Mastra vs Vellum (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mastra grades higher than Vellum: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mastra grades higher on value for money and features. Vellum grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mastra
TypeScript framework for building and running AI agents
Vellum
Personal AI assistant with long-term memory that acts across apps
Which one is for you
Pick Mastra if
- Fits if you write TypeScript and want to build your own agents
- Works for teams that want to deploy agents on Vercel or Cloudflare
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want no-code, since building an agent means writing TypeScript
- Pricey if you grow, as past the allowance egress is $0.10 a GB and events $10 per 100K
- Watch out: RBAC, SSO and audit logs are Enterprise only, and the SOC 2 report starts at Team at $250
- Watch out: some repository folders (ee/) sit under a separate enterprise licence
Pick Vellum if
- Fits if you want one assistant that keeps your preferences across devices and chat apps
- Works for people who want to read the code or host the open-source runtime themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want free to mean free, as every reply, search and image draws on credits at $1 each
- Not for you if you bank what you don't use: included usage doesn't roll over and bought credits expire after 12 months
- Tight if you're on Windows or Linux, since the Windows app is a dev build and there's no Linux desktop client
- Watch out: the iPhone and Android apps are clients for the cloud assistant and can't run it on the phone
- Pricey if you want a custom subdomain, static IP or priority support, which start at Super for $100 a month
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMastraGood | 2.6GPAVellumGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe framework is open source and the cloud has a free plan. Starter is $25 a workspace a month and Team $250. | CMighty is $30 a month, right on the line where the dearest quarter of agent tools here begins, for a Small machine, 10 GiB of storage and a monthly usage allowance whose size the listing never states. Model usage is extra at $1 a credit. Super is $100 and Ultra $200. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree cloud plan: unlimited agents, users and deployments, 100K observability events and 15-day trace retention. A solo developer can live on that. | BBase is free forever with no card, and the MIT runtime runs on your own Mac or Linux box for nothing. But free covers the hosting, not the thinking: every reply, search and image draws on credits at $1 each. Self-host with your own model key and one person could live on it. |
| Features | BAgents, workflows, memory, evals, MCP servers and deployment to many hosts. Nothing in the listing is missing for code-first agent work. | CA knowledge base of facts and preferences it recalls later, skills across Google Workspace, Slack, Notion and GitHub, Allow or Deny prompts on risky actions, computer control and a form-filling Chrome extension. But the docs name two gaps: the Windows app is a dev build, and the phone apps can't run it locally. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating, and building an agent means writing TypeScript and running it yourself. | CNo rating on record. The cloud default means nothing to host, but you still connect OAuth integrations, prepay credits and build trust rules before the permission prompts stop interrupting. The docs also call the Windows app a dev build. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb with deployment to Vercel, Netlify and Cloudflare, and Next.js, React, Hono and Express listed. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, a Chrome extension and a command line, plus Telegram, Slack, email, voice and phone calls, with integrations for Gmail, Calendar, Slack, Notion, Linear and GitHub. No Linux desktop client, and the phone apps are cloud clients. |
| Best for | TypeScript developers building their own agents | one assistant with memory on every device |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Mastra and Vellum. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mastra starts at $25 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Vellum starts at $30 a month and scores 2.7.
Vellum scores higher, and starts $5 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI agents on the chart, 20 score higher than Mastra for less, and 8 score higher than Vellum for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Vellum also covers chat assistant.
At a glance
| Mastra | Vellum | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per workspace / month | $30 per month (Mighty) |
| Free plan | Unlimited agents, users and deployments, 100K observability events, 1 GB egress, 5 connections and 15-day trace retention. | Base plan, free with no card: a Small cloud machine (1 vCPU, 2 GiB RAM) and 6 GiB of storage. Model usage, web search and image generation draw on pay-as-you-go credits. Self-hosting the runtime is also free. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Mastra | Vellum |
| Price read from | mastra.ai | vellum.ai |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mastra
- It is a code framework, so building an agent means writing TypeScript; there is no no-code builder.
- Cloud usage past each plan's allowance is billed separately, for example $0.10 per GB of egress and $10 per 100K observability events.
- RBAC, SSO and audit logs are Enterprise only, and the SOC 2 report starts at the Team plan.
