Machine Learning & Data Science · head to head
Seldon vs Domino Data Lab
Seldon
Machine Learning & Data Science
Deploy, scale, and monitor machine learning models
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Domino Data Lab
Machine Learning & Data Science
Enterprise MLOps platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Seldon production deployment requires a Kubernetes cluster, whether managed such as GKE, EKS or AKS, or on-premises such as OpenShift; Domino Data Lab pricing is by quote only: the pricing page publishes no rate and no minimum, and the tier breakdown is behind a downloadable datasheet form
- They diverge on capability: Seldon covers Model serving, Domino Data Lab covers Reproducible environments.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Seldon and Domino Data Lab actually diverge.
| Attribute | Seldon | Domino Data Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Platforms | Linux | Web |
| Founded | 2014 | 2013 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Machine Learning & Data Science).
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 Seldon
- Model serving
- A/B testing
- Canary deployments
- Outlier detection
- Model explainability
- Istio
- Prometheus
- Grafana
Only in Domino Data Lab
- Reproducible environments
- Model registry
- Model monitoring
- Collaboration
- Governance
- AWS
- Azure
- GCP
Both cover
- Kubernetes
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Seldon
- Serving and routing machine learning models on Kubernetesnot Domino Data Lab
- Building multi-step inference pipelines with A/B tests and explainersnot Domino Data Lab
Domino Data Lab
- Running reproducible data science workspaces and experiments on shared computenot Seldon
- Deploying and monitoring models with governance controlsnot Seldon
- Giving regulated enterprises a self managed MLOps platformnot Seldon
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Seldon
- Production deployment requires a Kubernetes cluster, whether managed such as GKE, EKS or AKS, or on-premises such as OpenShift
- The documented components carry both minimum and maximum supported versions, so newer Kubernetes and dependency versions are not automatically supported
- Dataflow Pipelines need an additional component that the docs recommend avoiding installing when pipelines are not used
- The Docker Compose install is offered as a lightweight alternative for environments without Kubernetes rather than as a production path
Domino Data Lab
- Pricing is by quote only: the pricing page publishes no rate and no minimum, and the tier breakdown is behind a downloadable datasheet form
- Licensing is split by user type, with separate data science professional, data analyst, service account and admin licences
- FinOps, Nexus and Governance are paid add on modules rather than part of the platform
- Support level is a separate priced choice
- Self managed VPC or on premises deployment requires the Premium tier or higher
- No free trial is offered on the pricing page
Pricing, plan by plan
Seldon
Free- Seldon CoreFree
- Open source
- Kubernetes deployment
- Model serving
- Seldon DeployFree
- Enterprise features
- GUI
- Monitoring
Domino Data Lab
Free- TrialFree
- 14-day trial
- Full features
- EnterpriseFree
- Full platform
- Enterprise support
- SLA
Which should you pick?
Choose Seldon if
- You need model serving.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux.
- You also want a/b testing.
Choose Domino Data Lab if
- You need reproducible environments.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want model registry.
Questions people ask
- Is Seldon or Domino Data Lab better?
- Neither clearly leads. Seldon starts at Free and Domino Data Lab at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Seldon or Domino Data Lab?
- Seldon starts at Free and Domino Data Lab at Free.
- Does Seldon or Domino Data Lab run on more platforms?
- Seldon runs on Linux. Domino Data Lab runs on Web.
- Can I use Seldon for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Seldon best used for?
- Seldon is most often used for serving and routing machine learning models on kubernetes, building multi-step inference pipelines with a/b tests and explainers. Of those, serving and routing machine learning models on kubernetes and building multi-step inference pipelines with a/b tests and explainers are not what Domino Data Lab is typically brought in for.
- What can Seldon do that Domino Data Lab cannot?
- Seldon covers Model serving, A/B testing, Canary deployments, Outlier detection. Domino Data Lab covers Reproducible environments, Model registry, Model monitoring, Collaboration. Both handle Kubernetes.