Sanitext vs Protecto: A Simpler PII Redaction API

What is the difference between Sanitext and Protecto?

Sanitext is a self-serve API with two endpoints. POST /v1/detect returns entity spans (label, byte offsets, score, and the matched text). POST /v1/redact returns the same text with each span masked as [LABEL]. It detects names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, dates, URLs, account and card numbers, and secrets like API keys across 30+ languages.

Protecto is a broader data-protection platform. Its headline feature is context-preserving tokenization, so an LLM can still reason over masked data, plus role-based access control for AI agents and integrations with LangChain and n8n. Protecto claims sub-50ms latency. Its Startup plan costs $250/month and the free option is a 14-day trial capped at 1,000 calls.

The core trade-off is scope and price. Protecto gives you a governance layer around AI agents. Sanitext gives you fast, cheap, honest redaction with a permanent free tier and no per-token AI bill, because we own the open-weights model and run it on our own Cloudflare infrastructure.

When Protecto is the better choice

We will be straight with you. Protecto is the better pick in a few real cases.

If you need context-preserving tokenization so a downstream LLM can still operate on the masked values and you can reverse the mapping later, Protecto is built for that. Sanitext masks spans as [LABEL] and does not retain a reversible token vault.

If you are governing many AI agents and need role-based access control over who can see or unmask data, Protecto's RBAC fits that need. If your stack lives inside LangChain or n8n and you want native first-party connectors, Protecto ships those. And if procurement wants one vendor for tokenization, access control, and redaction together, a platform beats a focused API.

• —You need reversible, context-preserving tokenization, not just masking
• —You need RBAC for AI agents and fine-grained access policies
• —You want native LangChain or n8n integrations out of the box
• —You prefer one consolidated platform over a focused single-purpose API

Where Sanitext wins

Sanitext wins on price, speed to value, and honesty. The entry plan is $29/month for 12M characters, against Protecto's $250/month Startup plan. That is roughly 9x cheaper to get started.

Because we own the model (Apache-2.0, from the OpenAI privacy-filter family) and run it on our own Cloudflare infrastructure, there is zero per-token AI cost. Pricing stays flat and predictable. Overage runs $0.35 to $0.60 per 1M characters, up to about 2x cheaper than metered hyperscalers at $1.00 per 1M.

The free tier is permanent, not a trial. You get a one-time 300K characters with no card, and it never resets, so you can test in production code paths without a countdown. Sign up, pay through Stripe, get an API key, and run a curl in about 60 seconds. Your raw text never goes to a third-party LLM, we offer EU data residency and a DPA on Enterprise, and we log counts and timings only, never raw text.

• —$29/month entry vs $250/month, about 9x cheaper to start
• —Zero per-token AI cost on our own model and infra
• —Permanent 300K-character free tier, no card, never resets
• —30+ languages with byte-offset spans and [LABEL] redaction
• —No raw-text retention, EU data residency and DPA on Enterprise

Pricing: Sanitext vs Protecto

Sanitext uses flat monthly plans by character volume: Free (one-time 300K chars), Hobby $29/month (12M chars), Pro $149/month (120M), Scale $499/month (450M), and Enterprise custom. Overage is $0.35 to $0.60 per 1M characters.

Protecto's published Startup plan is $250/month with a free 14-day trial limited to 1,000 calls. For a team that wants to start small and self-serve, the gap at the entry point is the biggest practical difference.

How to switch from Protecto to Sanitext

Migration is light because Sanitext is a focused REST API. There is no data export or token vault to move.

Sign up at sanitext.app, add a card through Stripe, and copy your API key. Then point your redaction calls at POST /v1/redact for masked text, or POST /v1/detect if you want raw spans to handle masking yourself.

Map Protecto's labels to ours where needed. Sanitext returns FIRSTNAME, LASTNAME, EMAIL, PHONE, ADDRESS, DATE, URL, ACCOUNT, SECRET, and PREFIX (like Dr.). If you relied on reversible tokenization, note that Sanitext masks rather than tokenizes, so keep your own mapping if you need to restore values. Test against the permanent free tier first, then upgrade only when your volume needs it.

An honest limitation

Sanitext is a redaction and data-minimization aid. It is not an anonymization guarantee or a compliance certification. No PII detector catches 100% of entities in every language and format. Treat output as a strong first pass, keep a human review step for high-risk data, and validate against your own GDPR or HIPAA obligations. We say this plainly because trusting the tool means knowing its edges.

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