Melaya vs Glean
Glean indexes your company's knowledge for permissions-aware search and assistants at enterprise scale, while Melaya builds hands-on agents that operate real Android apps, run on your own models, and start free.
Pick Glean if you are a mid-size or large enterprise that needs permissions-aware search and an assistant across hundreds of SaaS apps, with the compliance posture and contract structure that comes with it. Pick Melaya if you want to build agents that act, including operating real Android apps with an on-device approval gate, route each step across 23 cloud or local model providers, and start free or at $20 per month without an enterprise contract. They overlap on no-code agent building, but Glean is knowledge-first and Melaya is action-first.
Melaya vs Glean, feature by feature
| Capability | Melaya | Glean |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Visual AI agent builder: agents, tools, triggers, and approval gates composed on a canvas | Work AI platform: permissions-aware search, assistant, and agents over company knowledge |
| Mobile app control | Device Control on Android: agents open allowed apps, read the screen, tap, type, and swipe on a real phone, with an on-device approval gate; no API needed for the app being operated | Glean's mobile app is an interface to search and the assistant; agents work through connectors and APIs, not by operating other apps on a device |
| Human-in-the-loop | Approval gate on every consequential write by default, plus on-device approval before an agent publishes from your phone | Human-in-the-loop checkpoints and action-level controls within agent workflows |
| Model choice and local execution | Per-step routing across 23 providers, cloud or local via a local runner; bring your own model, fully private inference | 35+ LLMs with per-use-case model choice; runs as a managed single-tenant cloud platform, no fully local option |
| Evaluation and observability | Deterministic rule checks before any LLM judge, full run traces, cost per accepted result | Agent testing, drafts, versioning, and rollback; platform-level observability |
| Enterprise knowledge search | RAG and memory per agent; not a company-wide, permissions-synced search index | Core strength: Enterprise Graph with permissions-aware search across your company's apps |
| Connector breadth | About 1,697 tools and 111 agent personas built in, oriented toward taking actions | 275+ native and MCP connectors with permission sync as of 2026, oriented toward indexing knowledge |
| Agent building experience | Visual canvas with per-step model routing, triggers, and approval gates | No-code Agent Builder: create agents conversationally or step by step, with versioning and rollback |
| Deployment | Cloud or fully local on your own machine | Single-tenant cloud deployment, enterprise SaaS |
| Governance and compliance | Approval gates, run traces, and local execution that keeps data on your hardware; in open beta | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 42001, HIPAA, and GDPR posture, plus the Glean Protect security layer |
| Pricing | Sandbox free, Outpost $20/mo with your own cloud keys, Forge for scheduled runs on managed cloud; free open beta | Quote-based enterprise contracts: per-seat licensing plus consumption-based FlexCredits, with reported seat minimums as of 2026 |
| Best for | Builders, individuals, and small teams who want agents that act, on desktop or a real Android phone | Mid-size to large enterprises standardizing search and assistants over company knowledge |
Where Melaya wins
- Device Control on Android: agents operate real apps on a real phone, reading the screen and tapping, typing, and swiping, with an on-device approval gate and app playbooks, no API required for the app being operated
- Model freedom: per-step routing across 23 AI providers, including local models via a local runner, so you can run fully private, on-prem inference; Glean is a managed cloud platform
- Deterministic-first evaluation: rule checks run before any LLM judge, with run traces and cost per accepted result, so you can see exactly what each accepted output cost
- Transparent pricing anyone can start with: free Sandbox, $20/mo Outpost with your own cloud keys, versus Glean's quote-based enterprise contracts
- Human approval on every consequential write by default, not just as an optional checkpoint
Where Glean wins
- Permissions-aware enterprise search is Glean's core product and Melaya does not replicate it: the Enterprise Graph keeps a company-wide index in sync with each employee's access rights
- Connector breadth for knowledge sources: 275+ native and MCP connectors as of 2026, built for indexing content across the enterprise stack
- Enterprise compliance and security posture: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 42001, HIPAA, GDPR, single-tenant deployment, and the Glean Protect security layer
- Proven large-enterprise rollouts, with mature admin controls, department-level moderation, and support built for organizations with thousands of seats
Melaya vs Glean: frequently asked questions
Is Melaya a good Glean alternative?
Yes for agent building, no for enterprise search. Melaya matches or exceeds Glean on building agents that act, with Android Device Control, per-step routing across 23 model providers including local ones, and human approval on every consequential write. It does not replicate Glean's permissions-synced search index over company knowledge, so if company-wide search is your main need, Glean remains the better fit.
How much does Melaya cost compared to Glean?
Melaya has a free Sandbox tier, an Outpost plan at $20 per month where you bring your own cloud keys, and a Forge plan for scheduled runs on managed cloud; it is currently in free open beta. Glean does not publish pricing; as of 2026 it sells quote-based enterprise contracts combining per-seat licensing with consumption-based FlexCredits, and third-party reports describe roughly 100-seat minimums.
Can Melaya do what Glean does?
Partly. Both let you build no-code agents connected to your tools, and Melaya adds per-step model routing, fully local execution, and Android Device Control that Glean does not offer. What Melaya does not do is Glean's core job: a permissions-aware search index and assistant over all of your company's knowledge, kept in sync with each employee's access rights.
Can Glean control apps on a phone?
No. Glean ships mobile apps as an interface to its search and assistant, but its agents work through connectors and APIs rather than by operating other apps on a device. Melaya's Device Control lets agents open allowed Android apps, read the screen, tap, type, and swipe, with an on-device approval gate before anything is published, and no API is required for the app being operated.
Can Melaya run fully locally?
Yes. Melaya's local runner executes agents on your own machine and can route steps to local models, so prompts and data never have to leave your hardware. Glean deploys as a managed platform in a single-tenant cloud; that is a strong enterprise posture, but it is not a fully local, bring-your-own-model setup.
Does Melaya have human-in-the-loop approvals like Glean?
Both do, in different ways. Glean offers human-in-the-loop checkpoints and action-level controls inside its agent platform. Melaya makes approval the default: every consequential write passes a human gate, and on Android the approval happens on the device itself before an agent publishes anything.
Which is better for a small team or an individual?
Melaya. Glean is built and priced for enterprises, with quote-based contracts and reported seat minimums that put it out of reach for most individuals and small teams. Melaya starts free, its paid Outpost plan is $20 per month with your own cloud keys, and the platform is in free open beta.
Does Melaya connect to as many apps as Glean?
They offer different kinds of breadth. Glean lists 275+ native and MCP connectors focused on indexing enterprise knowledge sources with permission sync. Melaya ships about 1,697 tools and 111 agent personas oriented toward taking actions, and on Android its agents can operate apps directly through the screen, which covers apps that have no connector at all.
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