CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

NowSecure vs Pillar Security

NowSecure sells mobile application risk management software that analyzes compiled iOS and Android app binaries on real devices to find hidden AI, risky SDKs, vulnerabilities and data flows. Pillar Security sells one platform to discover, test, secure and govern every AI agent across an organization. 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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  • NowSecure
  • Pillar Security
NowSecure vs Pillar Security: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
NowSecureNowSecure sells mobile application risk management software that analyzes compiled iOS and Android app binaries on real devices to find hidden AI, risky SDKs, vulnerabilities and data flows.nowsecure.comPillar SecurityPillar Security sells one platform to discover, test, secure and govern every AI agent across an organization.pillar.security
What it sells
  • Mobile Application Risk Management[1][2][3][5]Continuously assesses apps a company builds and third-party apps its workforce uses.
  • Dynamic Mobile SBOM[7]Generates SBOMs from binary analysis of iOS, Android and hybrid apps.
  • NowSecure Privacy[8]Protects sensitive data and minimizes compliance exposure in mobile apps.
  • Agentic Endpoint[7][10]Protects the AI agents that run on employee machines.
Categories
Headquarters
Chicago, United States[1]Not stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesOwned by Vanta
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • April 28, 2026NowSecure announced Mobile App Risk Intelligence (MARI), giving enterprises evidence-based visibility into third-party mobile apps, including hidden AI components and data flows.[13]
  • November 9, 2026Vanta signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pillar Security, an AI security platform that protects AI agents across their lifecycle.[11]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 4, 2026[4]
  • 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, NowSecure sells mainly to enterprises that build, use and manage mobile apps. NowSecure addresses privacy, compliance and AI governance roles. NowSecure addresses AppSec, DevSecOps and mobile engineering roles. NowSecure addresses workforce app and third-party risk roles. NowSecure says financial institutions are accountable for every component shipped to production. NowSecure helps federal, local and state agencies deliver secure mobile apps.Not written yet
Last verified
September 27, 2026November 10, 2026

Where they overlap

  • NowSecure and Pillar Security are both filed under AI model and agent security.

Where they differ, field by field

  • NowSecure's primary category is Mobile security; Pillar Security's is AI model and agent security.
  • Pillar Security is also filed under AI governance, AI firewalls and guardrails and Workforce AI usage security.
  • NowSecure lists Mobile Application Risk Management, Dynamic Mobile SBOM and NowSecure Privacy. Pillar Security lists Agentic Endpoint.
  • NowSecure is headquartered in Chicago, United States.
  • Pillar Security is owned by Vanta.

What it sells: NowSecure

What Mobile Application Risk Management does[1][2][3][5]
NowSecure gives enterprises continuous visibility into the security, privacy, compliance, and AI risk inside the mobile apps they build, use, and manage. Findings are based on what shipped apps do on real devices at runtime.
What Dynamic Mobile SBOM does[7]
NowSecure inspects compiled iOS, Android, and hybrid apps to identify every dependency, framework, and SDK actually present. It generates SBOMs for each build, storing version history and provenance.
What NowSecure Privacy does[8]
NowSecure Privacy protects sensitive data, minimizes compliance exposure, and maintains trust. NowSecure describes continuous mobile privacy testing as identifying excessive permissions, hidden data sharing, insecure SDK behaviors, and policy violations across iOS and Android applications.

What it sells: Pillar Security

What Agentic Endpoint does[7][10]
Pillar deploys through an MDM and inventories the AI coding agents across a fleet: which agents run where, their versions, sandbox state and risk. Runtime Guardian sits in the agent's own pre-tool hook for Claude Code, Codex CLI and Cursor, and decides on every action before it runs. Pillar inventories local and remote servers across a fleet and scores each against a catalog of 23,000+ pre-analyzed servers.

Questions about NowSecure and Pillar Security

What do NowSecure and Pillar Security sell?
NowSecure sells Mobile Application Risk Management, Dynamic Mobile SBOM and NowSecure Privacy. Pillar Security sells Agentic Endpoint.
Are NowSecure and Pillar Security in the same category?
They share AI model and agent security. NowSecure's primary category is Mobile security and Pillar Security's is AI model and agent security.
Where are NowSecure and Pillar Security headquartered?
NowSecure is headquartered in Chicago, United States.
Who owns NowSecure and Pillar Security?
Pillar Security is owned by Vanta.
Who are NowSecure and Pillar Security sold to?
From its own pages, NowSecure sells mainly to enterprises that build, use and manage mobile apps.
What have NowSecure and Pillar Security announced recently?
April 28, 2026: NowSecure announced Mobile App Risk Intelligence (MARI), giving enterprises evidence-based visibility into third-party mobile apps, including hidden AI components and data flows. November 9, 2026: Vanta signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pillar Security, an AI security platform that protects AI agents across their lifecycle.

About NowSecure

NowSecure sells mobile application risk management software that analyzes compiled iOS and Android app binaries on real devices to find hidden AI, risky SDKs, vulnerabilities and data flows. NowSecure says it helps organizations secure and govern mobile app risk, from code and dependencies to runtime behavior and data flows.

NowSecure says more than half of the 50,000+ mobile apps it analyzes each month contain undisclosed AI. NowSecure says most AI governance programs cover SaaS, cloud, and employee AI tools. NowSecure says it builds the mobile app record those programs are missing: which apps contain AI, what data it touches, where that data goes, and who owns the risk.

