Both products cover MCP access, Skills, identities, employee devices, and AI use. Willow automatically finds supported AI tools, local MCP configurations, skill files, and agent instruction files on managed devices, including items employees never registered with IT. Speakeasy scopes access to individual MCP servers and tools, with explicit exclusions.
Willow automatically finds supported AI tools, MCP configurations, skill files, and agent instruction files on managed devices before employees register them. It also manages browser controls, machine users, and background agents.
Speakeasy combines role grants scoped to MCP servers and tools, explicit exclusions, Skills versioning and distribution, OAuth support, runtime security, logs, and private deployment.
Choose Willow when IT cannot see which AI tools and local configurations employees use. Choose Speakeasy when security needs tool-level access scopes, Skills controls, or runtime threat controls.
Compare the controls that decide the purchase, not the category labels.
| Willow | Speakeasy | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Find and govern employee AI use, machine users, and background agents | Apply identity, access, and security policy to supported model and tool calls |
| Device discovery | Automatically finds named MCP configurations, skill files, agent instruction files, and installed AI tools | Device Agent, coding-agent checks, session records, and shadow-MCP inventory |
| Browser controls | Prompt Guard through the Beta Willow Guard extension for five named web AI chats; Claude Guard for Claude-in-Chrome actions | Web-AI and personal-account monitoring through the Device Agent |
| Tool access | Disable a tool for everyone, hide it from clients, or require approval for every call; group grants have no deny override | Role grants scoped to MCP servers and tool selectors, with explicit exclusions |
| Skills | Discovery, risk assessment, versioning, distribution, and agent assignment | Version history, pinned or latest-version distribution, RBAC, prompt-injection scanning, and usage reporting |
| Background agents | Current product with identities, tools, triggers, sessions, and several runtimes | Assistants in Beta |
| Deployment | SaaS, hybrid, on-premises, and air-gapped | Cloud, customer cloud, and on-premises |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, with a public Trust Center |
Willow automatically finds supported local configurations and manages browser controls, machine users, and background agents.
The Scan Agent automatically finds supported AI coding tools and local MCP configurations on managed macOS and Windows devices. IT does not need each developer to register them first.
Willow names local MCP configurations, SKILL.md files, Cursor rules, CLAUDE.md, and AGENTS.md.
Prompt Guard covers five named web AI chats through the Beta Willow Guard extension. Claude Guard separately pauses risky Claude-in-Chrome actions and sends them for approval.
Machine users and background agents have owners, credentials, secret rotation, tools, triggers, sessions, and deployment status.
Willow background agents are a current product. Speakeasy Assistants is in Beta.
Willow explains how to run the full on-premises platform without an external connection and mirror required software images internally.
Choose Speakeasy when security needs tool-level access scopes, Skills distribution controls, OAuth client support, or runtime threat controls.
Speakeasy scopes role grants to MCP servers and individual tool selectors, with explicit exclusions. Willow can disable a tool for everyone, hide it from clients, or require approval for every call; its group grants are additive.
Speakeasy keeps version history, distributes the latest or a pinned version, applies RBAC, scans for prompt injection, and reports usage. Its scan never fails an upload and retries unavailable judgments later.
Speakeasy supports automatic client registration, authorization-code and refresh-token flows, and PKCE S256.
Speakeasy states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, publishes a Trust Center, and offers enterprise support backed by an SLA.
We are six to ten months ahead of most companies in AI adoption. More code to production, fewer incidents, real outcomes. Willow is what made it possible to move that fast without slowing down our security posture.
Asaf Yonay, Head of AI Core, Wix
Common questions from teams comparing Willow with Speakeasy.
Willow can disable an individual tool for everyone, hide it from AI clients, or require approval for every call. Willow group access is additive. Speakeasy scopes role grants to individual tool selectors and supports explicit exclusions.
Yes. Speakeasy has a Device Agent, coding-agent checks, shadow-MCP inventory, Skills coverage, and web-AI monitoring.
Willow automatically finds supported AI coding tools, local MCP configurations, skill files, and agent instruction files on managed macOS and Windows devices. This is a major advantage when IT does not already know what employees use.
Speakeasy gives security teams version history, pinned or latest-version distribution, RBAC, prompt-injection scanning, and usage reporting. Willow combines versioning and distribution with local discovery, risk assessment, and background-agent assignment.
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