5 Best Kipling Secure Alternatives for MSPs in 2026

69%

of organizations suspect or have evidence employees use prohibited public GenAIGartner, 2025 ↗

Most organizations only suspect prohibited AI usage. Confirming it takes content-level and tenant-level visibility. The alternatives below are ranked on coverage; ShadowLock adds Microsoft 365 OAuth scanning Kipling Secure lacks, priced per device.

More in the State of Shadow AI 2026 report →

The trigger

Why MSPs look for a Kipling Secure alternative

No Microsoft 365 tenant scanning. Kipling Secure detects AI from endpoint and network telemetry but doesn’t enumerate Copilot plugins or third-party AI OAuth grants consented in your M365 tenant - the cloud half of shadow AI.
Pricing that is hard to model. Kipling Secure publishes no per-seat or per-endpoint price and does not state its billing unit, so translating a quote into a per-client renewal cost takes a sales cycle.
A platform purchase for a point problem. Shadow AI is one module inside a broad AI-native XDR suite. Teams that already run an EDR/XDR they like don’t want to migrate their detection stack just to govern AI.

At a glance

Quick picks at a glance

#	Tool	Best for	Standout
1	ShadowLockTop pick	MSPs and IT teams that want focused shadow AI coverage across the endpoint, the browser, and the M365 tenant - at a price they can budget, without a platform migration.	M365 tenant scanning for Copilot plugins and third-party AI OAuth grants
2	DefensX	Shops that can mandate the DefensX-managed browser everywhere and want in-browser redaction with a strong marketplace co-sell.	Mature in-browser AI redaction and web-DLP
3	ThreatLocker	Shops standing up a single zero-trust posture across the whole endpoint stack.	Default-deny application control + Ringfencing across the endpoint
4	DNSFilter	MSPs that want a baseline DNS filter where shadow AI is one category among many.	Public rate card - Core $1.00-$1.15, Pro $2.10-$2.30, Enterprise $2.70-$3.00 per user/month
5	Control D	MSPs that want a transparently priced DNS-layer baseline rather than a platform.	Public SMB self-serve rate of $2/endpoint/month; MSP pricing via the partnerships programme

#1ShadowLockTop pick

Best for

MSPs and IT teams that want focused shadow AI coverage across the endpoint, the browser, and the M365 tenant - at a price they can budget, without a platform migration.

Standout

M365 tenant scanning for Copilot plugins and third-party AI OAuth grants

#2DefensX

Best for

Shops that can mandate the DefensX-managed browser everywhere and want in-browser redaction with a strong marketplace co-sell.

Standout

Mature in-browser AI redaction and web-DLP

#3ThreatLocker

Best for

Shops standing up a single zero-trust posture across the whole endpoint stack.

Standout

Default-deny application control + Ringfencing across the endpoint

#4DNSFilter

Best for

MSPs that want a baseline DNS filter where shadow AI is one category among many.

Standout

Public rate card - Core $1.00-$1.15, Pro $2.10-$2.30, Enterprise $2.70-$3.00 per user/month

#5Control D

Best for

MSPs that want a transparently priced DNS-layer baseline rather than a platform.

Standout

Public SMB self-serve rate of $2/endpoint/month; MSP pricing via the partnerships programme

Criteria

What to look for in a Kipling Secure alternative

M365 tenant scanning

Can it enumerate AI OAuth grants in your Microsoft 365 tenant via Graph? Copilot plugins, third-party AI add-ins, and user-consented apps that live in the cloud, not on the endpoint or the wire.

Shadow AI focus

Is shadow AI the product, or one module in a broad platform you also have to adopt for endpoint, identity, and network?

Content classification

Can it read the prompt or paste and decide allow / block on what’s in it - locally - versus categorical domain or app decisions?

Pricing model

How quickly can you get a per-device number? One path emails you a rate card; the other is a channel negotiation every renewal cycle.

Runs beside your stack

Can you drop it in next to your existing EDR/XDR, or does adopting it mean consolidating your detection-and-response onto its platform?

The ranking

The 5 best Kipling Secure alternatives, ranked

#1

ShadowLock

Top pick

Purpose-built, three-layer shadow AI detection - endpoint, browser, and Microsoft 365 tenant.

What it is

A Windows endpoint agent + managed browser extension + Microsoft Graph integration built for one job: shadow AI. The agent monitors the clipboard and classifies content locally with Shannon entropy + Luhn validation; the extension force-installs into Chrome/Edge; the Graph integration scans the M365 tenant for AI OAuth grants and Copilot plugins. Multi-tenant from day one, and it runs beside whatever EDR/XDR you already have.

Why it's a Kipling Secure alternative

ShadowLock closes the two gaps that send MSPs looking past Kipling Secure: it scans the Microsoft 365 tenant for AI OAuth grants and Copilot plugins, and it prices per managed device, with the rate card emailed on request so you can model a renewal the same day.

It’s also a focused control rather than a platform - drop it in next to your existing detection stack instead of consolidating onto a new AI-native XDR.

Join the Waitlist See pricing

#2

DefensX

Browser-extension secure workspace with in-browser AI redaction. The best-known MSP-channel shadow AI tool.

What it is

A browser extension + endpoint agent that turns Chrome/Edge into a managed workspace, with an "Artificial Intelligence" web-filtering category and in-browser PII/code redaction before submission to LLMs. Channel-only via Pax8 / Sherweb / ConnectWise.