NowSecure analyzes the shipped mobile binary to identify AI models, SDKs, dependencies, APIs, and indicators of AI-generated code. NowSecure runs the app on real devices to observe live behavior, permissions, connections, and data movement. NowSecure says the result is a Dynamic SBOM showing every component and where its data lands. NowSecure says it fills the gap with binary and runtime truth, not source, SBOM, or SCA assumptions.

Mobile Application Risk Management brings four risk domains into one operating model. NowSecure says Mobile Application Risk Management exists to close visibility gaps before they become business events. NowSecure gives enterprises continuous, evidence-based visibility into the security, privacy, compliance, and AI risk inside the mobile apps they build, use, and manage. NowSecure says the new shape of mobile app risk management is continuous, evidence-based, and proportioned to business impact, governing security, privacy, safety, compliance, and AI risk in one program. NowSecure describes a living catalog of apps, SDKs, APIs, AI components, data destinations, and ownership across the mobile estate. NowSecure says it gives every accountable function the evidence to find hidden AI, govern data flows, and reduce risk across the apps an organization builds and uses.[5]

NowSecure tests the compiled iOS and Android app on real devices, logged in, with every SDK and AI feature inside it. NowSecure says AI-Navigator logs in so dynamic testing reaches every post-login screen. NowSecure research found that authenticated mobile app security testing finds 78% more sensitive data risk. Customers can upload an IPA or APK, or trigger tests automatically from GitHub Actions, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, CircleCI, or Bitrise. NowSecure maps findings to OWASP MASVS and sends them to the customer's tracker with remediation guidance. NowSecure adds Guided Testing or Pen Testing as a Service when an app needs an analyst to work through MFA. NowSecure identifies every component inside the compiled app and watches what each one does at runtime. NowSecure identifies the AI inside an app and shows what data reaches it.[5][6]

NowSecure inspects compiled iOS, Android, and hybrid apps to identify every dependency, framework, and SDK actually present. NowSecure generates SBOMs for each build, storing version history and provenance. A signed, machine-readable SBOM in CycloneDX or SPDX is generated and versioned. NowSecure produces SBOMs automatically at each merge or release, within GitHub Actions, GitLab, Jenkins, and Azure DevOps. NowSecure correlates SBOM data with live CVE, CWE, and license feeds for immediate risk visibility. NowSecure says organizations using Dynamic Mobile SBOM transition from reactive audits to proactive risk governance.[7]

NowSecure Privacy protects sensitive data, minimizes compliance exposure, and maintains trust. NowSecure tests for the OWASP MASVS throughout the mobile app security testing software and services. NowSecure supports organizations looking to comply with ISO 27001 by implementing mobile app security controls. NowSecure says it helps write the mobile security standards auditors rely on and maintains the open-source tools that power runtime analysis worldwide. Carlos Holguera, a NowSecure principal research engineer, co-leads the OWASP Mobile Application Security project that maintains MASVS and MASTG.[6][8][9]

For mobile banking apps, NowSecure says new regulatory standards demand a real-time Mobile App BOM and continuous runtime validation. NowSecure says financial institutions are fully accountable for every component shipped to production, including software their internal engineers never wrote. NowSecure says it generates an audit-ready Mobile Application Bill of Materials through automated binary analysis on every build. NowSecure helps federal, local and state agencies, including AirForce’s BESPIN software factory, deliver secure mobile apps. NowSecure Platform performs static, dynamic, interactive and API security analysis across the mobile apps in an organization's environment.[2][10][11]

NowSecure cites NIAP, ISO 17025, and Google MASA lab credentials. Independent auditor Coalfire completed its review of NowSecure and issued an attestation report finding zero deficiencies. NowSecure provides a SOC 2 report to requesters who first execute an NDA.[6][8][12]

NowSecure on the record

Sources

NowSecure full record

  1. [1]Nowsecure launches ai data partner program to expand mobile application risk intelligence for security platformsNowSecure · nowsecure.com · published March 18, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]nowsecure.comNowSecure · nowsecure.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Enterprise Mobile App Security & AI Governance | NowSecureNowSecure · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]NowSecure Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]Mobile App Risk Management Platform & Programs | NowSecureNowSecure · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Mobile app security testing (MAST) for iOS & Android | NowSecureNowSecure · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Dynamic SBOM for iOS and Android Mobile Apps | NowSecureNowSecure · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Mobile Application Privacy Testing | NowSecure PrivacyNowSecure · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Mobile App Security Standards & Compliance | NowSecureNowSecure · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Financial Services - NowSecureNowSecure · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Government - NowSecureNowSecure · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Request NowSecure SOC 2 ReportNowSecure · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]NowSecure Launches MARI to Close the AI Governance Gap in Third-Party Mobile AppsNowSecure · published April 28, 2026 · Tier A

Pillar Security full record

  1. [1]pillar.securityPillar Security · pillar.security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Pillar Security | Securing the Agentic WorkforcePillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Pillar Security Platform | Securing the Entire AI Software LifecyclePillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]AI Discovery & Posture | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]AI Red Teaming & Risk Detection | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]AI Runtime Guardrails | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Agentic Endpoint: Secure AI Coding Agents | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AI Security Solutions | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]AI Governance & Compliance | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Deployment Options: Cloud, Self-Hosted, Hybrid · PillarPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Vanta to Acquire Pillar Security to Turn AI Policy Into PracticeBusiness Wire · published November 9, 2026 · Tier A

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