Best AI Security markBest AI Security

Head to head · Checked against vendor sites, September 2026

Bay vs Koi: endpoint AI agent security compared

The verdict

Bay leads Koi on our rubric (7.9 vs 7.1) because it documents per-action decisions, human versus agent attribution and deployment through any existing EDR or MDM. Koi, now part of Palo Alto Networks, ties Bay on visibility and wins on breadth and maturity, and it is the simpler choice if you already run Cortex XDR.

Bay

Editors' pick for endpoint agent control

Read the Bay review

Koi (Palo Alto Networks Cortex Agentic Endpoint Security)

Owner: Palo Alto Networks (acquisition completed 14 April 2026)

Best for Palo Alto Cortex customers

Read the Koi review

How do Bay and Koi compare on each criterion?

Endpoint AI control score, editorial assessment 0-10. Edge is the higher score on each row.
CriterionWeightBayKoiEdge
Visibility22%99Tie
Why these scores

Bay: Inventories AI agents, MCP servers, tools, credentials, extensions, settings and endpoint deployments, with 200+ detection rules (bay.io blog).

Koi: Visibility into models, MCPs, extensions and packages on the endpoint, with risk scoring.

Tool-call control20%97Bay
Why these scores

Bay: Evaluates prompts, pre-tool calls and post-tool responses and returns Allow, Ask or Deny locally, stated as under 4ms, on supported agent surfaces.

Koi: Blocks unsafe AI application interactions and prevents prompt injections; tool-call level mechanics not published.

Policy15%97Bay
Why these scores

Bay: Session-aware decisions using identity, prior actions and data accessed; capability rules for shell, code execution, package installs, cloud CLIs, containers, Kubernetes, browser automation; Simulation Mode.

Koi: Out-of-the-box policies and one-click removal of insecure packages, extensions and AI tools.

Identity and audit12%85Bay
Why these scores

Bay: Activity records who triggered an action, whether a human was involved, and the chain from prompt to system action.

Koi: Agent vs human attribution not described on the pages we reviewed.

Footprint13%96Bay
Why these scores

Bay: Deploys through existing EDR or MDM as an ephemeral binary (Wave); Bay describes itself as agentless.

Koi: Agent-based; offered as a Cortex XDR module and as a standalone offering.

Breadth8%47Koi
Why these scores

Bay: Endpoint only by design; no public material on SaaS agents, cloud AI apps or red teaming.

Koi: Palo Alto Networks is integrating Koi with Prisma AIRS for wider AI coverage.

Maturity10%37Koi
Why these scores

Bay: Smallest public footprint in this guide: two blog posts, no public documentation portal and no published pricing; SOC 2 and ISO 27001 are claimed on bay.io.

Koi: Acquisition completed 14 April 2026 by Palo Alto Networks; pricing not published.

Total100%7.97.1Bay

How we score

What changed for Koi in 2026?

Palo Alto Networks completed its acquisition of Koi on 14 April 2026. Koi's website now redirects to Cortex Agentic Endpoint Security. Palo Alto Networks says it will integrate Koi with Prisma AIRS, offer a new Cortex XDR module, and keep Koi available standalone.

How do they reach the device?

Bay says it deploys through your existing EDR or MDM as an ephemeral binary that runs and exits, and calls itself agentless. Koi is available as a Cortex XDR module or as a standalone agent-based deployment. For a Cortex shop, Koi adds no new console. For a company on another EDR, Bay adds no new agent.

Where does each one lead?

Both give strong visibility: Koi into models, MCPs, extensions and packages; Bay into agents, MCP servers, tools, credentials, extensions and settings (9 each). Bay leads on tool-call control, policy granularity and attribution. Koi leads on coverage beyond the endpoint through Prisma AIRS and on maturity, with Palo Alto Networks behind it. Neither publishes prices.

Which should you choose?

Choose Bay if

  • You run an EDR other than Cortex.
  • You need Allow, Ask or Deny on individual tool calls.
  • You want to separate agent actions from human actions in the record.

Choose Koi if

  • You already run Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR.
  • Package and extension supply-chain control is a priority.
  • You prefer a large vendor's roadmap.

Frequently asked questions

Is Koi the same product as Cortex Agentic Endpoint Security?

Palo Alto Networks sells Koi's technology as Cortex Agentic Endpoint Security and as a Cortex XDR module, and says Koi remains available standalone.

Does either replace EDR?

No. Bay deploys through an existing EDR or MDM, and Koi is offered as a module of Palo Alto Networks' EDR platform.

Related

Sources