Which is cheaper, Depot or Stainless?

Depot is 4.0x cheaper than Stainless. Depot starts at $20/mo, Stainless starts at $0/mo.

Does Depot have a free tier?

No, Depot does not have a free tier.

Depot has drop-in switching cost. Stainless has moderate switching cost. Depot is easier to switch away from.

Ci Cd

Depot

← More affordable

Fast container builds and CI runners with persistent caching and GitHub Actions integration

Switching Cost: drop-in

Stainless

SDK generation platform that creates idiomatic client libraries and documentation from OpenAPI specs

Switching Cost: moderate

You're paying a premium for Stainless — expect around a 4.0x higher bill compared to Depot.

The free tier advantage goes to Stainless, which offers a no-cost entry point that Depot lacks.

Cost modeling varies: flat-rate drives Depot pricing, while Stainless uses hybrid.

Price-conscious teams should choose Depot — the cost advantage is hard to ignore, especially for growing workloads.

Price-conscious teams should choose Depot — the cost advantage is hard to ignore, especially for growing workloads.

Price Difference

4.0x

Depot is cheaper by $59/mo

Free Tier

Stainless

Has a free tier option

Pricing Model

Different

Tools charge using different pricing philosophies

Switching Costs

Depot

Lower switching costs for easier migration