Tool profile
Nightfall AI: cost, fit and limits
Nightfall AI is a data loss prevention and data detection platform made by Shoreline Labs, Inc. that finds and blocks sensitive data in endpoints, browsers, SaaS apps and AI tool sessions for security and compliance teams.
What to know first
Nightfall AI sells two editions, Foundation and Premier, both priced per user per year, plus a data discovery add-on billed by volume. The pricing page prints placeholders where the amounts should be, so cost comes from a sales conversation. Premier is the edition that adds controls for AI coding agents and MCP servers. Evaluation is a free 7-day proof of value rather than a self-serve trial.
Nightfall AI at a glance
| Maker | Shoreline Labs, Inc., Not stated on the vendor pages |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Free trial only |
| Entry price | Quote only |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Data Loss Prevention Software in 2026, rank 10 of 10 |
| Website | nightfall.ai |
Who Nightfall AI is best for
Security teams worried about shadow AI
Inference Hooks inspect prompts and responses in live sessions, and the MCP Gateway blocks unapproved MCP servers by default, which targets staff pasting data into AI tools.
SaaS-heavy companies without a classic network perimeter
Connectors for Slack, Salesforce, Google Drive, Jira and others let the product scan data already sitting in cloud apps, not just traffic leaving a managed office network.
Engineering organizations using AI coding tools
Premier adds hooks for Cursor, Claude Code and VS Code, so source code and secrets can be checked before an agent sends them out.
Nightfall AI plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Edition | Per user, per year (amount not shown; quote) | All Data Detection and Response and Data Exfiltration Prevention features, a dedicated customer success manager and priority support with a 1-hour SLA. |
| Premier Edition | Per user, per year (amount not shown; quote), in two coverage tiers | Everything in Foundation plus AI agent security: hooks for Cursor, Claude Code and VS Code, MCP server discovery and SIEM export. Tier 1 covers up to 3 apps, Tier 2 all supported apps. |
| Data Discovery and Classification add-on | Annual, by data volume (amount not shown), in 1 TB, 3 TB, 5 TB and 20 TB packs | Discovery and classification of sensitive data across SaaS apps. Every plan already includes 150 GB of this add-on. |
Checked November 2026.
What Nightfall AI does
- Inline exfiltration prevention
- Controls are enforced on the device before data leaves, covering endpoints, browsers, clipboard, USB and unmanaged web, and lineage traces a file from origin to destination.
- Discovery of exposed data
- The data discovery add-on locates and classifies sensitive data that already sits in connected SaaS apps, which suits a cleanup of old exposure and not only new transfers.
- Pre-built detectors
- Detectors for secrets, source code and customer PII ship ready to use, so a team does not have to write patterns or regular expressions to get a first policy running.
- MCP Gateway
- Unapproved MCP servers are blocked by default and policy is applied to tool calls, which puts a checkpoint between an AI agent and the systems it can reach.
- Inference Hooks and prompt injection interception
- Prompts and responses are inspected in live sessions, and the vendor names prompt injection interception and shadow AI prevention among the controls, aimed at staff using AI assistants.
- Nyx investigation tool
- The vendor describes Nyx as an autonomous investigation tool for working through alerts, though its own pages give few details on how it is scoped or reviewed.
How Nightfall AI handles your data
The privacy policy names Shoreline Labs, Inc. as the company and says personal information is processed and stored in the United States. It states that data obtained through Google Workspace APIs is not used to develop, improve or train generalized AI models, but it gives no such statement for other customer data. No retention period is given. The Trust Center page returned only its title when opened, so no certification such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001 could be confirmed. The vendor's policy was not checked for EU hosting options.
Where Nightfall AI falls short in practice
- Pricing is not visible. Amounts are missing from the pricing page, plans are per user per year, and the data discovery add-on scales with volume. Budgeting needs a quote or the 7-day proof of value.
- Plan names are inconsistent. The vendor's FAQ refers to Nightfall Complete and Complete + AI Governance, which do not match the Foundation and Premier names on the pricing page, so ask which edition a quote covers.
- Thin compliance evidence. No certification is stated on the pages checked and the headquarters country is not given, which slows a vendor risk review before any pilot can begin.
Works with
Alternatives to Nightfall AI
Nightfall AI: common questions
How much does Nightfall AI cost?
Nightfall AI publishes no amounts. The pricing page lists Foundation and Premier as per user, per year, with the numbers replaced by placeholders, and the data discovery add-on is sold in 1 TB to 20 TB annual packs. A quote or the proof of value is the only route to a figure.
Does Nightfall AI offer a free trial?
There is no self-serve trial on the pages checked. The vendor's FAQ offers a free proof of value lasting 7 days or a limited time, arranged with the sales team, so plan for a guided evaluation. The vendor pages checked do not name a self-serve signup path.
Which edition of Nightfall AI covers AI coding agents?
Premier Edition. It adds hooks for Cursor, Claude Code and VS Code, local and remote MCP server discovery and SIEM export on top of Foundation. Premier comes in two tiers, one for up to three apps and one for all supported apps.
Does Nightfall AI train models on customer data?
The privacy policy only addresses Google Workspace API data, saying it is not used to develop, improve or train generalized AI models. For other customer data the policy is silent, so ask Nightfall for written terms before connecting other sources.
Where does Nightfall AI store data?
The privacy policy says personal information is processed and stored in the United States. No alternative region or EU option appears on the pages checked, which matters for buyers with European data residency requirements. Ask the vendor before a pilot.