Softwr

AI · head to head

Galileo vs Portworx

Galileo logo

Galileo

AI

Evaluation and observability platform for GenAI applications and agents

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Portworx logo

Portworx

Cloud

Kubernetes-native storage and data services, priced by the node hour

From
$0.33/node hour
Free plan
No
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.; Portworx bare metal nodes are charged at 1.11 USD per node hour against 0.33 for virtual nodes, so a bare metal cluster costs more than three times a virtualised one for identical capability.
  • They diverge on capability: Galileo covers Pre-built evaluations, Portworx covers Container-native volumes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Galileo and Portworx actually diverge.

Attributes where Galileo and Portworx differ
AttributeGalileoPortworx
Starting priceFree$0.33/node hour
Pricing modelfreemiumPer node hour
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, apiLinux
CategoryAICloud

Identical on both: 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 Galileo

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

Only in Portworx

  • Container-native volumes
  • Failure domain placement
  • Volume encryption
  • Database automation
  • Disaster recovery
  • Autopilot capacity management
  • Hardware independence

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 Portworx
  • Monitoring live GenAI applications for failures and driftnot Portworx
  • Applying real-time guardrails without custom integration worknot Portworx
  • Reducing evaluation costs using distilled Luna judge modelsnot Portworx

Portworx

  • Running a production PostgreSQL or Cassandra cluster on Kubernetes and needing the data to survive node lossnot Galileo
  • A platform team offering self-service databases to developers on an internal Kubernetes platformnot Galileo
  • Failing over stateful applications between clusters in different regions as a disaster recovery positionnot Galileo
  • An OpenShift estate where the built-in storage option does not meet the availability requirement for stateful setsnot 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.

Portworx

  • Bare metal nodes are charged at 1.11 USD per node hour against 0.33 for virtual nodes, so a bare metal cluster costs more than three times a virtualised one for identical capability.
  • A 1,000 node hour monthly minimum applies, which means small or intermittent clusters pay for capacity they do not consume.
  • Replicating volumes across nodes consumes real capacity and network bandwidth, so the underlying infrastructure cost rises alongside the licence in a way the node hour rate does not show.
  • Pure Storage ownership means roadmap priorities are set by an array vendor, and buyers should confirm that hardware independence remains contractual rather than assumed.
  • Operating it well requires Kubernetes storage expertise, and teams that adopted Kubernetes to simplify operations often find they have added a distributed storage system to run.

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

Portworx

$0.33/node hour
  • Portworx Enterprise on virtual machine nodes$0.33/node hour
    • Minimum 1,000 node hours per month
    • Replicated persistent volumes
    • Encryption and disaster recovery
  • Portworx Enterprise on bare metal nodes$1.11/node hour
    • Minimum 1,000 node hours per month
    • Same capabilities on bare metal clusters
    • Higher rate reflects node density

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 Portworx if

  • You need container-native volumes.
  • You work on Linux.
  • You also want failure domain placement.
Portworx review

Questions people ask

Is Galileo or Portworx better?
Neither clearly leads. Galileo starts at Free and Portworx at $0.33/node hour, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Galileo or Portworx?
Galileo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Galileo and $0.33/node hour for Portworx.
Does Galileo or Portworx run on more platforms?
Galileo runs on web, api. Portworx runs on Linux.
Can I use Galileo for free?
Yes. Galileo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Portworx starts at $0.33/node hour.
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 Portworx is typically brought in for.
What can Galileo do that Portworx cannot?
Galileo covers Pre-built evaluations, Ground truth capture, Luna models, Agent behavior analysis. Portworx covers Container-native volumes, Failure domain placement, Volume encryption, Database automation.

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
Portworx: Is Portworx tied to Pure Storage hardware?

No. It runs on any Kubernetes distribution over any underlying storage, though Pure has owned it since 2020 and sets the roadmap.

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
Portworx: What does a real cluster cost?

At 0.33 USD per virtual node hour, twenty nodes running continuously is roughly 4,800 USD a month. Bare metal at 1.11 USD per node hour is around 16,000 USD for the same node count.

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
Portworx: Is backup included?

No. Portworx Backup is a separately priced product covering Kubernetes application backup.

Share

Related pages

More on Galileo

More on Portworx

Keep looking

Other head to heads