By George Curta · Last updated 2026-05-28
anonym.legal vs Microsoft Presidio
Microsoft Presidio is an open-source PII detection SDK. anonym.legal is built on Presidio but offers a managed service with 285+ entity types, 48 languages, and enterprise features — no development work required.
Learn more about Microsoft Presidio
Feature Comparison
| Feature | anonym.legal | Microsoft Presidio |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free to €29/mo | Free (+ infrastructure costs) |
| Setup Required | Yes | Python, Docker, Kubernetes |
| Entity Types | 285+ | ~55 default |
| Language Support | 48 languages | ~10 default |
| Reversible Encryption | AES-256-GCM | — |
| Web Application | Yes | — |
| Desktop App | Yes | — |
| Chrome Extension | Yes | — |
| Office Add-in | Yes | — |
| Batch Processing UI | Yes | — |
| Presets & Templates | Yes | — |
| Zero-Knowledge Auth | Yes | — |
Comparison based on publicly available information. "Not found" indicates feature not documented on product page. Last updated February 2026.
Why Choose anonym.legal
No Setup Required
Start immediately. No Python, Docker, or Kubernetes. We handle infrastructure, scaling, and maintenance.
285+ Entity Types
We've added 200+ recognizers beyond Presidio's ~55 defaults. Country-specific IDs, healthcare, financial, and more.
Reversible Encryption
AES-256-GCM encryption not available in base Presidio. Decrypt anonymized data when legally required.
Complete Product Suite
Web app, desktop app, Office Add-in, Chrome Extension, MCP Server — not just an SDK.
Enterprise Features
Presets, batch processing, audit trails, team management, encryption keys — production-ready.
48 Languages Included
All spaCy models pre-loaded. No manual installation of language packages or NLP models.
Zero-Knowledge Security
Your password never leaves your device. Even if our servers were breached, your credentials remain safe.
When Presidio Might Be Better
Frequently Asked Questions
Is anonym.legal built on Microsoft Presidio?
Yes. anonym.legal uses Microsoft Presidio as its core detection engine and extends it with 200+ additional entity recognizers (285+ total), 38 additional language models (48 total), managed infrastructure, and enterprise features like reversible encryption, presets, and batch processing.
What's the difference between anonym.legal and self-hosted Presidio?
Self-hosted Presidio requires Python, Docker, and Kubernetes setup, maintenance, and scaling. anonym.legal is a managed service — no infrastructure required. You also get 200+ more entity types, a web app, desktop app, Chrome Extension, Office Add-in, and reversible encryption not available in base Presidio.
How many more entity types does anonym.legal have compared to Presidio?
anonym.legal has 285+ entity types compared to Presidio's ~55 default recognizers. We've added 200+ recognizers for country-specific IDs, healthcare identifiers, financial data, corporate information, and more across 48 languages.
Do I need to set up Docker or Kubernetes for anonym.legal?
No. anonym.legal is a fully managed service. Sign up, get your API key, and start anonymizing. We handle all infrastructure, scaling, updates, and maintenance on ISO 27001-certified servers in Germany.
Is Presidio free? Why would I pay for anonym.legal?
Presidio is open-source and free, but you pay for infrastructure (servers, Docker, Kubernetes), development time, and ongoing maintenance. anonym.legal provides a complete managed service starting at €3/month with a free tier — often cheaper than self-hosting when you factor in DevOps costs.
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
All the power of Presidio, none of the setup. 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.