By George Curta · Last updated 2026-05-28
anonym.legal vs Basis Theory
Basis Theory is a payment vault and tokenization platform for fintech, with PCI Level 1 compliance, network tokens, and payment routing. anonym.legal is a PII anonymization platform with reversible encryption, 285+ entity types, and multiple interfaces for data protection.
Learn more about Basis Theory
Feature Comparison
| Feature | anonym.legal | Basis Theory |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | PII Anonymization | Payment Vault / Tokenization |
| Pricing | Free to €29/mo | Not published |
| Free Tier | Yes | Not found |
| PII Detection | Yes | Not found |
| PII Masking/Redaction | Yes | Not found |
| Reversible Tokenization | Yes | Yes |
| Entity Types | 285+ | Payment-focused |
| Language Support | 48 languages | Not specified |
| REST API | Yes | Yes |
| Chrome Extension | Yes | Not found |
| MCP Server (AI Tools) | Yes | Not found |
| Office Add-in | Yes | Not found |
| Desktop App | Yes | Not found |
| PCI Level 1 Compliance | No | Yes |
| GDPR/HIPAA Compliance | Yes | Yes |
| Zero-Knowledge Auth | Yes | Not found |
Comparison based on publicly available information. "Not found" indicates feature not documented on product page. Last updated February 2026.
Why Choose anonym.legal
Reversible Encryption
AES-256-GCM encryption with your keys. Decrypt when needed for audits, court orders, or compliance reviews.
285+ Entity Types
Detect PII across healthcare, financial, legal, and personal data categories with checksum validation for IDs.
Chrome Extension
Protect data before sending to ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Browser-level anonymization for AI workflows.
MCP Server
Native integration with Claude Desktop via Model Context Protocol. Build privacy-first AI workflows.
48 Languages
Multi-language entity recognition with country-specific ID validation. Global coverage for international documents.
Transparent Pricing
Free tier + €3-29/month plans with no sales calls required. Know your costs upfront.
Zero-Knowledge Security
Your password never leaves your device. Even if our servers were breached, your credentials remain safe.
When Basis Theory Might Be Better
Basis Theory excels in payment and fintech scenarios:
- Payment tokenization: Purpose-built vault for payment card data with PCI Level 1 compliance
- Multi-PSP routing: Route payments to multiple payment service providers from a single vault
- Network tokens: Improve authorization rates with network tokenization
- Subscription billing: Reduce churn with smart payment routing and account updater
- Developer-first: Comprehensive APIs and SDKs for payment integration
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between anonym.legal and Basis Theory?
anonym.legal is a PII anonymization platform with 285+ entity types and multiple delivery methods (API, Desktop, Chrome Extension, Office Add-in, MCP Server). Basis Theory is a payment vault and tokenization platform focused on PCI compliance and fintech use cases. Different tools for different use cases.
Do both support reversible tokenization?
Yes, both support reversible tokenization. anonym.legal uses AES-256-GCM encryption for general PII. Basis Theory uses tokenization optimized for payment data and PCI compliance.
Which is better for general PII protection?
anonym.legal is better for general PII with 285+ entity types across healthcare, financial, legal, and personal data categories. Basis Theory is optimized specifically for payment card data.
Does anonym.legal support payment card tokenization?
anonym.legal can detect and anonymize credit card numbers, but it's not a PCI-certified payment vault. For payment-specific tokenization with PSP routing, Basis Theory is more specialized.
Which has better AI tool integration?
anonym.legal has dedicated Chrome Extension and MCP Server for AI workflow protection. Basis Theory is focused on payment infrastructure and doesn't appear to offer AI-specific integrations.
Does anonym.legal offer zero-knowledge authentication?
Yes. anonym.legal uses zero-knowledge authentication with Argon2id and HKDF. Your password is processed on your device — only a mathematical proof is sent to the server, never the actual password.
Try anonym.legal Free
Reversible encryption. 285+ entity types. Multiple interfaces. Start with 200 free tokens today.
About this page
We update this page when our platform or the law changes.
Read our founder note for how we work.
Each change shows up in the timestamp at the top.
Related reading
- Common questions
- Glossary
- How tokens work
- Security posture
- Where we comply
- What we detect
- Case studies
- Release notes
We follow these rules
- GDPR (EU 2016/679).
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
- NIS2 (EU 2022/2555).
- HIPAA safe harbor under 45 CFR § 164.514(b)(2).
Our promise
We do not sell your data.
We do not train models on your text.
We store your files in Germany.
You can delete your account at any time.
You own your work.
Where we run
Our servers live in Falkenstein, Germany.
We use Hetzner. They hold ISO 27001 certification.
All data stays in the EU.
Backups run every day.
Need help?
Email support@anonym.legal.
We reply within one business day.
How we test
We run a full check suite on every release.
Each surface gets its own sweep script and report.
Human reviewers spot-check the output each week.
We track recall and precision on a labelled set.
Bad runs block the deploy.
What we never do
- We never sell your information to third parties.
- We never train models on what you upload.
- We never keep your work after you delete it.
- We never share keys with any outside firm.
- We never run ads inside the product.
Plans in plain words
We sell credits, not seats.
One credit covers one short job.
Long jobs use a few credits each.
You can top up at any time.
Unused credits roll over each month.
Read the plans page for current rates.
Who built this
A small team of engineers and lawyers built this.
We ship from Europe and work in the open.
Our founder note spells out why we started.
Where to start
- Open the web app and try a sample file.
- Learn how credits get counted.
- See current plans and limits.
- Meet the team behind the product.
How the parts fit
A browser add-on cleans text inside Chrome.
A Word plug-in handles drafts in Office.
A small desktop tool works on whole folders.
An agent protocol link feeds large models safely.
All four share one core engine and one rule set.
Words from our team
We started this work after a lunch about cookies.
One friend kept getting odd ads on her phone.
We asked why a court file leaked through a draft.
We sketched the first build on a napkin that week.
By month three we had a tiny demo for a friend.
She used it on her first case the next day.
Common questions we hear
Can the tool read scanned PDFs? Yes, with OCR.
Does it work on long files? Yes, in small chunks.
Can I roll my own rule set? Yes, save it as a preset.
Does it run offline? The desktop build runs offline.
Do you keep my files? No, the cloud build wipes after each run.
Will it learn from my work? No, we never train on inputs.
A short tour of the workflow
Upload a file or paste a snippet of prose.
Pick the entities you want gone from the draft.
Choose a method: replace, mask, hash, encrypt, or redact.
Press run and watch the side panel show each hit.
Skim the result and tweak any rule that misfired.
Save the cleaned file or send it to a teammate.