Helio Guard vs LayerX
LayerX is an enterprise browser extension that covers AI, other web apps and browser extensions. Its website now redirects to Akamai Workforce Protector. On AWS Marketplace it is $8.50 a user a month, for at least 50 users. Helio Guard is £1 a person, from 5 people, and it takes the sensitive part out.
Most comparisons are written by one of the two companies, and that company wins. This one is too. So every claim about the other product links to its own pages, with the date we checked, and we list where Helio Guard falls short. Checked 6 October 2026.
Side by side
| What | Helio Guard | LayerX |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Small businesses directly, and IT providers for their clients | Enterprises 2 |
| Price | £1 a person a month, from 5 people. 14-day free trial, no card. Partner rates for IT providers. | $8.50 a user a month, 50-user minimum, cancel any time, on AWS Marketplace 1 |
| What it covers | Pastes, sent messages, and files chosen for upload: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, PDF and text | AI tools, web and SaaS apps, browser extensions, agentic browsers and AI coding tools 1 |
| What it does with sensitive data | Takes it out, warns, stops it, or just records. Optionally, staff can send it anyway after picking a reason | Warn or block 1 |
| Your own clients' names | Your client list, scrambled before it is saved. A client's name becomes "Client A" for the AI and comes back when the answer is copied | We found nothing about matching a business's own client list in its published material |
| Owner | Nexborne Ltd, a UK company | Now Akamai: the LayerX product site redirects to Akamai Workforce Protector 2 |
Where LayerX is the better pick
LayerX covers far more than AI: every web app, browser extensions, and AI coding tools 1. If you want one tool for all browser security in a large company, that is its job. Helio Guard does one job for small businesses: AI used safely, at £1 a person.
What Helio Guard does differently
- No 50-user minimum. Helio Guard starts at 5 people. LayerX's AWS listing starts at 50 users, $425 a month 1.
- Takes it out, does not just block. A card number becomes a label and the message still goes.
- It knows your clients. Client names become stand-ins for the AI, and come back when the answer is copied.
- Policy agreed and dated. Each person agrees your AI policy once, and the date is kept.
Where Helio Guard falls short
- Windows only for now. No Mac.
- Chrome and Edge only. Not Firefox, Brave or Safari.
- It does not yet switch off the AI built into browsers, such as Gemini in Chrome.
- It does not yet scan Microsoft 365 for AI apps that staff have given access to.
- It checks with fixed rules, not a language model. It is precise on the things it knows and does not guess.
- Scanned PDFs with no text in them have nothing to read, so they go through.
- It is new. It launched in 2026 and is in early access.
Common questions
How much does LayerX cost?
On AWS Marketplace, $8.50 a user a month with a 50-user minimum, so at least $425 a month.
Is LayerX now Akamai?
The LayerX product pages now redirect to Akamai Workforce Protector, described as formerly LayerX.
Sources
- AWS Marketplace: LayerX AI Use and Browser Security Platform. Checked 6 October 2026.
- Akamai Workforce Protector (formerly LayerX). Checked 6 October 2026.