Overview
MCPTotal and Kastra are two products addressing the growing need for AI agent security, but they approach the problem from different angles. MCPTotal, built by Autonomous, focuses on endpoint security for AI agents, emphasizing discovery of shadow AI, risk assessment, and remediation. Kastra, on the other hand, is a runtime authorization layer that decides whether an AI action is allowed before it executes, with sub-millisecond latency.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MCPTotal | Kastra |
|---|---|---|
| Core Focus | Endpoint security for AI agents with shadow AI discovery | Runtime authorization layer for AI agents |
| Deployment | Cloud-based control stack with desktop app | Cloud, self-hosted, or air-gap; CLI and macOS GUI |
| Latency | Not specified | Sub-millisecond (p99 <0.8ms) |
| Policy Enforcement | Centralized policy, identity, audit; blocks unauthorized commands | Four-stage evaluation: identity, scope, guardrails, audit |
| Agent Support | 50+ popular AI agents, MCP servers, plugins | Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, OpenClaw, Anthropic SDK, OpenAI SDK |
| Shadow AI Discovery | Automatic mapping of AI assets and risks | Kastra Recon scans history for past risky actions |
| Integration | SSO/SCIM, SIEM, enterprise compliance | SIEM, Datadog, Splunk, S3; OpenAI-compatible proxy |
| Compliance | Not explicitly listed | SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, EU AI Act, FedRAMP |
| Browser Agent Governance | Not specifically mentioned | OpenClaw integration with human checkpoints |
Pricing
MCPTotal: Pricing is not publicly available. Interested users must book a demo to get pricing details.
Kastra: Offers a free tier for solo developers. Paid plans for teams and enterprises are available but pricing details are not publicly listed.
Pros and Cons
MCPTotal
Pros:
- Comprehensive endpoint security with shadow AI discovery
- Covers over 50 AI agents and MCP servers
- Real-time guardrails and risk assessment
- Centralized governance with SSO/SIEM integration
Cons:
- No public pricing information
- Latency not specified for real-time enforcement
- Less focus on runtime authorization granularity
Kastra
Pros:
- Sub-millisecond runtime authorization
- Broad agent and SDK support
- Multiple deployment models (cloud, self-hosted, air-gap)
- Strong compliance certifications (SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR)
- Free tier for individual developers
Cons:
- No public pricing for paid tiers
- Newer product with less market presence
- Requires integration into agent workflows
Verdict
Choose MCPTotal if your primary need is endpoint security and shadow AI discovery across many agents. Choose Kastra if you need ultra-low-latency runtime authorization with granular policy enforcement and strong compliance support. Both products address AI agent security but from different angles: MCPTotal focuses on visibility and governance, while Kastra excels at pre-action decision-making.