Comparison
Blindfold vs AWS Comprehend
Both detect PII in text, but Blindfold offers 7 protection methods, reversible tokenization, and works with any cloud — not just AWS.
At a glance
| Feature | Blindfold | AWS Comprehend |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Managed API | AWS service |
| Cloud lock-in | None — works anywhere | AWS only |
| PII methods | 7 (tokenize, redact, mask, hash, synthesize, encrypt, detect) | 2 (detect, redact) |
| Reversible tokenization | Yes — tokenize + detokenize | No |
| Compliance policies | GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, strict | None built-in |
| Data residency | EU (Frankfurt) / US (Virginia) | AWS region dependent |
| Audit logging | Built-in dashboard | Via CloudWatch/CloudTrail |
| Languages | 18+ | 6 |
| Pricing | Free tier + usage-based | $0.0001 per unit (100 chars) |
| Setup | API key — any platform | AWS account + IAM + SDK |
Key differences
No cloud lock-in
Blindfold works with any cloud provider or on-premises setup. AWS Comprehend requires an AWS account, IAM roles, and the AWS SDK — locking you into the AWS ecosystem for PII detection.
7 protection methods vs 2
AWS Comprehend only detects PII and redacts it. Blindfold offers tokenization, redaction, masking, hashing, synthesis, encryption, and detection — all through a single API. Tokenization is reversible, so you can restore original values after LLM processing.
Built-in compliance policies
Blindfold has pre-configured policies for GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS that automatically select the right entity types and detection thresholds. With Comprehend, you configure entity types manually and build compliance logic yourself.
18+ languages vs 6
Blindfold supports 18+ languages out of the box. AWS Comprehend PII detection supports English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Portuguese — limiting its use for global applications.
When to choose each
Choose Blindfold when
- You need reversible tokenization for LLM workflows
- You want to avoid AWS vendor lock-in
- You need built-in compliance policies
- Your application supports multiple languages
- You want a simple API key setup, no IAM configuration
Choose AWS Comprehend when
- You're already deeply invested in the AWS ecosystem
- You only need basic PII detection and redaction
- You want to use other Comprehend features (sentiment, entities, topics)
- Your workload is in a supported language (en, es, de, fr, it, pt)
Code comparison
from blindfold import Blindfold client = Blindfold() # Tokenize + detokenize result = client.tokenize(text) safe = result.text # Restore after LLM call original = client.detokenize( response, result.mapping )
import boto3 client = boto3.client( "comprehend", region_name="us-east-1" ) # Detect only — no tokenization resp = client.detect_pii_entities( Text=text, LanguageCode="en" ) # Manual redaction required # No way to restore originals
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