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Software Development · head to head

Humanloop vs Pinecone

Humanloop logo

Humanloop

Software Development

The LLM evals platform for enterprises

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pinecone logo

Pinecone

Machine Learning

Vector database for machine learning

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Humanloop no published pricing for standard plans; customers must contact sales for quotes; Pinecone reads and writes are billed on separate meters, and reads are far more expensive, at $16 to $18 per million against $4 to $4.50 for writes on Standard

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Humanloop and Pinecone actually diverge.

Attributes where Humanloop and Pinecone differ
AttributeHumanloopPinecone
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
CategorySoftware DevelopmentMachine Learning
FoundedUnknown2019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), 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 Humanloop

Nothing recorded that Pinecone does not also cover.

Only in Pinecone

  • Vector similarity search
  • Metadata filtering
  • Namespace partitioning
  • Real-time updates
  • Hybrid search
  • OpenAI
  • Cohere
  • LangChain

What people use each for

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

Humanloop

  • LLM prompt management and evaluationnot Pinecone
  • AI workflow automation and testingnot Pinecone
  • Model monitoring and logging at scalenot Pinecone

Pinecone

  • Vector database for AI/ML applicationsnot Humanloop
  • Semantic search implementationnot Humanloop
  • Recommendation systemsnot Humanloop
  • RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architecturesnot Humanloop

Where each one falls short

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

Humanloop

  • No published pricing for standard plans; customers must contact sales for quotes
  • Billing based on logs created per API call, making costs unpredictable without usage estimates
  • Separate charges apply from AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) using customer's own API keys, adding external costs

Pinecone

  • Reads and writes are billed on separate meters, and reads are far more expensive, at $16 to $18 per million against $4 to $4.50 for writes on Standard
  • Unit prices vary by region, so the same workload costs different amounts in different places
  • The Standard plan carries a $50 monthly minimum and Enterprise $500, charged whether or not the usage reaches it
  • Enterprise pays more per unit as well as more in minimum, at $24 to $27 per million reads against Standard's $16 to $18
  • Indexes and namespaces are capped by plan, at 5 indexes on the free tier and 20 on Standard
  • RBAC and SSO require the Standard plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Humanloop

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • 2 members
    • 50 evaluation runs
    • 10,000 logs per month
  • Startup Program$null/contact-sales
    • Tailored pricing for early-stage, VC-backed startups
  • Enterprise$null/contact-sales
    • Custom pricing
    • SSO + SAML authentication
    • Role-based access controls

Pinecone

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 2GB storage
    • 2M write units/month
    • 1M read units/month
  • Builder$20/month
    • 10GB storage
    • 5M write units
    • 2M read units
  • Standard$50/month
    • Unlimited storage ($0.33/GB/month)
    • 20 indexes per project
    • 100K namespaces
  • Enterprise$500/month
    • 99.95% uptime SLA
    • BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) option
    • Private endpoints

Which should you pick?

Choose Humanloop if

  • You want to start without paying.
Humanloop review

Choose Pinecone if

  • You need vector similarity search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want metadata filtering.
Pinecone review

Questions people ask

Is Humanloop or Pinecone better?
Neither clearly leads. Humanloop starts at Free and Pinecone at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Humanloop or Pinecone?
Humanloop starts at Free and Pinecone at Free.
Does Humanloop or Pinecone run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Humanloop for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Humanloop best used for?
Humanloop is most often used for llm prompt management and evaluation, ai workflow automation and testing, model monitoring and logging at scale. Of those, llm prompt management and evaluation and ai workflow automation and testing are not what Pinecone is typically brought in for.
What can Humanloop do that Pinecone cannot?
Pinecone covers Vector similarity search, Metadata filtering, Namespace partitioning, Real-time updates.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Humanloop: How much does Humanloop cost?

Humanloop offers a free trial with 2 members and 10,000 logs per month. Startup program and Enterprise plans require contacting sales for custom pricing based on usage needs.

Source
Pinecone: Does Pinecone offer a free plan?

Yes, Pinecone's Starter tier is free and includes 2GB storage, 2M write units/month, 1M read units/month, and supports up to 2 users and 1 project.

Source
Humanloop: What are the limits on Humanloop's free trial plan?

Free trial includes 2 members, 50 evaluation runs, and 10,000 logs per month with access to all features at limited volume.

Source
Pinecone: What are Pinecone's storage costs on the Standard plan?

On the Standard plan, storage costs $0.33/GB per month. Read units cost $16-18 per million units; write units cost $4-4.50 per million units.

Source
Humanloop: How is Humanloop usage billed?

Humanloop bills based on logs created per API call to prompts, tools, evaluators, or flows. Separate charges apply from external AI providers like OpenAI and Anthropic using the customer's own API keys.

Source
Pinecone: What support options does Pinecone provide?

Starter tier includes community Discord support. Builder tier includes free support. Standard tier support costs $29/month for Developer or $250/month for Pro. Enterprise tier includes Pro support.

Source
Humanloop: Does Humanloop offer discounts for nonprofits or academics?

Academic and nonprofit pricing is available upon request, requiring contact with sales for customized rates.

Source
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