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How Wix scaled Al-native work to 5,000 employees with Willow
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Home / Compare / Willow vs Speakeasy
Last updated: April 2026
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Willow finds local AI tools and configurations before employees register them. Speakeasy applies access and security policy to supported AI calls.

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.

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Choose Willow when
IT and security need to automatically find supported AI tools, local MCP configurations, skill files, and agent instruction files without waiting for employees to register them.
Choose Speakeasy when
Your security team needs tool-level access scopes, broad OAuth support, tighter control over Skills distribution, runtime security, ISO 27001, and enterprise support backed by an SLA.
Check this first
Does IT first need to find specific local AI configurations, or does security need deeper controls for calls already connected to the platform?

Willow

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

Speakeasy combines role grants scoped to MCP servers and tools, explicit exclusions, Skills versioning and distribution, OAuth support, runtime security, logs, and private deployment.
AT A GLANCE

Willow identifies specific local AI configurations. Speakeasy applies detailed policy to supported calls.

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
FOR IT AND SECURITY

Willow finds local AI configurations and governs employee AI use

Willow automatically finds supported local configurations and manages browser controls, machine users, and background agents.

Willow finds AI before employees register it

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 the local files it finds

Willow names local MCP configurations, SKILL.md files, Cursor rules, CLAUDE.md, and AGENTS.md.

Willow stops named browser actions

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.

Willow gives bots and agents clear owners

Machine users and background agents have owners, credentials, secret rotation, tools, triggers, sessions, and deployment status.

Willow manages background agents today

Willow background agents are a current product. Speakeasy Assistants is in Beta.

Willow runs without an external internet connection

Willow explains how to run the full on-premises platform without an external connection and mirror required software images internally.
WHERE SPEAKEASY FITS

Choose Speakeasy for these requirements

Choose Speakeasy when security needs tool-level access scopes, Skills distribution controls, OAuth client support, or runtime threat controls.

SPEAKEASY

Scope access to individual tools

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

Control how Skills change and spread

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

Support more MCP OAuth clients

Speakeasy supports automatic client registration, authorization-code and refresh-token flows, and PKCE S256.
SPEAKEASY

Meet broader assurance requirements

Speakeasy states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, publishes a Trust Center, and offers enterprise support backed by an SLA.
AT ENTERPRISE SCALE

Willow governs AI use across large organizations

"

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

~5,000

weekly active users at Wix

~600

governed tools and MCPs

300K+

governed tool calls every week

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Common questions from teams comparing Willow with Speakeasy.

Can Willow deny access to an individual tool?
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.
Does Speakeasy discover shadow AI?
Yes. Speakeasy has a Device Agent, coding-agent checks, shadow-MCP inventory, Skills coverage, and web-AI monitoring.
Which product finds AI without prior registration?
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.
Which product is stronger for Skills?
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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