Best AI Firewalls for Enterprise
GUIDE
Delphi Security
3 min read
As enterprises deploy LLMs in production, a new security category has emerged: the AI firewall. Traditional security tools were not designed to detect threats that arrive as natural language.
A 2026 comparison of the leading AI firewall platforms protecting LLMs, AI agents, and RAG pipelines, with decision guidance for security teams.
Best AI Firewalls for Enterprise
A 2026 comparison of platforms protecting LLMs, AI agents, and RAG pipelines
Delphi Security Research Team · March 14, 2026 · 10 min read
Why Enterprise AI Needs a Dedicated Firewall
As enterprises deploy LLMs in production, a new security category has emerged: the AI firewall. Traditional security tools were not designed to detect threats that arrive as natural language — prompt injection, data exfiltration through conversation, and multi-turn social engineering all bypass conventional defenses.
The AI firewall market is projected to grow from $260 million in 2025 to nearly $800 million by 2032. In this guide, we compare the leading platforms to help security teams make informed decisions.
Comparison Overview
Capability | Delphi Security | Lakera Guard | Cloudflare Firewall for AI | Protect AI LLM Guard | Akamai Firewall for AI | Zenity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primary Focus | Full-spectrum AI runtime security | LLM input/output guardrails | Network-level AI protection | Open-source LLM scanning | CDN-integrated AI protection | AI agent governance & security |
Detection Layers | 4-layer correlated engine (heuristic, ML, output verification, LLM arbitration) | ML-based detection with customizable policies | Llama-powered detection with WAF integration | 15 input scanners + 20 output scanners | Prompt injection, jailbreak, and PII detection | AISPM + behavioral detection + Correlation Agent |
Prompt Injection | Yes — multi-layer with signal correlation | Yes — 97.6% TPR claimed | Yes — integrated with WAF rules | Yes — via dedicated scanner | Yes — real-time input analysis | Yes — via inline prevention |
Data Loss Prevention | Bidirectional DLP with multi-classifier engine (patent pending) | Data leakage prevention module | PII detection via AI-powered fuzzy matching | PII anonymization and secrets redaction | PII detection in prompts | PHI, PII, PCI detection |
Multi-Turn Detection | Yes — conversational trajectory analysis (patent pending) | Not specified | No — per-request analysis | No — per-request analysis | No — per-request analysis | Yes — via Correlation Agent |
Agent / Agentic Security | Yes — zero-trust behavioral scoring | Yes — agent runtime protection | No | No | No | Core focus — agent lifecycle security |
MCP Protocol Security | Yes — tool call interception & least-privilege | MCP security guide published | No | No | No | No |
RAG Pipeline Protection | Yes — indirect injection & KB poisoning detection | Not specified | No | No | No | Not specified |
Output Scanning | Yes — post-response verification engine | Response scanning | Output content safety | 20 output scanners | Response filtering | Runtime monitoring |
Deployment Model | Proxy, SDK wrapper, or passive monitor | API-based (single API call) | CDN-integrated (Cloudflare customers) | Self-hosted (pip install) or API | CDN-integrated (Akamai customers) | SaaS platform with inline enforcement |
Platform Deep Dives
Delphi Security: Full-stack runtime security for LLMs, agents, RAG, and MCP. Four correlated detection layers with patent-pending signal correlation. Strongest pick if you operate across all four surfaces.
Lakera Guard: Easy single-API integration. Strong prompt-injection coverage. Best for teams that want minimum integration effort.
Cloudflare Firewall for AI: Llama-powered detection wired into the existing Cloudflare WAF. Best if your stack already terminates at Cloudflare.
Protect AI LLM Guard: Open-source, MIT-licensed. 15 input + 20 output scanners. Best for teams that want full control and self-hosting.
Akamai Firewall for AI: CDN-integrated, similar positioning to Cloudflare. Best for existing Akamai customers.
Zenity: Purpose-built for AI agent lifecycle governance across SaaS, cloud, and endpoint. Best if agent governance is your top priority.
How to Choose the Right AI Firewall
Building complex AI architectures (agents, RAG, MCP): You need full-spectrum coverage. Evaluate Delphi Security and Zenity.
Want the fastest integration: API-based solutions like Lakera Guard let you add protection with a single API call.
Already on a major CDN: Cloudflare and Akamai offer integrated AI protection within your existing security stack.
Want open-source and self-hosted: Protect AI's LLM Guard gives you full control with MIT-licensed code.
Multi-turn attacks are your top concern: Delphi's conversational trajectory analysis is the only patent-pending approach to detecting social engineering across conversations.
Agent governance is your priority: Zenity is purpose-built for securing AI agents across SaaS, cloud, and endpoints.
Try Delphi Security
See how Delphi's 4-layer AI firewall protects your LLMs, agents, and RAG pipelines.