ACI.dev vs Arcade: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between ACI.dev and Arcade? Both are popular agent auth & tool calling tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
Quick verdict
Both ACI.dev and Arcade are strong agent auth & tool calling choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences. In our catalog, Arcade rates slightly higher (4.5 vs 4.1 out of 5).
ACI.dev vs Arcade — Side by Side
| ACI.dev | Arcade | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent Auth & Tool Calling | Agent Auth & Tool Calling |
| Pricing | Free · then usage-based | Free · paid from $25/mo |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Free tier | ||
| Rating | 4.1 | 4.5 |
| Best for | Agent Auth & Tool Calling — open-source, mcp | Agent Auth & Tool Calling — mcp, tool-calling |
Pros & Cons
- Apache-2.0: truly open source and self-hostable
- Multi-tenant OAuth for end users built in
- One MCP server for all tools
- No commits to the main repo since May 2026
- Smaller catalog than hosted rivals
- You run and secure the token store yourself
- Per-call authorization scoped to user and agent
- Policy hooks to block or redact without forking
- Self-host in your VPC or air-gapped on Enterprise
- Small free tier (2,000 tool calls)
- Per-call fees add up for chatty agents
- Self-hosting is Enterprise-only
Key Features Compared
ACI.dev
- 600+ integrations
- Multi-tenant OAuth
- Unified MCP server
- Self-hosted
Arcade
- $0.10 per authorization event
- $0.01 per tool call
- Next-business-day support
Choose ACI.dev if…
- You want a free tier to validate before paying.
- Apache-2.0: truly open source and self-hostable
- Multi-tenant OAuth for end users built in
- One MCP server for all tools
Choose Arcade if…
- You want a free tier to validate before paying.
- Per-call authorization scoped to user and agent
- Policy hooks to block or redact without forking
- Self-host in your VPC or air-gapped on Enterprise
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ACI.dev better than Arcade?⌄
Both ACI.dev and Arcade are strong agent auth & tool calling choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences. In our catalog, Arcade rates slightly higher (4.5 vs 4.1 out of 5).
What is the difference between ACI.dev and Arcade?⌄
ACI.dev — Open-source (Apache-2.0) tool-calling platform: 600+ integrations, multi-tenant OAuth for end users, and a unified MCP server. Arcade — MCP runtime that lets agents act as the signed-in user, with per-call authorization, policy hooks and 8,000+ permission-aware tools. Both are agent auth & tool calling tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.
ACI.dev vs Arcade: which is cheaper?⌄
ACI.dev pricing: Free · then usage-based. Arcade pricing: Free · paid from $25/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
Which is rated higher, ACI.dev or Arcade?⌄
In our catalog, ACI.dev rates 4.1 out of 5 and Arcade rates 4.5 out of 5, so Arcade has a slight edge on reviews.
See more options in our guide to the best agent auth & tool calling tools for startups.
In-depth guideComposio vs Arcade (2026): Agent Auth & Tool Calling, Plus Open-Source Nango and ACI.devYour agent has to act inside Gmail, Slack and Salesforce as each of your users, without the model seeing a token. Composio and Arcade compared with Nango and ACI.dev on OAuth handling, licence and cost at 50 and 1,000 users.Still not sure which to pick?
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