CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Knostic vs Nametag

Knostic discovers and secures agents, coding assistants, and their supply chain, from MCP to skills and Code to Cowork. Nametag sells identity verification that combines cryptography, biometrics and AI to verify the real person behind high-risk account actions. 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.

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  • Knostic
  • Nametag
Knostic vs Nametag: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
KnosticKnostic discovers and secures agents, coding assistants, and their supply chain, from MCP to skills and Code to Cowork.knostic.aiNametagNametag sells identity verification that combines cryptography, biometrics and AI to verify the real person behind high-risk account actions.getnametag.com
What it sells
  • Kirin[4][5][6][7][11]Runs on the endpoint inside supported agents. Denies or blocks unsafe agent actions.
  • AgentMesh[4][5][6][7][11]Rates every skill, server, and extension.
  • Recruit[2][7]Verifies a candidate's identity at application, interview, and offer stages.
  • Onboard[3][4][7][8]Verifies a new hire's identity at device provisioning and credential issuance.
  • Helpdesk[4][5][6]Lets agents verify users from a turnkey console or inside an ITSM platform.
  • Self-Service Account Recovery[4]Redirects locked-out employees to a custom-branded self-service recovery page.
  • Agentic AI[12]Verifies the human behind an AI agent action before the action executes.
  • Step-up[10]Provides step-up authentication for high-risk scenarios.
Categories
Headquarters
Reston, United States[3]Not stated on its pages
Founded
2023[2][7]Not stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Privately held[5]Not stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • June 12, 2026Knostic was recognized in the Cloud Security Alliance's first Agentic AI Security Innovator Market Map.[10]
Not stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, the company sells mainly to developers and teams that use AI coding agents and IDEs, with plans written for individual developers, growing teams, and engineering managers. Its pages describe developers and business users who install agents, extensions, MCP servers, and skills from open ecosystems. It lists an inventory export described as a register of AI systems for compliance and risk reporting. Its stated support covers macOS and Windows.From its own pages, Nametag sells mainly to organisations that need to verify the identities of employees and customers and secure access to their accounts. Financial services is one industry Nametag addresses directly, with user flows and e-ID support for financial services users. Recruiters and hiring teams are served through candidate checks whose pass or fail decision is written back to the candidate record. Support agents are served through verification from a console or inside an ITSM platform. Customer support teams are addressed through solutions that protect customer accounts when customers contact support.
Last verified
September 27, 2026November 4, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Knostic and Nametag are both filed under AI model and agent security.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Knostic's primary category is AI model and agent security; Nametag's is Identity verification.
  • Knostic is also filed under AI governance. Nametag is also filed under Customer identity and access management and Workforce IAM and SSO.
  • Knostic lists Kirin and AgentMesh. Nametag lists Recruit, Onboard, Helpdesk, Self-Service Account Recovery, Agentic AI and 1 more.
  • Knostic is headquartered in Reston, United States.
  • Knostic was founded in 2023.
  • Knostic is privately held.

What it sells: Knostic

What Kirin does[4][5][6][7][11]
Kirin runs on the endpoint inside supported agents and sees the tools, extensions, servers, and skills actually installed and used. Kirin denies a destructive command before it executes, tells the developer why, and logs a Prevented alert for the SOC. Kirin blocks the connection to an MCP server before it is established, after AgentMesh scans and rates the server. Kirin deploys as an extension for Cursor and VS Code.
What AgentMesh does[4][5][6][7][11]
AgentMesh rates every skill, server, and extension. AgentMesh scans MCP servers for prompt injection, malicious behaviour, and supply-chain risk. AgentMesh detects prompt injection in skills, MCP servers, and extensions before install. Every paid AgentMesh plan includes Kirin IDE security.

What it sells: Nametag

What Recruit does[2][7]
Recruit integrates natively with Workday Recruiting and Greenhouse. In Workday, verification triggers automatically as a candidate advances stages. Nametag writes a pass or fail decision back to the candidate record.
What Onboard does[3][4][7][8]
Onboard is built specifically to combat North Korean IT worker schemes and other hiring fraud, ensuring only verified hires can set up new devices or obtain directory credentials. Onboard supports 11,000+ document types, omni-channel verification across voice, chat, and email, and native iOS and Android apps.
What Helpdesk does[4][5][6]
Helpdesk integrates with ServiceNow and Zendesk, sending verification requests and showing results directly inside those existing workflows. Nametag's patented technologies match the user's live selfie to their government-issued photo ID.
What Self-Service Account Recovery does[4]
Nametag connects to identity providers, then redirects locked-out employees to a custom-branded self-service recovery page. Once verified, self-service users can reset their own passwords and MFA tokens based on customizable group-based permissioning.
What Agentic AI does[12]
When an AI agent attempts a sensitive task, Nametag confirms a specific verified person authorized it, and creates a cryptographic record of that authorization at that moment. Agentic AI is currently integrated with Okta, which enforces authentication policies requiring Nametag verification in defined AI scenarios.
What Step-up does[10]
Step-up is available as an External Authentication Method for Okta, Microsoft Entra, and Cloudflare, and can be embedded directly into ServiceNow and Zendesk support workflows. Nametag's mobile SDK lets organisations build custom, secure step-up authentication flows directly inside their own mobile app.