Why it's a Kipling Secure alternative

If your Kipling exit is about wanting a focused shadow AI tool rather than a broad XDR, DefensX is the other well-known option - but it enforces only inside the managed browser and, like Kipling, doesn’t scan the M365 tenant.

Full ShadowLock vs DefensX →

#3

ThreatLocker

Zero-trust endpoint platform. Blocks AI apps and domains, but doesn’t inspect prompts.

What it is

A broad zero-trust platform built around default-deny application allowlisting and Ringfencing. Web Control category-blocks AI web domains; application allowlisting prevents desktop AI apps from installing.

Why it's a Kipling Secure alternative

If the real reason you’re leaving Kipling is "we’d rather consolidate on a zero-trust platform we already trust," ThreatLocker is the heavier answer. It blocks AI tools at access time rather than inspecting prompts, and it doesn’t scan the M365 tenant either.

Full ShadowLock vs ThreatLocker →

#4

DNSFilter

AI-powered protective DNS with transparent MSP pricing. Resolver-layer category blocking.

What it is

A protective DNS service that blocks malicious and categorized domains (400+ SaaS apps, including an AI category) before the connection completes. Roaming clients for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. CRN 2025 5-Star MSP partner program.

Why it's a Kipling Secure alternative

If you’re downgrading from "AI-native XDR" to "just block the AI domains at the edge," DNSFilter is a clean, transparently priced way to do it. It won’t read prompt content, won’t catch embedded AI inside approved SaaS, and won’t see M365 OAuth grants - but it’s a simple control with a public price.

Full ShadowLock vs DNSFilter →

#5

Control D

Transparent-pricing DNS filter with AI / ML threat blocking.

What it is

A DNS filtering and web security service with AI/ML threat blocking and published pricing. Publishes an SMB self-serve rate of $2/endpoint/month; MSP pricing runs through its partnerships programme and is not published.

Why it's a Kipling Secure alternative

Control D is the option MSPs reach for when the lesson from a Kipling evaluation was "I want simplicity and a published price." Same structural limits as any DNS filter - no content visibility, no enforcement off-resolver, no M365 tenant scanning - but a clean control surface and a number on the page.

Full ShadowLock vs Control D →

Decision guide

Choose the right alternative for your situation

If your situation is…	Best pick
You need shadow AI coverage in the M365 tenant, not just on the endpoint and network.	ShadowLock
You want a focused shadow AI control that runs beside your existing EDR/XDR.	ShadowLock
You can mandate a managed browser everywhere and want in-browser redaction.	DefensX
You’re consolidating onto a single zero-trust endpoint platform.	ThreatLocker (+ ShadowLock for content + M365)
You just want a transparently priced DNS filter as a baseline.	DNSFilter or Control D

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Why are MSPs looking for a Kipling Secure alternative in 2026?

The two recurring drivers are Microsoft 365 tenant coverage (Kipling doesn’t scan for Copilot plugins or AI OAuth grants) and pricing clarity (per-endpoint, but hard to translate into a per-client renewal cost). A third is scope: shadow AI is one module in a broad AI-native XDR platform, and teams that already run a detection stack they like don’t want to migrate onto a new one.

Does any tool on this list scan Microsoft 365 for shadow AI?

ShadowLock does, via its Microsoft Graph integration - it enumerates AI OAuth grants and Copilot plugins consented in the tenant. The browser, DNS, and zero-trust options on this list operate on the endpoint or the network and don’t enumerate cloud-side M365 grants, which is exactly the gap Kipling shares.

Can ShadowLock run alongside Kipling Secure during a migration?

They can coexist during an evaluation, though running two endpoint agents long-term isn’t usually the goal. Most MSPs pilot ShadowLock on a subset of endpoints - often specifically to cover the M365 tenant gap - and then decide whether to consolidate.

Sources and verification

ShadowLock publishes this roundup and ranks itself first, so the reasoning has to be checkable. Every vendor claim links to that vendor’s own public documentation. Where a vendor does not publish an answer, we label it rather than guessing. Competitor facts on this page were last checked on August 12, 2026. Pricing and features change without notice — verify against the vendor before you buy.

Kipling Secure ↗ — Kipling Secure sells through the channel and does not publish a per-seat or per-endpoint price on its public site.Not publicly documented
DefensX product ↗ — DefensX describes a browser extension, endpoint agent, and cloud intelligence layer, with AI Data Protection that inspects prompts and responses in-browser, redacts PII and source code before transmission, and limits or sanitises file uploads to LLMs.
DefensX for MSSPs ↗ — DefensX markets to MSPs and MSSPs but does not publish a per-seat price on its public site.Not publicly documented
ThreatLocker pricing ↗ — ThreatLocker does not publish a rate card. The pricing page offers "a price quote built around your environment", based on endpoint count, application landscape, and control needs.Not publicly documented
DNSFilter pricing ↗ — Published per-licence pricing: Core $1.00–$1.15, Pro $2.10–$2.30, Enterprise $2.70–$3.00 per user per month. MSP plans start at $150/month.
Control D pricing ↗ — Published SMB self-serve pricing of $2 per endpoint per month. MSP pricing is arranged through the partnerships programme rather than published.

3 claims on this page rest on the absence of public documentation rather than on a vendor statement. We have written them as “not publicly documented” for that reason. If you represent one of these vendors and we have it wrong, tell us and we will correct it.

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