---
title: "Locke vs AI API Gateways and Proxies"
description: "AI gateways inspect API calls server-side. They don't cover browser-based AI chat. Locke operates at the device before any prompt is transmitted. When each approach fits."
url: "https://sonomos.ai/compare/sonomos-vs-ai-gateway/"
source: "https://sonomos.ai/compare/sonomos-vs-ai-gateway/"
---

# Locke vs AI API Gateways and Proxies

AI API gateways sit between your applications and the model provider, centralising rate limiting, cost tracking, audit logs, model routing and sometimes content filtering. That's useful for engineering teams building AI products. But they don't cover direct browser-based AI chat, the most common way sensitive data leaks, because chat.openai.com and claude.ai never touch your gateway.

## When AI API gateways and proxies fits

- You are building AI-powered applications via API and need centralised rate limiting, cost allocation, and model routing.
- You need a full audit log of every API call with latency, token counts, and routing decisions for developer tooling.
- Your security team requires all model API traffic to flow through a single controlled egress point.

## When Locke fits

- Your team uses browser-based AI chat tools that bypass any API gateway entirely.
- You want detection to happen before the data leaves the device. A gateway only intercepts calls after they leave the endpoint.
- You need an on-device control that works regardless of which model interface is open.

## Side-by-side

| Dimension | Locke | AI gateways |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coverage of browser AI tools | Yes. Intercepts chat inputs on-device before submission. | None. Gateways only cover API calls explicitly routed through them. |
| Where inspection runs | On the device, before any network call. | On the gateway server, after data has left the endpoint. |
| Sensitive data visible to operator? | No. Masked content is never transmitted. | Yes. The gateway operator can read full prompt content. |
| Primary use case | Prevent specific sensitive data from reaching any model. | Centralise API access, costs, logging, and model routing. |
| Deployment model | Per-user, on-device Locke Early Access install. No traffic rerouting required. | Server-side proxy. All AI traffic must be explicitly routed through it. |

## Bottom line

AI gateways are right for API-based AI in your product code. They don't cover the browser-based chat tools your team actually uses. Locke works on the device, just before any network call, with or without a gateway.

[Download Locke](https://sonomos.ai/downloads/)[See the Locke demo](https://sonomos.ai/locke/#demo)[See pricing](https://sonomos.ai/pricing/)[Talk to the team](https://sonomos.ai/contact/)

## Related comparisons

- [Locke vs Cloud-Based Data Loss Prevention](https://sonomos.ai/compare/sonomos-vs-cloud-dlp/)
- [Locke vs Enterprise Privacy Platforms](https://sonomos.ai/compare/sonomos-vs-enterprise-privacy/)
- [Locke vs VPN and Zero Trust Network Access](https://sonomos.ai/compare/sonomos-vs-vpn-zero-trust/)

[View all comparisons](https://sonomos.ai/compare/)

## Further reading

- [The Best AI Privacy Tools for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini (2026)](https://sonomos.ai/blog/best-ai-privacy-tools-chatgpt-claude-gemini-2026/)
- [AI Data Leakage: 7 Ways Sensitive Information Escapes to LLMs (and How to Stop It)](https://sonomos.ai/blog/ai-data-leakage-7-ways-sensitive-info-escapes-to-llms/)
- [What Is PII Redaction? A Plain-English Guide for AI Users](https://sonomos.ai/blog/what-is-pii-redaction-ai/)