CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Knostic vs SplxAI

Knostic discovers and secures agents, coding assistants, and their supply chain, from MCP to skills and Code to Cowork. SplxAI, which uses the name SPLX, sells scalable red teaming, real-time threat protection, and automated AI compliance and governance for AI systems. CISO Tribune files both under AI model and agent security and AI governance. 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
  • SplxAI
Knostic vs SplxAI: 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.aiSplxAISplxAI, which uses the name SPLX, sells scalable red teaming, real-time threat protection, and automated AI compliance and governance for AI systems.splx.ai
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.
  • Agentic Radar[1][5]An open-source security scanner for agentic AI.
Categories
Headquarters
Reston, United States[3]Not stated on its pages
Founded
2023[2][7]2023[2]
Ownership and funding
Privately held[5]Owned by Zscaler since 2025[3]
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, the company sells mainly to enterprises, saying the platform is built for enterprise scalability. Its asset management messaging speaks to organisations that want visibility and control over the AI assets used in the organisation. Its runtime messaging addresses teams with AI systems in production. Its governance messaging speaks to teams working with global AI security frameworks and internal risk policies.
Last verified
September 27, 2026September 30, 2026

Where they overlap

  • AI model and agent security is the primary category of both Knostic and SplxAI; both are also filed under AI governance.
  • Both were founded in 2023.

Where they differ, field by field

  • SplxAI is also filed under AI firewalls and guardrails and Static application security testing.
  • Knostic lists Kirin and AgentMesh. SplxAI lists Agentic Radar.
  • Knostic is headquartered in Reston, United States.
  • Knostic is privately held. SplxAI is owned by Zscaler, since 2025.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files both Knostic and SplxAI under AI model and agent security as their primary category, and both companies were founded in 2023. Knostic is headquartered in Reston, United States, and is privately held. SplxAI has been owned by Zscaler since 2025.

Knostic sells Kirin, which runs on the endpoint inside supported agents and denies or blocks unsafe agent actions. It also sells AgentMesh, which rates every skill, server, and extension, and every paid AgentMesh plan includes Kirin IDE security. Knostic's pages describe sales mainly to developers and teams that use AI coding agents and IDEs. Kirin supports Claude Code CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code + GitHub Copilot, on macOS and Windows.

SplxAI, which uses the name SPLX, sells red teaming, runtime protection, and AI compliance and governance for AI systems. CISO Tribune also files SplxAI under AI firewalls and guardrails and Static application security testing. SPLX builds an AI-BOM and connects to cloud platforms, code repos, and ML and AI platforms for a unified inventory of AI assets. SplxAI also sells Agentic Radar, an open-source security scanner for agentic AI. Its pages describe sales mainly to enterprises. Both companies address agent and MCP server visibility, with Knostic doing so from the endpoint and SPLX by scanning code repos.

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.

Questions about Knostic and SplxAI

What do Knostic and SplxAI sell?
Knostic sells Kirin and AgentMesh. SplxAI sells Agentic Radar.
Are Knostic and SplxAI in the same category?
Yes. AI model and agent security is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Where are Knostic and SplxAI headquartered?
Knostic is headquartered in Reston, United States.
When were Knostic and SplxAI founded?
Both were founded in 2023.
Who owns Knostic and SplxAI?
Knostic is privately held. SplxAI is owned by Zscaler, since 2025.
Who are Knostic and SplxAI 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, the company sells mainly to enterprises, saying the platform is built for enterprise scalability.
What have Knostic and SplxAI 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

SplxAI full record

  1. [1]splx.aiSplxAI · splx.ai · undated page, accessed September 30, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]SplxAI Closes $7M Seed Funding Round to Help Organizations Secure Agentic AI SystemsBusiness Wire · businesswire.com · published March 26, 2025 · Tier A
  3. [3]Zscaler acquires splxSplxAI · splx.ai · published November 3, 2025 · Tier A
  4. [4]SPLX Platform | End-to-End Security for the AI LifecycleSPLX · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]SPLX | End-to-End Security for AISPLX · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]AI Governance & Compliance | Stay Aligned with AI PoliciesSPLX · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Remediation | Harden your LLM system prompts to mitigate risksSPLX · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AI Asset Management | Unified Inventory & Security for Enterprise AISPLX · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Probe | Automated & Continuous Red Teaming for Conversational AISPLX · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]AI Runtime Protection | Real-Time AI Threat DetectionSPLX · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]SplxAI | The future of automated AI Red TeamingSPLX · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Monitoring | Analyze LLM Logs to proactively identify malicious user activitySPLX · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]LLM Benchmarks | Compare and Evaluate the Security of Leading AI ModelsSPLX · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Security and TrustSPLX · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Pricing & PlansSPLX · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

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