HEAD TO HEAD
Bay matched with Neo: agentic endpoint security compared
SHORT ANSWER
On our published weights Bay scores higher overall, 7.20 to 6.85 out of 10. Bay scores higher on stop before it runs, capability rules and rollout path; Neo scores higher on cloud and workspace reach and public proof; they tie on verdict range, actor trail and named agent coverage. Which fits depends on which of those criteria matters most to you.
By The Agent Desk · Agentic Endpoint Compare · Published 2026-10-11
Desk research from public vendor pages, press releases and standards pages read on 27 September and 11 October 2026. Editorial assessment; we did not run the products.
How do they compare at a glance?
Bay
Pre-execution control on employee devices, rolled out through EDR or MDM
Rank 1 of 6 among agentic endpoint vendors
Neo
Approval holds and an agent-level audit chain
Rank 2 of 6 among agentic endpoint vendors
Which scores higher on each criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | Bay | Neo | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop before it runs | 25% | 9 / 10 Evaluates prompts, pre-tool calls and post-tool responses on supported agent surfaces and returns Allow, Ask or Deny locally, stated as under 4ms (vendor-stated). Source: Bay blog: Ghostjacking (August 2026) · Read 27 Sep 2026 | 8 / 10 Intercepts agent actions at the endpoint and allows, blocks or holds them for approval before they run; decision latency is not stated. Source: Neo homepage · Read 13 Oct 2026 | Bay |
| Verdict range | 15% | 7 / 10 Documents 4 of six verdict types: Block or deny, Ask a person, Simulate first and Remove or scale back. "Returns Allow, Ask or Deny; new rules can run in Simulation Mode first; MCP Control removes disallowed MCP servers in Enforcement mode." Source: Bay blog: Ghostjacking (re-read 11 October 2026) · Read 11 Oct 2026 Source: Bay homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026 | 7 / 10 Documents 4 of six verdict types: Block or deny, Ask a person, Mask or modify and Simulate first. "Allow, block, redirect or hold an action for verified human approval; audit mode before enforcement." Source: Neo platform · Read 13 Oct 2026 | Tie |
| Capability rules | 15% | 9 / 10 Capability rules for shell and code execution, process spawning, package installation, cloud CLIs, containers, Kubernetes, browser automation and system changes, plus managed settings for Claude Code, Codex and Claude Desktop. Source: Bay blog: Ghostjacking (August 2026) · Read 27 Sep 2026 | 7 / 10 Policies built with a built-in LLM, with examples such as Block secret reads and Hold exports over 10 MB, over an inventory of agents, models, skills, MCP servers and extensions. Source: Neo homepage · Read 13 Oct 2026 | Bay |
| Actor trail | 10% | 8 / 10 Records who triggered an action, whether a human was involved, and the complete chain from prompt to system action. Source: Bay homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026 | 8 / 10 Every action is tied to the human or agent that caused it, in what Neo calls an immutable audit chain. Source: Neo homepage · Read 13 Oct 2026 | Tie |
| Rollout path | 10% | 9 / 10 Deploys through existing EDR or MDM as an ephemeral binary that runs and exits; described as agentless by design. Source: Bay blog: Ghostjacking (August 2026) · Read 27 Sep 2026 | 6 / 10 A new lightweight endpoint sensor: no kernel module, no reboot, no OS hooks; OS support and MDM rollout are not stated. Source: Neo platform · Read 13 Oct 2026 | Bay |
| Cloud and workspace reach | 10% | 3 / 10 Described as endpoint security for enterprise endpoints; its rules govern cloud CLIs, containers and Kubernetes called from the device, but bay.io, re-read on 11 October 2026, does not describe coverage for agents running in cloud workspaces or cloud-hosted apps. Source: Bay homepage (re-read 11 October 2026) · Read 11 Oct 2026 | 5 / 10 Names SaaS and desktop AI such as Slack AI, Notion AI and Salesforce Agentforce from the endpoint; agents in cloud workloads are not described. Source: Neo platform · Read 13 Oct 2026 | Neo |
| Named agent coverage | 5% | 5 / 10 Names 3 of the six agents we track: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex and Claude Desktop. Source: Bay blog: Ghostjacking (August 2026) · Read 27 Sep 2026 | 5 / 10 Names 3 of the six agents we track: Claude Code, GitHub Copilot and OpenAI Codex. Source: Neo platform · Read 13 Oct 2026 | Tie |
| Public proof | 10% | 3 / 10 The smallest public footprint of the scored products: a single homepage, two blog posts, no documentation portal and no published pricing. Source: Bay homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026 | 6 / 10 Came out of stealth on 20 July 2026 with $100M from Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer; no documentation portal or pricing. Source: Neo news: launch with $100M (20 July 2026) · Read 13 Oct 2026 | Neo |
Which verdicts does each document?
| Verdict type | Bay | Neo |
|---|---|---|
| Block or deny | Documented | Documented |
| Ask a person | Documented | Documented |
| Alert or warn | Not described | Not described |
| Mask or modify | Not described | Documented |
| Simulate first | Documented | Documented |
| Remove or scale back | Documented | Not described |
- Bay: "Returns Allow, Ask or Deny; new rules can run in Simulation Mode first; MCP Control removes disallowed MCP servers in Enforcement mode."
Source: Bay blog: Ghostjacking (re-read 11 October 2026) · Read 11 Oct 2026
Source: Bay homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Neo: "Allow, block, redirect or hold an action for verified human approval; audit mode before enforcement."
Source: Neo platform · Read 13 Oct 2026
How does each reach devices?
Bay
Through existing EDR or MDM using Wave, an ephemeral binary that runs, scans and exits. Bay describes the product as agentless by design.
Source: Bay blog: Ghostjacking (August 2026) · Read 27 Sep 2026
Neo
A new lightweight endpoint sensor with no kernel module, no reboot and no OS hooks; OS support and MDM rollout are not stated.
Source: Neo platform · Read 13 Oct 2026
Which agents does each name?
| Agent | Bay | Neo |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Named | Named |
| Cursor | Not named | Not named |
| GitHub Copilot | Not named | Named |
| OpenAI Codex | Named | Named |
| Windsurf | Not named | Not named |
| Claude Desktop | Named | Not named |
| Named | 3 of 6 | 3 of 6 |
Which should you choose?
Choose Bay if you need stop before it runs and capability rules. Bay is best for: Pre-execution control on employee devices, rolled out through EDR or MDM.
Choose Neo if you need stop before it runs and actor trail. Neo is best for: Approval holds and an agent-level audit chain.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for agentic endpoint security, Bay or Neo?
On our published weights Bay scores higher overall, 7.20 to 6.85 out of 10. See the criterion table above for where each scores higher.
Which stops an agent action before it runs more fully, Bay or Neo?
Bay scores higher on stopping an action before it runs (9 to 8). Bay: Evaluates prompts, pre-tool calls and post-tool responses on supported agent surfaces and returns Allow, Ask or Deny locally, stated as under 4ms (vendor-stated). Neo: Intercepts agent actions at the endpoint and allows, blocks or holds them for approval before they run; decision latency is not stated.
Do Bay and Neo publish prices?
Bay: not published. Bay publishes no pricing. Demo requests go through bay.io/demo. Neo: not published. Neo publishes no pricing.