HiveKey vs. the alternatives.
Most teams reach for raw keys and glue code, an API gateway, or an observability tool. Each solves part of the problem. Here's where an agent control plane is genuinely different — and honest about where it isn't.
HiveKey vs. building it yourself
Raw keys plus glue code versus a control plane built for it. The cost, the security gaps, and the maintenance you take on.
Coming soonHiveKey vs. an API gateway
Gateways route and rate-limit traffic. They don't understand agent identity, per-action scope, or who's accountable.
Coming soonHiveKey vs. observability-only
Tracing and dashboards tell you what happened. They can't deny the action that shouldn't have happened.
Four ways to manage agents, one of them built for it.
A high-level view. The detail lives in each comparison — start with building it yourself, the path most teams are already on.
| Capability | HiveKey | DIY / raw keys | API gateway | Observability-only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent identity & ownership | Partial | — | — | |
| Per-action scope (deny by default) | Partial | — | — | |
| Policy enforced in the path | Partial | Partial | — | |
| Spend caps & sign-off thresholds | — | — | — | |
| Immutable, attributable audit log | — | — | Partial | |
| Credential vaulting | — | Partial | — | |
| Instant fleet-wide kill switch | — | — | — | |
| SSO / SCIM for agents | — | — | — | |
| Zero maintenance burden on you | — | Partial | Partial |
Being straight with you
These categories aren't mutually exclusive. Plenty of teams keep their gateway and their observability stack and put HiveKey in front of the actions that matter. We're the layer that decides what an agent is allowed to do — not a replacement for everything you run.
See the numbers in HiveKey vs. building it yourself, or check pricing.
See HiveKey against your current setup.
Tell us how your agents run today and we'll show you exactly what changes — and what doesn't.