CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Guardsquare vs PreEmptive Solutions

Guardsquare sells a suite of mobile app security solutions for businesses across industries. PreEmptive Solutions sells application hardening tools for .NET, Android, Java, and JavaScript environments. CISO Tribune files both under Application shielding and RASP. 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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  • Guardsquare
  • PreEmptive Solutions
Guardsquare vs PreEmptive Solutions: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
GuardsquareGuardsquare sells a suite of mobile app security solutions for businesses across industries.guardsquare.comPreEmptive SolutionsPreEmptive Solutions sells application hardening tools for .NET, Android, Java, and JavaScript environments.preemptive.com
What it sells
  • AppSweep[3][7]App security testing product for mobile apps and SDKs.
  • App attestation[3][8][11]Ensures a mobile app calling your APIs is authentic and untampered.
  • ProGuard[1][3][5][6]Open source optimizer to shrink and obfuscate Java and Kotlin apps.
  • Dotfuscator[2][7][8]Dotfuscator protects .NET and C# applications from reverse engineering, code tampering, and unauthorized debugging.
  • DashO[2][9]DashO protects Android, Java, and Kotlin applications from reverse engineering, code tampering, and unauthorized debugging.
  • JSDefender[2][10]JSDefender hardens JavaScript against reverse engineering, tampering, and unauthorized debugging.
Categories
Headquarters
Leuven, Belgium[1]Not stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pages1996[1][6]
Ownership and funding
Privately held[3][4][15]Owned by Idera, Inc. since 2021[1][6]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • October 6, 2026Guardsquare announced the opening of its regional office in Singapore, its first physical presence in Asia-Pacific.[14]
  • February 5, 2026Guardsquare completed the acquisition of the Extended Threat Defense technology and assets from Verimatrix.[15]
Not stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: listed, seen November 5, 2026[4]
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, Guardsquare sells to financial services institutions, medical and healthcare organizations, and gaming, retail and eCommerce companies. Guardsquare addresses FinTech developers who need to protect financial transactions and user accounts. Guardsquare directs its banking pages at mobile banking apps that run on unmanaged devices. Guardsquare describes AppSweep as designed for developers and ready for enterprise needs.PreEmptive states that it supports organizations in finance, healthcare, government, and other regulated environments. Organizations running mixed technology stacks across .NET, Android, Java, and JavaScript fall within the audience PreEmptive describes. Dotfuscator runs fully on-premise within the development or build environment of the customer. Plans for JSDefender are based on the number of applications, users, and development teams to be covered.
Last verified
November 9, 2026October 23, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Application shielding and RASP is the primary category of both Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Guardsquare lists AppSweep, App attestation and ProGuard. PreEmptive Solutions lists Dotfuscator, DashO and JSDefender.
  • Guardsquare is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium.
  • PreEmptive Solutions was founded in 1996.
  • Guardsquare is privately held. PreEmptive Solutions is owned by Idera, Inc., since 2021.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files both Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions under Application shielding and RASP as their primary category. Guardsquare sells mobile app security: AppSweep for testing mobile apps and SDKs, App attestation for confirming that a mobile app calling an API is authentic and untampered, and ProGuard, an open source optimizer for Java and Kotlin apps. Guardsquare also offers DexGuard for Android and iXGuard for iOS, both with obfuscation and built-in RASP. PreEmptive Solutions sells Dotfuscator for .NET and C# applications, DashO for Android, Java, and Kotlin applications, and JSDefender for JavaScript.

Guardsquare is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and is privately held. PreEmptive Solutions was founded in 1996 and has been owned by Idera, Inc. since 2021. PreEmptive Solutions is now part of Sembi.

Guardsquare says its clients include financial services institutions, medical and healthcare organizations, and gaming, retail and eCommerce companies. PreEmptive Solutions says it supports organizations in finance, healthcare, government, and other regulated environments. On October 6, 2026, Guardsquare announced a regional office in Singapore, its first physical presence in Asia-Pacific. On February 5, 2026, Guardsquare completed the acquisition of the Extended Threat Defense technology and assets from Verimatrix.

