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Machine Learning · head to head

Neptune.ai vs Poolside

Neptune.ai logo

Neptune.ai

Machine Learning

Metadata store for MLOps

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Poolside logo

Poolside

AI

Open-weight foundation models built for agentic software engineering

From
$0.06/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Neptune.ai has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Neptune.ai free tier limited to 100 hours per month, exhausted quickly with serious ML work; Poolside no self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways
  • They diverge on capability: Neptune.ai covers Experiment tracking, Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Neptune.ai and Poolside actually diverge.

Attributes where Neptune.ai and Poolside differ
AttributeNeptune.aiPoolside
Starting priceFree$0.06/month
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedweb, api, mac, windows, linux
CategoryMachine LearningAI
Founded20172023

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 Neptune.ai

  • Experiment tracking
  • Model registry
  • Metadata logging
  • Comparison views
  • Custom dashboards
  • PyTorch
  • TensorFlow
  • Keras

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.

Neptune.ai

  • Machine learningnot Poolside
  • Data analysisnot Poolside
  • Model trainingnot Poolside
  • Predictive analyticsnot Poolside

Poolside

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

Where each one falls short

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

Neptune.ai

  • Free tier limited to 100 hours per month, exhausted quickly with serious ML work
  • Lacks hyperparameter sweeps compared to Weights and Biases
  • No pipeline orchestration or broader MLOps lifecycle management
  • Dashboard visualization limitations - automatic resizing affects visualization order and size
  • Cloud-based SaaS only (as of last available service) requires internet connectivity

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

Neptune.ai

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Neptune.ai review.

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 Neptune.ai if

  • You need experiment tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want model registry.
Neptune.ai 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 Neptune.ai or Poolside better?
Neither clearly leads. Neptune.ai 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, Neptune.ai or Poolside?
Neptune.ai has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Neptune.ai and $0.06/month for Poolside.
Does Neptune.ai or Poolside run on more platforms?
Neptune.ai runs on Web, Self-hosted. Poolside runs on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
Can I use Neptune.ai for free?
Yes. Neptune.ai has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Poolside starts at $0.06/month.
What is Neptune.ai best used for?
Neptune.ai is most often used for machine learning, data analysis, model training, predictive analytics. Of those, machine learning and data analysis are not what Poolside is typically brought in for.
What can Neptune.ai do that Poolside cannot?
Neptune.ai covers Experiment tracking, Model registry, Metadata logging, Comparison views. Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1, Laguna XS 2.1, Desktop and CLI tools, Open-weight models.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Neptune.ai: Does Neptune.ai support self-hosting?

Yes. Neptune can be self-hosted on a Kubernetes cluster with ClickHouse, MySQL, and Redis dependencies, allowing organizations to maintain full data control.

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
Neptune.ai: What machine learning frameworks does Neptune integrate with?

Neptune integrates with PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras, scikit-learn, XGBoost, LightGBM, Hugging Face Transformers, and Optuna for hyperparameter optimization.

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
Neptune.ai: What is the cost for a team of 10 data scientists?

Neptune's Team plan costs $49 per user per month, resulting in $490/month for 10 users, comparable to Weights and Biases at $50/user.

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
Neptune.ai: When is Neptune.ai shutting down?

Neptune.ai is shutting down its external SaaS service on March 5, 2026, following its acquisition by OpenAI in December 2025. Customers must export and migrate data before that date.

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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