific evidence from AI vendors. A customer example on its pages is a provider of higher education enrollment solutions.
Last verified
November 2, 2026September 27, 2026

Where they overlap

  • C1.ai and Credo AI are both filed under AI model and agent security.

Where they differ, field by field

  • C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration; Credo AI's is AI governance.
  • C1.ai is also filed under Non-human identity security and Privileged access management.
  • C1.ai lists AI-Native Identity Governance, NHI & Identity Security, Agent SSO & Runtime Governance, Apps & MCP Self Service, Deploy Custom Agents and 1 more. Credo AI lists AI Governance Platform, AI Registry, Policy Packs and Model Trust Scores.
  • Credo AI is headquartered in San Francisco, United States.
  • Credo AI was founded in 2020.
  • Credo AI is privately held.

What it sells: Credo AI

What AI Registry does[4][11][13][14]
AI Registry provides a centralized source of truth for tracking AI/ML products in development or uses across the enterprise. AI Registry can be used to map all Gen AI projects and track ownership. Credo AI's platform automatically evaluates metadata about use cases to identify and suggest potential risks and business impacts.
What Policy Packs does[1][4][8][15]
Credo AI's Policy Packs standardize governance requirements for AI. Pre-built policy packs cover EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001 and SOC 2, with automated governance workflows and audit-ready evidence. Customers can apply Credo AI Policy Packs to vendor solutions to set specific requirements.
What Model Trust Scores does[16]
Credo AI developed Model Trust Scores to address the challenge of AI model selection. Model Trust Scores help enterprises establish which foundation models meet their non-negotiable requirements, such as security and infrastructure compatibility, and contextualize complex evaluations into use-case specific insights.

Questions about C1.ai and Credo AI

What do C1.ai and Credo AI sell?
C1.ai sells AI-Native Identity Governance, NHI & Identity Security, Agent SSO & Runtime Governance, Apps & MCP Self Service, Deploy Custom Agents and 1 more. Credo AI sells AI Governance Platform, AI Registry, Policy Packs and Model Trust Scores.
Are C1.ai and Credo AI in the same category?
They share AI model and agent security. C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration and Credo AI's is AI governance.
Where are C1.ai and Credo AI headquartered?
Credo AI is headquartered in San Francisco, United States.
When were C1.ai and Credo AI founded?
Credo AI was founded in 2020.
Who owns C1.ai and Credo AI?
Credo AI is privately held.
Who are C1.ai and Credo AI sold to?
From its own pages, C1.ai sells to organisations that manage access for people, non-human identities, and agents, and to technical teams that extend the platform through APIs and Terraform. From its own pages, Credo AI sells mainly to enterprises deploying agents, models and applications that need to govern them.
What have C1.ai and Credo AI announced recently?
October 13, 2026: Workday announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire C1.ai, with the transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of Workday's fiscal year 2027, ending January 31, 2027. April 28, 2026: Credo AI announced that it has joined a partner program.

About C1.ai

C1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime. C1 Agents complete multi-step jobs across connected systems, with human approval for sensitive changes. C1.ai connects to SaaS, cloud infra providers, on-prem systems, and MCP servers.[2]

On the governance side, C1.ai turns HR and directory events into day-one account and access changes across supported systems. C1.ai provisions users the access they need based on conditions and policy. C1.ai applies policy-based provisioning and routing to any connected system. C1.ai covers user access reviews and separation-of-duties (SoD) conflict detection. C1.ai gives people and agents self-service access to approved applications and AI tools, with policy applied before fulfillment.[1][2][3]

For self-service, C1.ai makes approved apps, MCP servers, AI tools, roles, and permissions discoverable from one catalog. People and agents can request access from the web, Slack, Microsoft Teams, MCP, API, or CLI. C1.ai auto-approves routine access and routes sensitive requests using identity, role, resource, and risk context. C1.ai expires just-in-time access automatically so temporary permissions do not become standing access.[4]

For cloud infrastructure, C1.ai provides engineers and agents with precisely scoped cloud access. C1.ai reads cloud providers' resource trees, preserving the parent-child relationships each platform uses natively. C1.ai resolves inherited permissions in real time. C1.ai provisions, adjusts, and revokes access automatically as roles change, teams shift, or agents are redeployed.

Every action in the console is available via API, and C1.ai operates as an MCP server. C1.ai governs human, service, workload, and AI agent identities from one control plane. C1.ai logs every action with full context: subject, actor, delegation chain, purpose, resource, policy, and outcome. C1.ai supports policies as Terraform, AI-written CEL and functions, and validation via API. Technical teams extend C1.ai with APIs, custom functions, CLI, webhooks, and an AI integration builder, and manage it with Terraform.[2][6]

C1.ai includes 300+ connectors, built on Baton, which is open source under Apache 2.0, that integrate IdPs, directories, SaaS apps, cloud infrastructure, and on-prem systems into one identity graph. The connectors can be hosted or self-hosted. The identity graph ingests identity, permission, and resource data from all of your systems. C1.ai visualizes access paths for users, non-human identities, applications, and resources. C1.ai addresses access risks such as orphaned accounts, inactive users, and high-risk users. C1.ai offers built-in remediation options such as downgrading access, offboarding accounts, and securing service accounts. C1.ai connects to non-cloud infrastructure, including LDAP, Postgres, and Microsoft SQL. C1.ai covers on-premises technology such as Active Directory and homegrown and back-office apps.[1][6][7]

IGS Energy started looking for a partner after an external auditor recommended an identity governance solution to streamline user access reviews.[1][2][8]

C1.ai on the record

Sources

C1.ai full record

  1. [1]conductorone.comConductorOne (C1.ai) · conductorone.com · undated page, accessed November 2, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]C1.ai | Put AI to WorkC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]AI-Native Identity Governance Solutions | C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Self-Service Access for Apps, MCPs, and AI Tools | C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Infrastructure Access - C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Headless Identity Infrastructure | C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Identity Graph - C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Automating access management and reducing risk for IGS Energy’s hybrid environment | C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Workday to Acquire C1.ai, a Leading Agentic Identity Platform for People and AgentsC1.ai · published October 13, 2026 · Tier A

Credo AI full record

  1. [1]Credo AI - The Trusted Leader in AI GovernanceCredo AI · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Credo ai closes 12 8 million series a funding round led by sands capital 301548311Credo AI via PR Newswire · prnewswire.com · published May 17, 2022 · Tier A
  3. [3]Credo artificial intelligence governanceAxios · axios.com · published October 19, 2021 · Tier B
  4. [4]Credo AI - The Leader in Responsible AI - ProductCredo AI · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]G42 Joins Forces with Credo AI To Advance Responsible AI Adoption Across Global SouthBusiness Wire · published February 20, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Credo AI Advances AI Governance in Healthcare Through Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) PartnershipBusiness Wire · published April 28, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Credo AI Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier C
  8. [8]Credo AI - Vendor ComplianceCredo AI · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]AI Governance Insights Hub | Credo AICredo AI · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Credo AI - Create Artifacts for AuditCredo AI · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Customers - The Leaders of AI Governance | Credo AICredo AI · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Credo AI - Regulations and StandardsCredo AI · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Credo AI - AI AdoptionCredo AI · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Credo AI - Gen AICredo AI · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Credo AI - Risk ManagementCredo AI · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Model Trust Scores: Evaluating AI Models with Credo AICredo AI · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A

Spot a factual error? Request a correction.