PiiBlur

Choosing PII redaction software comes down to three questions: what personal information do you need to detect, do you process images or video or both, and how does the tool fit your workflow? Each tool makes different tradeoffs.

This guide compares six PII redaction tools across detection categories, pricing models, video support, and API access.

What to Look for in PII Redaction Software

Before comparing tools, know what matters for your workflow:

Detection categories — Some tools detect only faces and license plates. Others cover documents, QR codes, tattoos, and more. More categories means fewer gaps to fill manually.
Image and video support — One tool that handles both saves you from stitching together separate pipelines.
API access — Automated workflows require a REST API. Some tools restrict API access to higher-tier plans.
Pricing transparency — Flat-rate subscriptions make costs predictable. Pay-per-use models can surprise you at scale. Some vendors hide pricing behind a sales call.
Redaction methods — Blur and pixelation are standard. Some tools offer synthetic face replacements, which preserve facial attributes but add complexity.

1. PiiBlur

PiiBlur detects 13 categories of personal information in images and video: faces, license plates, screens, documents, street signs, ID cards, passports, credit cards, name badges, QR codes, barcodes, and tattoos. It redacts with blur or pixelation.

Key strengths:

Broadest detection coverage — 13 PII categories, more than any other tool on this list.
Images and video in one API — Process JPG, PNG, and WebP images alongside MP4, MOV, and WebM video up to 10 minutes through a single REST API.
Transparent pricing with a free tier — Plans start at $49/month for 5,000 images and 15 video minutes. The free tier includes 100 images and 5 video minutes per month with full API access. See all plans on the pricing page.
Developer-friendly — Webhooks, real-time WebSocket status updates, batch processing, and a dashboard for non-technical team members.

Limitations:

Cloud-only. No on-premise deployment option.
Video length capped at 10 minutes per file.
No audio redaction.

2. Celantur

Celantur focuses on geospatial and mapping use cases. It detects faces, license plates, persons, and vehicles — four categories. Celantur offers a cloud API and on-premise deployment via Docker container.

Key strengths: Strong fit for mobile mapping and street-level imagery. On-premise Docker deployment for organizations that cannot send data to a third-party cloud.

Limitations: Detects only 4 PII types — no documents, QR codes, tattoos, or screen content. Pricing is pay-per-use and not publicly disclosed; you must contact sales to estimate costs.

3. Brighter AI

Brighter AI specializes in face anonymization using Deep Natural Anonymization (DNAT), which replaces real faces with synthetic ones that preserve attributes like gaze direction, expression, and age. It also detects license plates and persons.

Key strengths: DNAT is unique in this market — if you need to anonymize faces while preserving natural appearance, Brighter AI is the specialist. Supports on-premise, edge, and Kubernetes deployment.

Limitations: Detects only 3 PII categories. Pricing requires a sales conversation. The free trial lasts 14 days, compared to ongoing free tiers elsewhere.

4. Secure Redact

Secure Redact (by Pimloc) is a video-focused redaction platform built for law enforcement, surveillance, and body-worn camera footage. It provides SOC 2 Type II certification, audio redaction, and chain-of-custody audit trails.

Key strengths: Purpose-built for security and legal video workflows. Supports live video feeds and unlimited video length. Only tool on this list that redacts audio.

Limitations: No still image processing. Detects 4 PII categories. API access requires the Advanced plan at roughly $305/month. Per-minute overage charges ($6-8/min) make costs unpredictable.

5. Gallio

Gallio is desktop software for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It processes files locally on your GPU and detects faces and license plates.

Key strengths: Fully local processing with no cloud dependency. A single license purchase removes all per-image and per-video limits — you process as much as your hardware allows. Supports 4K and 8K video.

Limitations: Detects only 2 PII categories. Desktop-only with a single-computer license — no team collaboration or API access unless you buy the enterprise Docker tier. The free demo watermarks output and caps resolution at 720p.

6. Watermarkly

Watermarkly offers a lightweight Blur API that detects faces and license plates in images at $0.01 per image through AWS Marketplace.

Key strengths: Pay-as-you-go pricing with no monthly commitment. Supports many input formats including AVIF and HEIC. Easy entry point for small-volume use cases.

Limitations: Images only — no video. Detects 2 PII categories. No dashboard, webhooks, or pixelation option. At high volumes, costs climb fast: 100,000 images costs $1,000/month versus $499/month on PiiBlur for the same volume plus video and 13 detection categories.

How to Choose the Right PII Redaction Tool

Your decision depends on three factors:

What PII types do you need to detect? If faces and license plates suffice, most tools here will work. If you need documents, QR codes, tattoos, screen content, or ID cards, only PiiBlur covers all of them.

Do you process video, images, or both? Secure Redact handles video only. Watermarkly handles images only. PiiBlur, Celantur, Brighter AI, and Gallio handle both, though Gallio requires desktop software.

How does the tool fit your workflow? For a cloud API with webhooks, PiiBlur and Celantur are the strongest choices. For on-premise processing, Celantur, Brighter AI, and Gallio offer local deployment. For a dashboard without code, PiiBlur provides that alongside its API.

For teams processing a mix of images and video with diverse PII types, PiiBlur offers the broadest coverage at predictable pricing. Start with the free tier to test it against your own media before committing.