- Some directories in the repository are under a separate enterprise license (ee/), so not every file carries the main open-source terms.
Vellum
- The Base plan is free to host, but model usage, web search and image generation are paid for in prepaid credits at $1 per credit.
- Included monthly usage does not roll over, and pay-as-you-go credits expire twelve months after purchase.
- The docs describe the Windows app as a dev build tied to Vellum's development environment, and no Linux desktop client is shipped.
- The iOS and Android apps are clients for a cloud assistant; they do not run a local assistant on the phone.
Key features
Mastra
- Agents
- Typed agents are defined in code with instructions, a model, tools and runtime behavior in one place.
- Workflows
- Typed steps can be chained with retries and branches into workflows that a team can inspect.
- Memory
- Agents can keep durable context through thread-aware storage, semantic recall and an observational memory option.
- Observability and evals
- Traces, metrics and logs sit alongside evaluation tools such as scorers, datasets and experiments.
- MCP servers
- Agents, tools and other resources can be exposed as Model Context Protocol servers that any MCP-capable system can call.
- Deploy anywhere
- A Mastra app runs on any Node.js host or as a standalone server, with optional deployers for Vercel, Netlify and Cloudflare, or on Mastra Cloud.
Vellum
- Long-term memory
- The assistant keeps facts, preferences and people in a personal knowledge base and recalls them across conversations. On your own machine the workspace is plain-text files plus a SQLite database.
- Skills for your work tools
- Built-in skills and OAuth integrations cover Google Workspace, Outlook, Slack, Notion, Linear, GitHub, HubSpot, Asana and Todoist. More skills come from a catalog or are written yourself.
- Permission prompts
- Sensitive actions such as file access, shell commands or emailing a new contact show an Allow or Deny prompt with a risk badge until you create a trust rule for them.
- One assistant on every channel
- The same identity, memory and schedules are available from the web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android apps, a CLI, Telegram, Slack, email, voice and phone calls.
- Computer and browser control
- The desktop app adds voice input and computer control, and a Chrome extension lets the assistant read open tabs, fill in forms and act on the page in front of you.
- Cloud, local or self-hosted
- Run it in Vellum Cloud, locally on a Mac or Windows PC, or self-hosted on a Linux host or your own Google Cloud project, bringing your own model API key.
Plans
Mastra
Free$0
Unlimited agents, users and deployments, 100K observability events, 1 GB egress, 5 connections and 15-day trace retention.
Starter$25
per workspace / month
One small dedicated project, usage alerts, 250K observability events, 10 GB egress, 10 connections and 60-day trace retention.
Team$250
per workspace / month
One small and two medium dedicated projects, a SOC 2 report, 10M observability events, 100 GB egress, 50 connections and 180-day trace retention.
EnterpriseCustom
RBAC, SSO, audit logs, custom allowances and connections, and dedicated support.
Vellum
Base$0
Free forever: a Small cloud machine (1 vCPU, 2 GiB RAM), 6 GiB of storage and managed model access paid for with pay-as-you-go credits.
Self-hosted$0
The open-source runtime on your own Mac, Windows PC, Linux host or GCP project, with your own model API key and no platform or machine fees.
Mighty$30
per month
Small machine, 10 GiB of storage and a monthly Mighty Usage allowance. Leaves out the custom subdomain, static IP and priority support.
CustomFrom $50
per month
Pick a machine size, storage tier and optional usage bundle yourself. The minimum is a Medium machine with 10 GiB and no usage bundle.
Super$100
per month
Medium machine (2.5 vCPU, 5 GiB), 30 GiB of storage and Super Usage, plus an assistant email, custom subdomain, static IP and priority support.
Ultra$200
per month
Large machine (4 vCPU, 8 GiB), 60 GiB of storage and Ultra Usage, with the same assistant email, subdomain and support as Super.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mastra or Vellum?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mastra is cheaper to start with: $25 a month, against $30 a month for Vellum. Mastra starts at $25 per workspace / month, and Vellum starts at $30 per month (Mighty).
Which has a free plan, Mastra or Vellum?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Mastra and Vellum have a free plan.
Which platforms do Mastra and Vellum run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Vellum lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.