AppGuard
AppGuard is a privately held US subsidiary of Japan's Appguard Co. Ltd that sells kernel-level, default-deny endpoint protection for enterprises, SMBs, and SoHo users, using patented launch, containment, and isolation controls to block malware techniques that AV/EDR/XDR miss.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What AppGuard does
AppGuard, Inc. is a privately held US cybersecurity company and subsidiary of Japan's Appguard Co. Ltd, operating from McLean, Virginia with a regional headquarters in Tokyo. The company sells a kernel-level endpoint protection platform that applies a default-deny, zero-trust architecture: rather than detecting malware signatures or AI patterns, AppGuard blocks the actions malware must perform through three patented controls — launch control (blocking unauthorized executable execution), containment control (restricting process trees with policy inheritance to child processes), and isolation control (protecting critical files, registry keys, and process memory from unauthorized access). This controls-based approach is positioned as a complementary layer to AV, EDR, and XDR rather than a replacement, and the company claims operational metrics of one-fifth the footprint of Windows Defender, 10-100x fewer policy rules than alternatives, and zero successful attacks across years-long deployments at large enterprise customers.
The product portfolio consists of AppGuard Enterprise for large organizations, AppGuard Solo for small offices and home offices (up to 20 users), and a next-generation cloud-managed platform currently in Insider Release. AppGuard distributes through three channels: direct enterprise field sales, an accredited Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) network, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce for AppGuard Solo. Revenue is subscription-based across both enterprise and SoHo tiers, with quote-based enterprise pricing and MSSP-delivered managed services for SMBs lacking in-house cybersecurity staff. The company has raised approximately $80 million in disclosed funding (notably led by ANA Holdings and JTB Corp., both of which are also strategic customers in aviation and travel) and reports a self-described customer base spanning tens of thousands of organizations and millions of endpoints, including named deployments at All Nippon Airways (25,000+ endpoints), JFE Steel Corporation, large healthcare enterprises, a global law firm, and the UK Ministry of Defence.
AppGuard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AppGuard
- Legal name
- AppGuard, Inc.
- Website
- https://appguard.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AppGuard is a privately held US subsidiary of Japan's Appguard Co. Ltd that sells kernel-level, default-deny endpoint protection for enterprises, SMBs, and SoHo users, using patented launch, containment, and isolation controls to block malware techniques that AV/EDR/XDR miss.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AppGuard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Endpoint Security Software
- NAICS
- Security Guards and Patrol Services (561612)
- SIC
- Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Endpoint Application Control & Allowlisting (HDADAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mobile Application Security (App Shielding, Anti-Tamper) (HDADACAL)
Keywords
Where AppGuard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
AppGuard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Enterprise Licenses: Subscription-based licensing for AppGuard Enterprise targeting large organizations. Sold through direct sales and channel partners (MSSPs). Pricing is quote-based and volume-dependent.
- AppGuard Solo: Direct-to-consumer sales of AppGuard Solo for SoHo users (up to 20 employees). One-time or subscription purchase via website with self-service deployment.
- MSSP Deployment Services: Revenue from channel partners (MSSPs) who deploy and manage AppGuard for end customers. MSSPs receive training and accreditation from AppGuard.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | AppGuard Solo for SoHo (up to 20 users) |
| Subscription | Annual | AppGuard Enterprise for organizations |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
AppGuard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AppGuard is a kernel-level endpoint security platform that uses a default-deny Zero Trust approach to block malware techniques rather than detecting malware signatures. It operates through three patented kernel-level enforced controls (launch control, containment, and isolation) to prevent malicious actions on endpoints. The company offers AppGuard Enterprise for organizations and AppGuard Solo for small/home offices.
Product overview
AppGuard offers a controls-based endpoint protection platform that takes a fundamentally different approach from traditional detection-based security tools. The product portfolio consists of AppGuard Enterprise for large organizations, AppGuard Solo for small offices and home offices (up to 20 users), and a Next-Generation Platform currently in Insider Release. All products operate on a 'default-deny' Zero Trust architecture using kernel-level launch, containment, and isolation controls to block malware techniques without requiring signature detection. The company advocates for adding AppGuard as an essential layer that works alongside existing AV, EDR, and XDR tools to stop attacks those tools miss or detect too late.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AppGuard Enterprise: AI-enhanced, kernel-level endpoint security platform applying zero trust principles for enterprise organizations
- AppGuard Solo
Products and services
- AppGuard Enterprise A kernel-level endpoint security platform that applies zero trust principles to prevent known and unknown threats without relying on detection signatures. Uses launch, containment, and isolation controls to block malware techniques, complementing existing AV, EDR, and XDR stacks. Designed for large organizations with complex cyber stacks.