What it sells: Guardsquare

What AppSweep does[3][7]
AppSweep finds and addresses security issues in mobile apps and SDKs. Developers can integrate the AppSweep CLI into CI pipelines such as Bitrise, Fastlane, Github and Jenkins. AppSweep groups findings according to OWASP MASVS. AppSweep Enterprise supports the upload of larger apps and lets teams define automated data retention policies.
What App attestation does[3][8][11]
App attestation lets developers ensure that any mobile app calling their APIs is authentic and untampered. App attestation gathers insights about the behavior of users and their devices, helping security teams fine-tune policies without rebuilding the application.
What ProGuard does[1][3][5][6]
Guardsquare offers ProGuard as an open source optimizer to shrink and obfuscate Java and Kotlin apps. ProGuard is the technology behind the minification of Android applications.

What it sells: PreEmptive Solutions

What Dotfuscator does[2][7][8]
Dotfuscator applies obfuscation, encryption, and runtime protection to .NET and C# applications. Dotfuscator is fully on-premise, and all processing happens locally within the development or build environment. Dotfuscator integrates directly with Microsoft Visual Studio. Dotfuscator supports desktop, mobile, cloud, and IoT applications built on .NET Framework, modern .NET versions, MAUI, ASP.NET Core, and more.
What DashO does[2][9]
Applied at build time, DashO adds layered protections that make deployed applications harder to analyze, modify, and exploit. DashO integrates through Gradle, Maven, or command line tools. DashO encrypts selected strings in compiled code and decrypts them at runtime. DashO detects rooted devices, emulators, and hooking frameworks, then responds based on configuration.
What JSDefender does[2][10]
JSDefender combines configurable code obfuscation with runtime defenses such as tamper detection, DevTools blocking, domain locking, and date locking. JSDefender performs protection within the development or build environment, so source code does not need to be submitted to an online obfuscation service. JSDefender can run through the command-line interface or supported build-tool integrations.

Questions about Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions

What do Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions sell?
Guardsquare sells AppSweep, App attestation and ProGuard. PreEmptive Solutions sells Dotfuscator, DashO and JSDefender.
Are Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions in the same category?
Yes. Application shielding and RASP is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Where are Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions headquartered?
Guardsquare is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium.
When were Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions founded?
PreEmptive Solutions was founded in 1996.
Who owns Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions?
Guardsquare is privately held. PreEmptive Solutions is owned by Idera, Inc., since 2021.
Who are Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions sold to?
From its own pages, Guardsquare sells to financial services institutions, medical and healthcare organizations, and gaming, retail and eCommerce companies. PreEmptive states that it supports organizations in finance, healthcare, government, and other regulated environments.
What have Guardsquare and PreEmptive Solutions announced recently?
October 6, 2026: Guardsquare announced the opening of its regional office in Singapore, its first physical presence in Asia-Pacific.

About Guardsquare

Guardsquare sells a suite of mobile app security solutions for businesses across industries. Guardsquare began with its open-source mobile app shrinker, ProGuard. ProGuard is the technology behind the minification of Android applications. Guardsquare offers ProGuard as an open source optimizer to shrink and obfuscate Java and Kotlin apps.[5][6]

DexGuard secures native Android and cross-platform apps and SDKs with multilayered, polymorphic obfuscation and built-in runtime application self-protection (RASP). iXGuard secures native iOS and cross-platform apps and SDKs with multilayered, polymorphic obfuscation and built-in RASP. Guardsquare says its code hardening and RASP techniques are applied polymorphically and automatically, so no two builds feature the same protections. DexGuard and iXGuard use dozens of code obfuscation, encryption and RASP techniques. DexGuard and iXGuard apply their hardening measures differently with each new build.[7][8][9]

DexGuard obfuscates each of its integrity checks, so an attacker cannot learn where and how the application detects integrity violations. DexGuard and iXGuard implement a diverse set of environment safety checks, including debugger and emulator detection. DexGuard and iXGuard implement root and jailbreak detections as a layer of mobile application protection. DexGuard and iXGuard operate as command-line, post-build compiler tools, run locally or on a CI/CD server.[6][8][10]

AppSweep is the Guardsquare app security testing product for finding and addressing security issues in mobile apps and SDKs. Developers can integrate the AppSweep CLI into CI pipelines such as Bitrise, Fastlane, Github and Jenkins to detect issues during development. AppSweep groups findings according to OWASP MASVS. AppSweep performs in-depth code analysis beyond common pattern matching approaches. AppSweep findings are backed by advanced control and data flow analysis and can be augmented through interactive runtime testing. AppSweep Enterprise supports the upload of larger apps and lets teams define automated data retention policies. Guardsquare describes AppSweep as designed for developers and ready for enterprise needs.[7]

