Comparison
CitrusGlaze vs Lakera
Lakera built an excellent API-based prompt firewall — now part of Check Point's Infinity platform. Both Lakera and CitrusGlaze detect prompt injection and secrets. The difference is where your data goes: Lakera's API processes prompts in the cloud. CitrusGlaze processes everything locally.
| Feature | CitrusGlaze | Lakera |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Local MITM proxy (full AI Traffic Control) | API-based (Lakera Guard per-call) |
| Data processing | 100% local — nothing leaves your machine | Cloud-processed (Check Point's servers) |
| Price | Free tier + $10/user/month | Free 10K calls/mo, then enterprise pricing |
| AI tool coverage | 39+ verified (CLI, SDK, agents, browser) | Requires per-tool API integration |
| MCP support | MCP Gateway (built-in proxy) | Atlas MCP Scanner |
| Deployment | 5 minutes, local install | API key + per-tool code integration |
| Integration effort | Zero code changes — proxy sees all traffic | Code changes per tool (API call wrapping) |
| Secret detection | 349+ patterns (real-time blocking) | Prompt injection focus (limited DLP) |
| Independence | Gourmand Labs LLC | Acquired by Check Point (~$300M, Q4 2025) |
Different tools for different problems
Choose CitrusGlaze if you need
- ✓ 100% local processing — prompts never leave your network
- ✓ Full proxy coverage — catches all shadow agent traffic without code changes
- ✓ Transparent pricing ($10/user/mo) — no enterprise sales call
- ✓ Vendor independence — no acquisition risk for your security stack
- ✓ Local SQLite — no data stored in a third-party cloud
- ✓ 39+ AI tools covered out of the box — zero integration effort
Choose Lakera if you need
- ✓ Backing of Check Point (~$20B company) with massive resources
- ✓ Sub-50ms API latency for per-call prompt screening
- ✓ Broader ecosystem via Check Point's Infinity platform
- ✓ Gandalf game for prompt injection education and red-teaming
- ✓ Developer-first API if you prefer code-level integration
Key differences
The acquisition question
Lakera is now part of Check Point Software (acquired Q4 2025 for ~$300M). Your prompts are processed in Check Point's cloud infrastructure. That is the core architectural difference: cloud API vs local proxy. If your security requirements allow cloud processing, Lakera is a strong choice with the backing of a major platform. If you need data to stay on your machines, CitrusGlaze is built for that.
Proxy vs API — coverage without code changes
Lakera Guard is an API you call before each prompt — which means you need to integrate it into every AI tool individually. If a developer uses a new AI tool without wrapping it in Lakera's API, it's unprotected. CitrusGlaze is a local MITM proxy that sees all AI traffic at the network layer. 39+ tools are covered automatically — CLI agents, SDKs, browser tools, MCP servers — with zero code changes. No integration gaps, no shadow agent traffic slipping through.
Local vs cloud processing
Every prompt you send through Lakera Guard goes to Check Point's cloud for analysis. CitrusGlaze's 9-stage inspection pipeline runs entirely on your machine in under 10ms. For prompt-level DLP, this is a fundamental difference: your secrets, code snippets, and proprietary data never leave your network. Local SQLite stores everything — no cloud data store, no vendor access to your prompts.
Transparent vs opaque pricing
Lakera offers 10K free API calls per month, then requires an enterprise conversation for pricing. CitrusGlaze is $10/user/month, published on the website, no sales call required. You can evaluate with the free scanner (pip3 install citrusglaze-scan) in 15 seconds and upgrade when ready.
Honest assessment
Lakera pioneered the prompt firewall category. Their Gandalf game made prompt injection tangible for millions of developers. Their API-first approach delivered sub-50ms latency, and they earned the trust of enterprises before the $300M Check Point acquisition. The team built real technology in Zurich, and Atlas MCP Scanner shows they were tracking the MCP security space early.
Lakera is now part of Check Point's broader Infinity platform, which gives it access to enterprise-grade infrastructure and global distribution. Your prompts are processed via their cloud API — that is the architectural tradeoff.
CitrusGlaze is a smaller, earlier-stage team. We are transparent about that. Our advantage is architectural: 100% local processing means your prompts never leave your machine. If your use case requires data residency, regulated workloads, or you simply prefer not to send prompts to a third-party cloud, that is what we built.
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Also compare: vs Nightfall · vs Prompt Security · vs Jazz · vs Harmonic
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