--- title: "3 Best Arcade Alternatives in 2026 (Compared)" description: "Looking for an Arcade alternative? Compare the best Agent Auth & Tool Calling alternatives to Arcade by pricing, free tiers, and features — find the right fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/tool-alternatives/arcade-dev retrieved: 2026-10-17 --- Agent Auth & Tool Calling # The 3 Best Arcade Alternatives in 2026 Looking for an alternative to [Arcade](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/arcade-dev)? Below we compare the best agent auth & tool calling alternatives by pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for — so you can pick the right fit for your budget and stack. Category Agent Auth & Tool Calling Arcade pricing Free tier available Free tier Yes Alternatives 3 compared ## Why look for a Arcade alternative? Arcade is a solid agent auth & tool calling choice, but it isn't the right fit for everyone. The most common reasons teams evaluate alternatives: * −Small free tier (2,000 tool calls) * −Per-call fees add up for chatty agents * −Self-hosting is Enterprise-only ## Arcade vs Alternatives — Quick Comparison | Tool | Pricing | Free tier | Rating | Best for | | --------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | --------- | ------ | ----------------------------------------------- | | [Arcade](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/arcade-dev)You searched | Free · paid from $25/mo | ✓ | 4.5 | Agent Auth & Tool Calling — mcp, tool-calling | | 1.[Composio](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/composio) | Free · paid from $29/mo | ✓ | 4.6 | Agent Auth & Tool Calling — tool-calling, oauth | | 2.[Nango](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/nango) | Free · paid from $50/mo | ✓ | 4.5 | Agent Auth & Tool Calling — oauth, integrations | | 3.[ACI.dev](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/aci-dev) | Free · then usage-based | ✓ | 4.1 | Agent Auth & Tool Calling — open-source, mcp | ## Top Arcade Alternatives, Explained ![Composio](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=composio.dev&sz=128) ### 1. Composio Free tier4.6· Free · paid from $29/mo Composio lets an agent act inside apps such as Gmail, Slack, GitHub, Salesforce and Notion on behalf of each end user. It runs the OAuth flows, stores and refreshes tokens, and exposes each app as ready-made tools for any framework or MCP client, plus triggers that push app events back to the agent. It states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001\. The SDK is MIT-licensed; the platform is hosted. Pricing changed for signups from August 15, 2026: Hobby is free with 100,000 tool calls and 50,000 trigger events a month (usage pauses at the cap), Pro is $29/month including $29 of usage, then $0.0003 per tool call and $0.003 per trigger event, and Enterprise is custom with SSO, BAA and zero data retention included. Existing customers keep their old plan until December 31, 2026. * ✓Largest catalog: 1,500+ apps with managed OAuth * ✓Generous free tier (100K tool calls) * ✓SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 [Composio pricing & review ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/composio)[Arcade vs Composio ](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/arcade-dev-vs-composio) ![Nango](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=nango.dev&sz=128) ### 2. Nango Free tier4.5· Free · paid from $50/mo Nango handles OAuth, API keys and token refresh for 1,000+ APIs and lets you expose any integration as a tool through its MCP server. Unlike tool-calling-only platforms it also runs incremental data syncs and verified webhooks, so the same integration can feed RAG and trigger agents. Integrations are written as code, which coding agents can generate. The code is on GitHub under the Elastic License 2.0: source-available, free to self-host and embed, but not open source by the OSI definition and not resellable as a hosted service. The free self-hosted build covers auth and the proxy; syncs, tool calls and the MCP server need a paid plan or Enterprise self-hosting. Cloud: Free (10 connections, hard-capped), Pay-as-you-go $50/month including $50 of credit ($0.29 per connection, $0.72 per compute hour, $0.50 per GB), Enterprise custom with BYOC. * ✓1,000+ APIs with managed OAuth * ✓Syncs and webhooks as well as tool calls * ✓Source on GitHub; free self-host for auth [Nango pricing & review ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/nango)[Arcade vs Nango ](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/arcade-dev-vs-nango) ![ACI.dev](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aci.dev&sz=128) ### 3. ACI.dev Free tier4.1· Free · then usage-based ACI.dev (Agent-Computer Interface) is an Apache-2.0 platform that connects agents to 600+ tools through direct function calling or one unified MCP server. It includes multi-tenant OAuth flows and secrets management for each of your end users, dynamic tool discovery, and natural-language permission boundaries on what an agent may do. You can run the full backend and frontend yourself or use the managed service at aci.dev. It is the most permissively licensed option in this category, but the main repository has had no commits since May 2026, so check its activity before you depend on it. * ✓Apache-2.0: truly open source and self-hostable * ✓Multi-tenant OAuth for end users built in * ✓One MCP server for all tools [ACI.dev pricing & review ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/aci-dev)[Arcade vs ACI.dev ](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/aci-dev-vs-arcade-dev) [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.](https://appstackbuilder.com/blog/composio-vs-arcade-agent-auth-2026) ## Frequently Asked Questions What are the best alternatives to Arcade in 2026?⌄ The best Arcade alternatives in 2026 are Composio, Nango, ACI.dev. Each is a agent auth & tool calling option you can compare on pricing, free tiers, and features in the table above. Is there a free alternative to Arcade?⌄ Yes — Composio, Nango, ACI.dev offer free tiers, making them strong free Arcade alternatives for bootstrapped startups. Why look for a Arcade alternative?⌄ A common reason teams switch is small free tier (2,000 tool calls). Beyond that, people compare agent auth & tool calling tools on pricing, specific feature gaps, ease of use, and whether an open-source or free-tier option exists — so they can pick the best fit for their stack and budget. What is the cheapest Arcade alternative?⌄ Composio is among the most affordable Arcade alternatives — free · paid from $29/mo. Check the comparison table above for the full pricing breakdown. Which Arcade alternative is rated highest?⌄ Composio is the highest-rated Arcade alternative in our catalog at 4.6 out of 5, making it a strong pick if you want a well-reviewed option. ## Find your perfect agent auth & tool calling tool Skip the research. Get a free AI-powered tech stack matched to your budget, app type, and team size in seconds. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/)