Alternatives & comparisons
PSI Secure Browser Alternative for the AI Cheating Era (2026)
PSI Secure Browser locks down one browser window for certification and licensure exams — it blocks other tabs, programs, and screen sharing inside the sandbox it controls. It does that boundary well. But Cluely runs outside that window. It's an OS-layer overlay that excludes itself from screen-capture APIs — and the rest of the operating system sits beyond a single browser's reach. Here is what lives below the lockdown.
What PSI Secure Browser Does
PSI Secure Browser is a locked-down browser used across professional certification, licensure, and education exams, typically paired with PSI Bridge live or record-and-review webcam proctoring. The browser restricts the candidate's ability to open other windows or programs, prevents internet access outside the exam, and runs a system check before launch. It works well at the boundary it owns: the single exam window. Inside that window, it controls what the candidate can open, switch to, or navigate away from.
What PSI Secure Browser Cannot See
A secure browser controls a single browser window. The rest of the operating system — and any second device — sits outside its sandbox. An invisible AI overlay like Cluely opens at the OS layer, above the browser, and marks itself excluded from the screen-capture APIs a record-and-review proctor relies on. A candidate reading an AI answer off a transparent overlay looks like a candidate reading the question. The technique is invisible by design, and it never enters the window the browser is locking down.
The same gap applies to on-device LLMs. A model running in local memory produces no exam-window artifact, no webcam-visible behavior, and no network traffic to intercept — and the secure browser cannot reach into operating-system memory it does not own. Aiseptor detects the technique instead of the appearance: a screen-capture-exclusion flag, GPU VRAM deltas, and DNS/SNI to AI endpoints — regardless of process name.
The Observation Trade-off
The secure browser pairs lockdown with observation: webcam video, screen recording, and behavioral signals reviewed live or after the session by a human proctor. That observation is retained for audit. For institutions subject to FERPA, GDPR, or internal privacy commitments, that means collecting and storing a recording of the candidate in their own home. And observation only catches what is visible — an overlay that excludes itself from screen capture, or a local model in memory, never reaches the recording.
Aiseptor collects no webcam data, no screen content, and no keystrokes. Only session-level network and device signals, retained by default for 24 hours. The question it answers is not what the candidate looked like, but what the machine could and could not reach. For the full data model, see the trust page.
Comparison: PSI Secure Browser vs. Network-Layer Enforcement
| Capability | PSI Secure Browser | Aiseptor (Network Layer) |
|---|---|---|
| Lockdown of the exam browser window | Yes | No |
| Invisible AI overlays (Cluely, Pluely, unknown forks) | No | Yes |
| On-device LLMs (Ollama, LM Studio) | No | Yes |
| OS-wide network / DNS enforcement | No | Yes |
| Second device outside the sandbox | No | Partial (network path) |
| Data collected | Webcam, screen, behavioral | Network access signals only |
Complementary Architecture
PSI Secure Browser = the browser-window and identity/observation layer. Aiseptor = network and device layer, sitting beneath it. They cover different parts of the threat surface. The secure browser owns lockdown of the exam window; PSI Bridge proctors catch physical and environmental cheating Aiseptor does not address — a person off-camera, a phone in view, identity substitution. Aiseptor catches the OS- and network-level AI surface a locked browser cannot reach — the overlay opened above the window, the local model running in memory, traffic to an AI endpoint. We don't claim to replace identity verification, environment checks, or physical proctoring; those stay out of Aiseptor's scope.
See also: Respondus alternatives · ExamSoft alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PSI Secure Browser detect Cluely?
PSI Secure Browser locks down one browser window — it blocks other tabs, applications, and screen-sharing inside the sandbox it controls. Cluely is an OS-layer overlay that runs outside that window and excludes itself from the screen-capture APIs a record-and-review proctor relies on. A locked browser controls its own surface; an invisible overlay lives outside it by design. These surfaces don't intersect architecturally.
Can a secure browser stop on-device AI?
A locked-down browser controls the exam window. An on-device LLM (Ollama, LM Studio) runs in the operating system's local memory, outside the browser's sandbox, with no network traffic to inspect and no exam-window artifact. The secure browser cannot reach into that memory. Aiseptor watches the technique at the device layer — GPU VRAM deltas and process behavior — regardless of process name.
What does PSI Secure Browser actually control?
It controls a single browser window: it restricts other windows and programs, prevents internet access outside the exam, and pairs with PSI Bridge live or record-and-review webcam proctoring for the human and behavioral layer. What sits outside that one window — a second device, an OS-layer overlay, a local model — is outside the sandbox it can enforce.
Is there a PSI Secure Browser alternative for AI overlays?
Aiseptor is not a replacement for a secure browser — it sits beneath it. It enforces integrity at the network and device layer: a screen-capture-exclusion flag, GPU VRAM deltas, and DNS/SNI to AI endpoints, regardless of process name. The audit record is metadata about what was and wasn't reachable, not a recording of the candidate. Retention defaults to 24 hours.
Where Aiseptor Fits: Beneath, Not Instead Of
Aiseptor is a layer, not a rip-and-replace. It sits beneath PSI Secure Browser — and beneath any lockdown browser or proctoring service — owning the device and network layer those tools architecturally cannot reach. Keep what you have for browser control or webcam proctoring; add Aiseptor for the OS- and network-level AI threats it was built to stop. The exam page can open in a normal browser while Aiseptor enforces the machine boundary.
What Aiseptor does not do: physical and environment security is out of scope. Aiseptor does not verify identity, watch the room, or catch a phone, a paper note, or an in-person accomplice off-camera. For those, pair Aiseptor with a live proctor or an identity-verification step. Aiseptor secures the device and the network path — not the physical room around it.
One window locked. The whole machine secured.
Keep your secure browser for the exam window. Add Aiseptor for the OS- and network-level AI threats it architecturally cannot reach. The audit record is metadata about what was and wasn't reachable, not a recording of your candidates.