Questions about Knostic and Nametag

What do Knostic and Nametag sell?
Knostic sells Kirin and AgentMesh. Nametag sells Recruit, Onboard, Helpdesk, Self-Service Account Recovery, Agentic AI and 1 more.
Are Knostic and Nametag in the same category?
They share AI model and agent security. Knostic's primary category is AI model and agent security and Nametag's is Identity verification.
Where are Knostic and Nametag headquartered?
Knostic is headquartered in Reston, United States.
When were Knostic and Nametag founded?
Knostic was founded in 2023.
Who owns Knostic and Nametag?
Knostic is privately held.
Who are Knostic and Nametag sold to?
From its own pages, the company sells mainly to developers and teams that use AI coding agents and IDEs, with plans written for individual developers, growing teams, and engineering managers. From its own pages, Nametag sells mainly to organisations that need to verify the identities of employees and customers and secure access to their accounts.
What have Knostic and Nametag announced recently?
June 12, 2026: Knostic was recognized in the Cloud Security Alliance's first Agentic AI Security Innovator Market Map.

About Knostic

Knostic discovers and secures agents, coding assistants, and their supply chain, from MCP to skills and Code to Cowork. Knostic enforces rules by checking every action against policy before it runs, so allowed actions proceed and risky ones are blocked or sent to a human. Knostic applies least privilege to what agents do, watches every action as it happens, and blocks the unsafe ones before they execute.[1][6]

Kirin is the Knostic product that runs on the endpoint inside supported agents. Kirin sees the tools, extensions, servers, and skills actually installed and used. In one example, Kirin denies a destructive command before it executes, tells the developer why, and logs a Prevented alert for the SOC. AgentMesh rates every skill, server, and extension. Every paid AgentMesh plan includes Kirin IDE security.[4][6][11]

Knostic discovers every agent, model, and AI tool running across endpoints, attributes each to people and teams, and brings them under one policy. Knostic finds agents, extensions, MCP servers, and skills where they run, on the endpoint, rather than inferring from network logs. Discovery is passive, and policy can run in Monitor mode before anything is enforced. Discovered components are rated using AgentMesh verdicts and policy posture. Knostic maps which teams and individuals use which tools and what they can reach.[4][6]

Knostic describes one control plane for all agents, models, and AI tools. Knostic unifies and centrally governs agentic security policies and configurations. Teams can scope what agents may read, write, run, connect to, and install, per team. Knostic describes its guardrails for SaaS, in-house, coding, and Cowork agents.[1][6]

For prompt injection, Kirin catches the injection and blocks the action it would have caused. Kirin inspects what an agent is about to do, not just what it was told. Knostic scans prompts, retrieved context, and tool responses for injection and malicious instructions. Knostic catches credentials in prompts and outputs and blocks or redacts them, in Monitor or Enforce. Teams choose block, downgrade, route to a human, or log per rule and per team. For code, Knostic states that agents model threats before they code, follow secure coding rules, and have every package checked.[1][11]

Knostic keeps an up-to-date list of allowed MCP servers, with every connection validated in real time. Knostic flags deviations from policy or misconfigurations as they occur. AgentMesh continuously rescans the ecosystem, and Knostic research feeds new detections. Decision logs and runtime monitoring provide evidence for audits, incident response, and policy enforcement.[6]

Kirin supports Claude Code CLI, Claude Desktop and Cowork, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code + GitHub Copilot, on macOS and Windows, and Linux is in beta. Managers provision the console, push the endpoint client to the endpoints, directly or via an existing MDM, and start in Monitor mode. For Cursor and VS Code, Kirin deploys as an extension and requires the client for shadow AI visibility.

Kirin has three tiers, from individual developers to enterprise-wide rollouts. Knostic provides a package with SOC 2, pen test reports, and a data flow diagram in its trust center. Knostic Inc. is a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware.[4][8][9]

Knostic on the record

Sources

Knostic full record

  1. [1]Knostic - The control plane for agentic AI on the endpointKnostic · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Ending llm oversharing we raised 11 million to secure enterprise aiKnostic · knostic.ai · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Rsac 2025 innovation sandbox knostic reshaping the access control paradigm for enterprise ai securitySecurity Boulevard · securityboulevard.com · published April 25, 2025 · Tier B
  4. [4]Shadow AI Discovery & Governance - KnosticKnostic · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Pricing - KnosticKnostic · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]AI Agent Security - KnosticKnostic · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]MCP Security Posture Management - KnosticKnostic · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Terms of Service - KnosticKnostic · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Knostic Knostic Trust Center | Powered by SafeBaseKnostic · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Knostic Featured Across Three Categories in CSA's Agentic AI Security Innovator Market MapKnostic · published June 12, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Prompt Injection Defense - KnosticKnostic · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

Nametag full record

  1. [1]getnametag.comNametag · getnametag.com · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]PressNametag · getnametag.com · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Nametag - Identity Verification and Account ProtectionNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]About Us - NametagNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Security FAQ | Nametag Legal CenterNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Helpdesk Verification and Impersonation Defense - NametagNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Candidate Verification - NametagNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Secure Employee Onboarding - NametagNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Self-Service Account Recovery - NametagNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) - NametagNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Customer Verification Solutions - NametagNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Agentic AI Security with Verified Human Signatures - NametagNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Identity Verification Solutions for Financial Services - NametagNametag · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

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