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Developer Tools · head to head

Earthly vs Maze

Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Maze logo

Maze

Technology

The continuous product discovery platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Earthly pricing model not published; requires sales contact; Maze maze publishes no prices on its pricing page; every plan routes to contact sales, so pricing is by quote only with no published rate or minimum
  • They diverge on capability: Earthly covers Policy as code, Maze covers Prototype testing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Earthly and Maze actually diverge.

Attributes where Earthly and Maze differ
AttributeEarthlyMaze
Pricing modelNo pricing published on websitesubscription
PlatformsWeb, CLIWeb, Mobile, Api
CategoryDeveloper ToolsTechnology
Founded20202018

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

Only in Maze

  • Prototype testing
  • Usability testing
  • Card sorting
  • Tree testing
  • Surveys
  • 5-second tests
  • A/B testing
  • Analytics dashboard

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot Maze
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot Maze
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot Maze
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot Maze

Maze

  • User research and testingnot Earthly
  • AI-powered moderation featuresnot Earthly
  • Prototype and website testingnot Earthly
  • User feedback panelsnot Earthly

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

Maze

  • Maze publishes no prices on its pricing page; every plan routes to contact sales, so pricing is by quote only with no published rate or minimum
  • The AI study builder, AI moderated interviews and moderated interview studies are Enterprise only
  • Mobile testing and testing through the Maze mobile app are Enterprise only
  • Interview scheduling, card sorting and information architecture testing are Enterprise only
  • Role-based access, SSO and compliance controls are Enterprise only
  • Panel recruitment is available on all plans but with stated limits, and prototype testing carries limits below Enterprise
  • Qualitative analysis of clip recordings, interview transcription and automated theme analysis are Enterprise only

Pricing, plan by plan

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

Maze

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 active project
    • Preview link testing
    • Basic analytics
  • Starter$75/month
    • 3 active projects
    • Unlimited responses
    • Advanced analytics
  • Team$150/month
    • Unlimited projects
    • Team collaboration
    • Custom branding
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Everything in Team
    • SSO
    • Dedicated CSM

Which should you pick?

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Choose Maze if

  • You need prototype testing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want usability testing.
Maze review

Questions people ask

Is Earthly or Maze better?
Neither clearly leads. Earthly starts at Free and Maze at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Earthly or Maze?
Earthly starts at Free and Maze at Free.
Does Earthly or Maze run on more platforms?
Earthly runs on Web, CLI. Maze runs on Web, Mobile, Api.
Can I use Earthly for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Earthly best used for?
Earthly is most often used for enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers, automating incident response procedures across all repositories, embedding compliance requirements into development workflows, standardizing build processes with earthfiles. Of those, enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers and automating incident response procedures across all repositories are not what Maze is typically brought in for.
What can Earthly do that Maze cannot?
Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies. Maze covers Prototype testing, Usability testing, Card sorting, Tree testing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
Maze: Does Maze offer a free trial or freemium tier?

Maze site indicates 'Try Maze for free' option, suggesting free tier or trial availability, but specific terms and limitations not stated on main page.

Source
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
Maze: Can I request a custom demo if standard plans don't fit my needs?

Yes, Maze offers 'Request a demo' option, indicating willingness to discuss custom requirements and potentially custom pricing arrangements.

Source
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
Maze: What testing capabilities does Maze include in paid plans?

Maze features AI Moderator, prototype testing, panel recruitment, and website testing capabilities across plans, but specific feature tiers and pricing not disclosed publicly.

Source
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