kitio.aiMLServer vs Polyaxon
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. MLServer is completely free, while Polyaxon is freemium.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- REST and gRPC endpoints
- V2 Inference Protocol
- Multi-model serving
- Adaptive batching
- Prebuilt framework runtimes
- Custom runtimes
- Training and fine-tuning jobs
- Hyperparameter sweeps and DAGs
- Model serving and notebooks
- Experiment tracking and registry
- Agent sandboxes
- Access policies and audit logs
| Feature | MLServer | Polyaxon |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source Python server for serving ML models over REST and gRPC | Open-source control plane for ML training, serving and agents on Kubernetes |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free | $555/mo |
| Free plan | Yes, fully free | Yes |
| Made by | Seldon | Polyaxon |
| Based in | United Kingdom | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
MLServer is completely free, while Polyaxon is freemium.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Open Source
Free
- Self-hosted
- Core tracking and scheduling
Platform
$555/mo
- 3 developer seats
- 1 compute cluster
- 50 concurrent runs
- Collaboration features
Teams
$1500/mo
- 6 developer seats
- 2 compute clusters
- Teams management
- Priority support
Enterprise
Custom
- Custom seats
- Custom policies and deployment
Prices in USD, checked Nov 5, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
MLServer
- Standard protocol shared with KServe
- Wide range of ML framework runtimes
- Installs with pip
- Python 3.13 is not yet supported
- Docs page shows few recent updates
- Needs Kubernetes tooling for scaled deployments
Polyaxon
- Self-hosted, data stays on your infra
- Covers training, serving and tracking
- Free for academics
- Paid plans start at a high price
- Requires Kubernetes expertise
- Extra seats and clusters cost more
Which one should you choose?
Choose MLServer if you want:
- Standard protocol shared with KServe
- Wide range of ML framework runtimes
- Installs with pip
Watch out: python 3.13 is not yet supported.
Choose Polyaxon if you want:
- Self-hosted, data stays on your infra
- Covers training, serving and tracking
- Free for academics
Watch out: paid plans start at a high price.
MLServer vs Polyaxon FAQ
What is the difference between MLServer and Polyaxon?
MLServer: Open-source Python server for serving ML models over REST and gRPC. Polyaxon: Open-source control plane for ML training, serving and agents on Kubernetes. Both are models & apis tools.
Is MLServer or Polyaxon cheaper?
MLServer is completely free, while Polyaxon is freemium.
Do MLServer and Polyaxon have free plans?
MLServer: Yes, fully free. Polyaxon: Yes.
Who makes MLServer?
MLServer is made by Seldon, based in United Kingdom.
Who makes Polyaxon?
Polyaxon is made by Polyaxon.
Which should I choose, MLServer or Polyaxon?
Choose MLServer if you value standard protocol shared with kserve and wide range of ml framework runtimes. Choose Polyaxon if you value self-hosted, data stays on your infra and covers training, serving and tracking.