Head to head · Checked against vendor sites, September 2026
Bay vs Onyx Security: AI agent security compared
The verdict
Bay scores higher overall on our weights (7.9 vs 7.4 out of 10). Bay scores higher on visibility, tool-call control, policy, footprint and identity and audit; Onyx Security scores higher on maturity and breadth. Neither publishes list prices.
How do Bay and Onyx Security compare on each criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | Bay | Onyx Security | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 22% | 9 | 7 | Bay |
Why these scoresBay: Inventories AI agents, MCP servers, tools, credentials, extensions, settings and endpoint deployments, with 200+ detection rules (bay.io blog). Onyx Security: Discovers AI agents across SaaS, cloud, endpoint and code; endpoint inventory detail is lighter than endpoint-first tools. | ||||
| Tool-call control | 20% | 9 | 8 | Bay |
Why these scoresBay: Evaluates prompts, pre-tool calls and post-tool responses and returns Allow, Ask or Deny locally, stated as under 4ms, on supported agent surfaces. Onyx Security: Inspects every prompt, tool call and model response inline. | ||||
| Policy | 15% | 9 | 8 | Bay |
Why these scoresBay: 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. Onyx Security: Five enforcement actions: alert, block, mask, steer, or ask a human. | ||||
| Identity and audit | 12% | 8 | 7 | Bay |
Why these scoresBay: Activity records who triggered an action, whether a human was involved, and the chain from prompt to system action. Onyx Security: Agent identity and access governance is a named solution. | ||||
| Footprint | 13% | 9 | 6 | Bay |
Why these scoresBay: Deploys through existing EDR or MDM as an ephemeral binary (Wave); Bay describes itself as agentless. Onyx Security: Works across endpoint agents, browser extensions, APIs and gateways; the endpoint component is a resident agent or extension. | ||||
| Breadth | 8% | 4 | 9 | Onyx Security |
Why these scoresBay: Endpoint only by design; no public material on SaaS agents, cloud AI apps or red teaming. Onyx Security: Browser AI, coding assistants, desktop agents, cloud workloads and MCP servers, plus agentic red teaming. | ||||
| Maturity | 10% | 3 | 7 | Onyx Security |
Why these scoresBay: 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. Onyx Security: $113M Series B announced 29 July 2026; SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 listed; pricing not published. | ||||
| Total | 100% | 7.9 | 7.4 | Bay |
How do they deploy, and what do they cost?
| Attribute | Bay | Onyx Security |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Not acquired | Not acquired |
| How it reaches devices | Through existing EDR or MDM (ephemeral binary) | Endpoint agent, browser extension, API, gateway |
| Deployment detail | Bay states that it deploys through your existing EDR or MDM using Wave, an ephemeral binary that runs, scans and exits. It describes the product as agentless by design, with no new agent or tool to install, and says full deployment takes under 5 minutes (vendor-stated). Enforcement then happens locally on the device. In practice this means Bay runs beside your EDR, not in place of it. | Onyx says it needs no SDK changes and works across endpoint agents, browser extensions, APIs and gateways. It integrates with Okta, Entra, Splunk and CrowdStrike. On devices this means a resident component, which is why it scores lower on footprint than tools that deploy through EDR or MDM. |
| Pricing | Contact sales. Bay does not publish pricing. Demo requests go through bay.io/demo. | Contact sales. Onyx Security does not publish pricing. |
Source: bay.io home page · Bay blog: Ghostjacking (Aug 2026) · Bay blog index · Bay demo page · onyx.security · Onyx AI security · Onyx Series B · Reviewed Sep 2026
Which should you choose?
Choose Bay if
- Your priority matches our designation for Bay: editors' pick for endpoint agent control.
- You want a light rollout with published deployment detail, ideally through existing EDR or MDM: Bay scores 9 to 6.
- You need a fleet-wide inventory of AI agents, MCP servers, extensions and credentials on devices: Bay scores 9 to 7.
Choose Onyx Security if
- Your priority matches our designation for Onyx Security: best for inline control across many AI surfaces.
- Your agents also run in SaaS platforms, cloud workloads or apps you build: Onyx Security scores 9 to 4.
- Vendor maturity, public documentation and backing weigh heavily in procurement: Onyx Security scores 7 to 3.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Bay or Onyx Security?
Bay scores higher overall on our weights (7.9 vs 7.4 out of 10). Bay scores higher on visibility, tool-call control, policy, footprint and identity and audit; Onyx Security scores higher on maturity and breadth. Scores are editorial assessments from public vendor material, reviewed September 2026.
Do Bay and Onyx Security publish prices?
No. Neither publishes list prices, so ask both for a quote.
Do Bay or Onyx Security replace EDR?
No. The tools in this guide add control over AI agent actions and work alongside EDR. Bay: Through existing EDR or MDM (ephemeral binary). Onyx Security: Endpoint agent, browser extension, API, gateway.
Related
Sources
- bay.io home page · Reviewed Sep 2026
- Bay blog: Ghostjacking (Aug 2026) · Reviewed Sep 2026
- Bay blog index · Reviewed Sep 2026
- Bay demo page · Reviewed Sep 2026
- onyx.security · Reviewed Sep 2026
- Onyx AI security · Reviewed Sep 2026
- Onyx Series B · Reviewed Sep 2026