kitio.aiMLflow vs ZenML
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. MLflow is completely free, while ZenML is freemium.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Experiment tracking
- Model registry
- GenAI tracing
- LLM evaluation
- Framework autologging
- Python pipeline orchestration
- Runs on your own infrastructure
- Agent session replay with Kitaru
- Evaluators and experiment runs
- Model and artifact control planes
- Self-hosted open source
| Feature | MLflow | ZenML |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source platform for ML experiments, models and GenAI tracing | Open-source orchestration for ML pipelines and AI agents |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free | $39/mo |
| Free plan | Yes, fully free | Yes |
| Made by | Databricks | ZenML |
| Based in | United States | Germany |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
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Pricing compared
MLflow is completely free, while ZenML is freemium.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Open Source
Free
- Self-hosted
- Evaluators and experiment runs
- Community support
Kitaru Cloud
$39/mo
- 3 agents and 2 seats
- 90-day session retention
- Hosted dashboard
- 14-day full-access trial
Scale
$999/mo
- 2,000 executions per month
- 3 projects
- Model and artifact control planes
- Audit logs
Enterprise
Custom
- Air-gapped deployment
- Custom limits
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
MLflow
- Free and widely adopted
- Covers classic ML and GenAI
- Managed options on many clouds
- Self-hosting needs setup
- UI less polished than SaaS tools
- GenAI features still maturing
ZenML
- Apache 2.0 open source core
- Works with existing orchestrators and clouds
- Replays real sessions to test agent changes
- Flat $39 plan for Kitaru Cloud
- Scale plan starts at $999 a month
- Requires Python engineering skills
- Self-hosting means running it yourself
Which one should you choose?
Choose MLflow if you want:
- Free and widely adopted
- Covers classic ML and GenAI
- Managed options on many clouds
Watch out: self-hosting needs setup.
Choose ZenML if you want:
- Apache 2.0 open source core
- Works with existing orchestrators and clouds
- Replays real sessions to test agent changes
Watch out: scale plan starts at $999 a month.
MLflow vs ZenML FAQ
What is the difference between MLflow and ZenML?
MLflow: Open-source platform for ML experiments, models and GenAI tracing. ZenML: Open-source orchestration for ML pipelines and AI agents. Both are models & apis tools.
Is MLflow or ZenML cheaper?
MLflow is completely free, while ZenML is freemium.
Do MLflow and ZenML have free plans?
MLflow: Yes, fully free. ZenML: Yes.
Who makes MLflow?
MLflow is made by Databricks, based in United States.
Who makes ZenML?
ZenML is made by ZenML, based in Germany.
Which should I choose, MLflow or ZenML?
Choose MLflow if you value free and widely adopted and covers classic ml and genai. Choose ZenML if you value apache 2.0 open source core and works with existing orchestrators and clouds.