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AI · head to head

Galileo vs Poolside

Galileo logo

Galileo

AI

Evaluation and observability platform for GenAI applications and agents

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Poolside logo

Poolside

AI

Open-weight foundation models built for agentic software engineering

From
$0.06/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Galileo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Galileo the free plan is limited to 5,000 traces per month, which is quickly outgrown by production workloads.; Poolside no self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways
  • They diverge on capability: Galileo covers Pre-built evaluations, Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Galileo and Poolside actually diverge.

Attributes where Galileo and Poolside differ
AttributeGalileoPoolside
Starting priceFree$0.06/month
Pricing modelfreemiumusage-based
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, apiweb, api, mac, windows, linux
FoundedUnknown2023

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (AI).

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 Galileo

  • Pre-built evaluations
  • Ground truth capture
  • Luna models
  • Agent behavior analysis
  • Production guardrails
  • Flexible deployment

Only in Poolside

  • Laguna S 2.1
  • Laguna XS 2.1
  • Desktop and CLI tools
  • Open-weight models
  • Third-party gateway access

What people use each for

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

Galileo

  • Evaluating RAG and agent applications before production releasenot Poolside
  • Monitoring live GenAI applications for failures and driftnot Poolside
  • Applying real-time guardrails without custom integration worknot Poolside
  • Reducing evaluation costs using distilled Luna judge modelsnot Poolside

Poolside

  • Enterprises deploying AI coding assistance across large developer organizationsnot Galileo
  • Government and defense agencies needing on-premise or sovereign coding modelsnot Galileo
  • Teams building custom coding agents on open-weight foundation modelsnot Galileo
  • Organizations wanting on-device lightweight coding modelsnot Galileo

Where each one falls short

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

Galileo

  • The free plan is limited to 5,000 traces per month, which is quickly outgrown by production workloads.
  • Real-time guardrails and unlimited trace capacity are reserved for the custom-priced Enterprise tier.
  • Pro plan pricing scales with trace volume, so costs can grow unpredictably as usage increases.
  • On-premises deployment requires an Enterprise contract rather than being available self-serve.

Poolside

  • No self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways
  • Pricing for the flagship enterprise and government offering is not public and requires a sales conversation
  • Targets organizations with large (5,000+) developer headcounts, making it a poor fit for individuals or small teams
  • Documentation and product surface area are thin compared to consumer-facing coding assistants

Pricing, plan by plan

Galileo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5,000 traces/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited custom evaluations
  • Pro$100/month
    • 50,000 traces/month
    • Standard role-based access control
    • Advanced analytics and insights
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Unlimited trace capacity
    • Custom rate limits
    • Hosted, VPC, or on-prem deployment

Poolside

$0.06/month
  • Laguna XS 2.1$undefined/month
    • $0.06 per 1M input tokens
    • $0.12 per 1M output tokens
    • Available via OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway
  • Laguna S 2.1$undefined/month
    • $0.10 per 1M input tokens
    • $0.20 per 1M output tokens
    • 1M token context window
  • Enterprise / Government$undefined/month
    • Custom contracts for large engineering organizations
    • Sales-quoted pricing
    • On-premise or dedicated deployment options

Which should you pick?

Choose Galileo if

  • You need pre-built evaluations.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want ground truth capture.
Galileo review

Choose Poolside if

  • You need laguna s 2.1.
  • You work on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
  • You also want laguna xs 2.1.
Poolside review

Questions people ask

Is Galileo or Poolside better?
Neither clearly leads. Galileo starts at Free and Poolside at $0.06/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Galileo or Poolside?
Galileo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Galileo and $0.06/month for Poolside.
Does Galileo or Poolside run on more platforms?
Galileo runs on web, api. Poolside runs on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
Can I use Galileo for free?
Yes. Galileo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Poolside starts at $0.06/month.
What is Galileo best used for?
Galileo is most often used for evaluating rag and agent applications before production release, monitoring live genai applications for failures and drift, applying real-time guardrails without custom integration work, reducing evaluation costs using distilled luna judge models. Of those, evaluating rag and agent applications before production release and monitoring live genai applications for failures and drift are not what Poolside is typically brought in for.
What can Galileo do that Poolside cannot?
Galileo covers Pre-built evaluations, Ground truth capture, Luna models, Agent behavior analysis. Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1, Laguna XS 2.1, Desktop and CLI tools, Open-weight models.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Galileo: What does Galileo cost?

Galileo offers a free plan, a Pro plan at $100/month billed yearly (with a 33% annual discount), and a custom-priced Enterprise plan for unlimited trace capacity.

Source
Poolside: How is Poolside's Laguna model usage priced?

Laguna XS 2.1 is priced at $0.06 per 1M input tokens and $0.12 per 1M output tokens; Laguna S 2.1 is $0.10 per 1M input tokens and $0.20 per 1M output tokens.

Source
Galileo: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

The Free plan includes 5,000 traces per month with unlimited users and unlimited custom evaluations, aimed at developers and small teams experimenting with GenAI.

Source
Poolside: Where can I access Poolside's models?

Laguna models are available through third-party gateways OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway, as well as via Poolside's own desktop and CLI tools.

Source
Galileo: How is usage metered?

Galileo's pricing scales based on the number of traces processed each month, with Free capped at 5,000, Pro at 50,000, and Enterprise offering unlimited trace capacity.

Source
Poolside: Does Poolside offer enterprise or government pricing?

Yes, Poolside offers custom, sales-quoted contracts for large enterprises and government/defense customers, including on-premise or dedicated deployment options.

Source
Poolside: How do I get started building with Poolside's models?

Poolside's documentation provides a quickstart guide for installing the `pool` CLI and running an agent task, alongside API documentation for custom integrations.

Source
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