ThreatCast monitors threats to mobile apps and SDKs in real time, adapts security configurations and identifies security gaps and vulnerabilities after publication. ThreatCast provides real-time visibility for Android and iOS apps. ThreatCast provides documented evidence of active runtime defenses for auditors. ThreatCast enables server-to-server integration to inform the application server side about mobile threats. Guardsquare app attestation lets developers ensure that any mobile app calling their APIs is authentic and untampered. Guardsquare says policy-based controls can block automated bots, malicious scripts and non-genuine apps from interaction with backend services. App attestation gathers insights about the behavior of users and their devices, helping security teams fine-tune policies without rebuilding the application.[6][8][9][10]

Guardsquare says it simplifies compliance with PCI MPoC, PSD2, PSD3 and PCI DSS standards by enforcing binary code protection, key encryption and cryptographic app attestation. Guardsquare provides multi-layered code obfuscation, resource encryption and RASP checks to safeguard cardholder data and cryptographic keys in mobile payment and SoftPOS apps. Guardsquare aligns directly with OWASP MASVS and the STRIDE frameworks. Guardsquare says teams can streamline FDA, EU-MDR and ISO compliance by integrating automated mobile security testing, multilayered code protection and real-time threat monitoring into the SDLC. Guardsquare says its guided workflow simplifies mobile app protection for teams.[10][11]

Guardsquare says its clients include global financial services institutions, medical and healthcare organizations, and gaming, retail and eCommerce companies. Guardsquare says mobile banking apps on unmanaged devices are constantly targeted by advanced malware and account takeover fraud. Guardsquare says it combines mobile app testing with multi-layered protections for FinTech developers to prevent fraud and maintain regulatory compliance. Guardsquare says a cloned or repackaged mobile e-commerce app can let threat actors trick customers into providing sensitive information. Roel Caers is CEO of Guardsquare. Sander Bogaert leads the technical teams at Guardsquare, and joined Guardsquare very early on and built iXGuard from scratch.[2][5][8][11][12][13]

Guardsquare on the record

Sources

Guardsquare full record

  1. [1]Guardsquare announces departure co founder heidi rakelsGuardsquare · guardsquare.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Guardsquare announces 29 million investment battery venturesGuardsquare · guardsquare.com · published January 28, 2019 · Tier A
  3. [3]Leader In Mobile App Security | GuardsquareGuardsquare · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]GuardSquare Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]About Us - Read Here | GuardsquareGuardsquare · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Mobile Finance App Security Compliance in Pakistan | GuardsquareGuardsquare · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Mobile Application Security Testing | AppSweepGuardsquare · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Mobile App Security for FinTech | GuardsquareGuardsquare · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]What is Mobile App Security? | GuardsquareGuardsquare · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Regulatory Compliance for Mobile App Security | GuardsquareGuardsquare · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Mobile Banking Security Solution | GuardsquareGuardsquare · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Learn About Our Customers | GuardsquareGuardsquare · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Mobile Retail and E-Commerce Application Protection | GuardsquareGuardsquare · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Guardsquare Accelerates Asia-Pacific Growth with Office Opening in SingaporeGuardsquare · published October 6, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Guardsquare Acquires Verimatrix XTD, Setting a New Standard for End-to-End Mobile App SecurityGuardsquare · published February 5, 2026 · Tier A

PreEmptive Solutions full record

  1. [1]CompanyPreEmptive Solutions · preemptive.com · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]preemptive.comPreEmptive Solutions · preemptive.com · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Platform Overview – PreEmptivePreEmptive · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Leaders in Application Security & Protection | PreEmptivePreEmptive · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Mobile App Security You Can TrustPreEmptive · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Company – PreEmptivePreEmptive · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Dotfuscator for .NET | MAUI – PreEmptivePreEmptive · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Compare Dotfuscator Editions – PreEmptivePreEmptive · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Android Obfuscation and Java Security with DashOPreEmptive · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]JSDefender: Professional-Grade JavaScript Code ProtectionPreEmptive · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Compliance and Regulatory Protection – PreEmptivePreEmptive · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

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