---
title: "Arcade Pricing, Features & Alternatives (2026)"
description: "Arcade review: Agent Auth & Tool Calling tool — Free tier, plans, pros & cons, and the best Arcade alternatives compared for startups in 2026."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/arcade-dev
retrieved: 2026-10-17
---

![Arcade logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=arcade.dev&sz=128)

[Agent Auth & Tool Calling](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/agent-auth)Free tier

# Arcade: Pricing, Features & Alternatives

Arcade.dev runs the tools an agent calls and handles user sign-in for each one, so the agent acts as the authenticated user rather than a shared service account. Every call is limited to what both the user and the agent are allowed to do, and pre- and post-call hooks let you block actions or redact data without forking the runtime. Arcade says its team wrote the MCP tool authorization specification. Custom tools are built with its open-source Python or JavaScript framework (arcade-mcp, MIT). It states SOC 2 compliance, and Enterprise can run in your VPC or fully air-gapped. Free includes 2,000 authorization events and 2,000 tool calls a month; Team is $25/month plus $0.10 per authorization event and $0.01 per tool call; Enterprise is an annual bundle.

Category

Agent Auth & Tool Calling

Pricing

Free tier available

Free tier

Yes

Best for

Agent Auth & Tool Calling — mcp, tool-calling

[Visit Arcade official site](https://www.arcade.dev)

## Arcade Pricing Plans (2026)

| Plan        | Price               | Highlights                                                                      |
| ----------- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Free        | $0                  | 2,000 auth events / month · 2,000 tool calls / month · Arcade Cloud             |
| TeamPopular | $25 / month + usage | $0.10 per authorization event · $0.01 per tool call · Next-business-day support |
| Enterprise  | Custom              | VPC or air-gapped deployment · SSO, RBAC, audit logs · Private tool registry    |

Pricing summary: Free · paid from $25/mo. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.

## Key Arcade Features

* ✓$0.10 per authorization event
* ✓$0.01 per tool call
* ✓Next-business-day support

### ✓ Pros

* +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

### ✗ Cons

* −Small free tier (2,000 tool calls)
* −Per-call fees add up for chatty agents
* −Self-hosting is Enterprise-only

## Best Arcade Alternatives

[Compare all ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tool-alternatives/arcade-dev)

[![Composio logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=composio.dev&sz=128)ComposioFree · paid from $29/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/composio)[![Nango logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=nango.dev&sz=128)NangoFree · paid from $50/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/nango)[![ACI.dev logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aci.dev&sz=128)ACI.devFree · then usage-based](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/aci-dev)

## Arcade Compared

[Arcade vs Composio](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/arcade-dev-vs-composio)[Arcade vs Nango](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/arcade-dev-vs-nango)[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)

## Arcade FAQ

What is Arcade used for?⌄

Arcade is a agent auth & tool calling tool. MCP runtime that lets agents act as the signed-in user, with per-call authorization, policy hooks and 8,000+ permission-aware tools.

Is Arcade free?⌄

Yes — Arcade has a free tier you can start with, and paid plans for more usage and features.

How much does Arcade cost?⌄

Arcade offers a free tier, with paid plans starting at $25/month. Some plans are usage-based (pay-as-you-go).

What are the best Arcade alternatives?⌄

Popular Arcade alternatives include Composio, Nango, ACI.dev. Compare pricing and features on our Arcade alternatives page.

## Not sure if Arcade fits your stack?

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