- AppGuard Solo Endpoint protection for small offices and home offices (up to 20 users) that enhances existing antivirus with controls-based malware blocking. Simple to deploy, runs silently, and requires minimal user intervention. Sold direct-to-consumer via the AppGuard website.
Quantifiable outcome
- 66% reduction in SOC hours and over $750K yearly savings at major airline with 40,000+ endpoints
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use AppGuard
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
AppGuard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
AppGuard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.
- Blue Planet-works, Inc.minorPrior owner of AppGuard product line. Appguard Co. Ltd acquired the product line from Blue Planet-works, Inc.
- Appguard Co. LtdflagshipAppGuard Inc. is a US subsidiary of Appguard Co. Ltd, a Japanese company. The parent company acquired the AppGuard product line from Blue Planet-works, Inc. and continues to operate the US subsidiary.
- Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs)coreNetwork of expert-trained and accredited MSSPs that deploy and manage AppGuard for end customers. MSSPs receive specialized training and accreditation to maximize AppGuard protection effectiveness. Common deployment model for SMB and enterprise customers lacking in-house cybersecurity expertise.
- JFE Steel CorporationcoreOne of the world's largest steelmakers (¥2.77 trillion revenue) deploying AppGuard in OT manufacturing environments as part of their 'DX with Security' digital transformation initiative. Chose AppGuard for offline operation capability and lightweight footprint in industrial control settings.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AppGuard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BlackBerry Cylance: AI-based endpoint prevention (CylancePROTECT) from BlackBerry. Competes in the same "prevent before execution" segment as AppGuard's controls-based approach, though Cylance leans on ML scoring versus AppGuard's kernel-level default-deny.
- SentinelOne: AI-driven endpoint protection and XDR platform (Singularity Platform). Direct competitor for prevention-plus-detection budget, with overlapping enterprise sales motion and a similar "stop attacks before they execute" marketing narrative.
- CrowdStrike: Leading cloud-native endpoint security and XDR platform. Competes for the same enterprise endpoint security budget; AppGuard positions itself as a complementary layer that stops what CrowdStrike's detection-based engine misses.
- Deep Instinct: Deep-learning-based endpoint prevention platform. Closely aligned with AppGuard's prevention-first positioning and competes for customers seeking pre-execution malware blocking rather than post-detection response.
Emerging players
- Malwarebytes: Endpoint protection with both consumer and business offerings (Malwarebytes EDR). Closely comparable to AppGuard's positioning of stopping malware that AV/EDR miss, especially in the SMB and SoHo segments served by AppGuard Solo.
Broad incumbents
- Bitdefender: Endpoint detection, prevention, and MDR provider. Competes in both consumer/SMB (GravityZone) and enterprise tiers, with similar channel economics to AppGuard's MSSP model.
- Sophos: Endpoint and managed detection (Sophos Intercept X) vendor with strong MSSP channel presence. Directly overlaps with AppGuard's MSSP-led GTM for SMB and mid-market.
- Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR: Enterprise XDR and endpoint protection suite from Palo Alto Networks. Competes for the same consolidated security-stack budget; represents the "single converged platform" trend that pressures AppGuard's add-on positioning.
- Trend Micro: Long-established endpoint and hybrid cloud security vendor with prevention and XDR offerings. Competes in the SMB and enterprise endpoint segment where AppGuard also sells through MSSP channel.
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: Built-in, Microsoft-365-bundled endpoint protection on Windows. The most cited incumbent AppGuard must displace or layer above; aggressive feature additions (ASR rules, tamper protection) increasingly overlap with AppGuard's controls.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AppGuard social profiles
Digital presenceAppGuard compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
AppGuard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AppGuard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
AppGuard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AppGuard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AppGuard
What does AppGuard do?
AppGuard is a kernel-level endpoint security platform that uses a default-deny Zero Trust approach to block malware techniques rather than detecting malware signatures. It operates through three patented kernel-level enforced controls (launch control, containment, and isolation) to prevent malicious actions on endpoints. The company offers AppGuard Enterprise for organizations and AppGuard Solo for small/home offices.
Is AppGuard a public or private company?
AppGuard is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was AppGuard founded?
AppGuard was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AppGuard based?
AppGuard is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does AppGuard make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Enterprise Licenses are the primary driver. The others are appGuard Solo and MSSP Deployment Services.
Who are AppGuard's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BlackBerry Cylance, SentinelOne, CrowdStrike and Deep Instinct. Malwarebytes is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Bitdefender, Sophos, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR, Trend Micro and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
Does AppGuard have an API?
No public API is recorded for AppGuard.
What industry is AppGuard in?
AppGuard's product category is Endpoint Security Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADAEAI, Endpoint Application Control & Allowlisting, with a secondary code of HDADACAL, Mobile Application Security (App Shielding, Anti-Tamper). Its NAICS code is 561612 and its SIC code is 7381.