Pinchy vs StackAI
StackAI is a polished no-code enterprise agent builder: a drag-and-drop canvas, a broad SaaS connector library, and shipped compliance certifications, delivered primarily as a managed cloud (with on-prem on the Enterprise tier). Pinchy is open source and self-hosted first: AGPL, per-agent default-deny tool permissions, and an HMAC-signed audit trail in the free tier, fully offline with local models. They optimize for different things.
The Core Difference
Assemble agents and workflows on a visual drag-and-drop canvas, wire up dozens of SaaS connectors, and let StackAI host and operate it for you. The center of gravity is a polished, managed builder product, owned and run by StackAI.
Pinchy runs on your own infrastructure: one Docker Compose stack, your models, your data. The center of gravity is governance: which tools each agent may use, and a signed record of everything it does.
StackAI is proprietary and closed-source, so trust rests on certifications and contracts. Pinchy is AGPL-3.0 and fully auditable: you can read every line, run it air-gapped, and verify what it does rather than take it on faith.
Side by Side
Figures as of June 2026. Check each project's pricing and docs for current details.
| StackAI | Pinchy | |
|---|---|---|
| Product model | Managed no-code cloud builder | Self-hosted first (AGPL) |
| License | Proprietary, closed-source | AGPL-3.0, open source |
| Free tier | Yes (limited runs, 1 seat) | Yes (AGPL, no user limit) |
| Pricing model | Per seat, custom quote (Enterprise) | Flat (free + flat Pro) |
| Where data is processed | StackAI cloud (on-prem/VPC on Enterprise) | Your infrastructure |
| Self-hosting | Enterprise tier only (on-prem/VPC) | First-class (Docker Compose, GHCR) |
| Local models / offline | Cloud LLMs | Ollama, fully offline |
| Connectors | Broad SaaS connector library | Odoo, Gmail, Telegram, web, docs |
| No-code visual builder | Drag-and-drop canvas | No (agent-centric, config-driven) |
| Per-agent tool permissions | RBAC and workspace access | Default-deny allow-list per agent |
| Audit of agent actions | Enterprise governance / RBAC | HMAC-signed per row, free, CSV export |
| Compliance certifications | SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR | None yet (self-hosted controls) |
| SSO / SAML | Yes (Enterprise) | On roadmap, not shipped |
| Granular custom RBAC | Yes (Enterprise) | Admin/Member + Groups (roadmap for custom) |
Being Honest
StackAI's drag-and-drop canvas lets non-developers assemble multi-step agents and workflows visually, fast. If you want a polished builder where business users design flows without touching config or code, StackAI is purpose-built for that. Pinchy is agent-centric and config-driven, not a visual workflow canvas.
StackAI ships a broad library of SaaS integrations out of the box, covering many of the tools an enterprise already runs. Pinchy's integration list (Odoo, Gmail, Telegram, web, docs) is deliberately narrower and focused.
StackAI documents SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and GDPR, plus SSO and granular RBAC on its Enterprise tier. If your procurement requires those certifications today, that is a real advantage. Pinchy gives you self-hosted control, but has no certification yet, and SSO and custom RBAC are still on the roadmap.
StackAI hosts and operates everything, with dedicated solution engineers on Enterprise. If you would rather not run infrastructure and want a vendor on the hook, that is the model. Pinchy asks you to run a Docker stack: power and control in exchange for some ops.
Where Pinchy Wins
Pinchy is built to run entirely on your infrastructure, for every user, not just an Enterprise contract. Paired with a local model via Ollama, no prompt or document ever leaves your network, air-gapped if you need it. There is no telemetry and no phone-home.
Pinchy is AGPL-3.0. You can read the source, verify how secrets and audit signing work, and run it without trusting a black box. StackAI is proprietary, so its internals stay closed.
Pinchy is free under AGPL with no user limit, plus a flat Pro tier (around EUR 99 per month, up to 10 users). StackAI's Enterprise tier is custom-quoted through sales and scales by seat count; the company does not publish prices. The cost curves diverge as headcount grows.
Each agent starts with zero tools; admins enable each one explicitly, per agent. Every tool call is recorded in an individually HMAC-SHA256-signed audit row you can export to CSV and verify, tamper-evident at the row level.
Pinchy ships a deep Odoo integration over read-write JSON-RPC: query stock, create orders, reconcile invoices, all from chat or Telegram. Acting inside an ERP is a first-class use case, not one connector among a hundred.
No shell, no code execution, and no scheduled or unattended runs: agents act on request only. For teams that want AI help without an autonomous process running loose in their systems, that boundary is the point.
Decision Guide
You want a polished no-code visual builder, a broad SaaS connector library, and shipped compliance (SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, SSO, RBAC) out of the box, and a per-seat, sales-led Enterprise contract is acceptable.
Data must stay on your own infrastructure or fully offline, you want open source you can audit, per-agent default-deny governance, and a signed audit without paying per seat, and especially when Odoo is central to the work.
Where must the data live, and do you need a certified cloud today? If the answer is "our servers, auditable, not per seat", that points to Pinchy. If it is "managed, no-code, certified, connectors everywhere" and seat pricing is fine, that points to StackAI.
FAQ
No. StackAI is a proprietary, closed-source product. You use it as a managed cloud platform, and its enterprise tier adds on-premise and VPC deployment, but the code itself is not published or auditable. Pinchy is open source under AGPL-3.0, so you can read, run, and audit the whole stack yourself.
On the Enterprise tier StackAI offers on-premise and Virtual Private Cloud deployment, so larger organizations can run it inside their own environment as part of a sales-led, quote-based contract. For everyone else the product is a managed cloud. Pinchy is self-hosted first for every user: a single Docker Compose stack with pre-built images, free under AGPL-3.0, no sales call required.
For teams that want self-hosted, governance-first agents on their own infrastructure, yes. StackAI is a polished no-code visual builder with a broad SaaS connector library and enterprise compliance certifications. Pinchy optimizes for a different goal: open source, data that stays on your servers, per-agent default-deny tool permissions, and a tamper-evident signed audit trail in the free tier.
StackAI has a free starter plan (limited runs and a single seat) and an Enterprise tier that is custom-quoted through sales, with pricing that scales by seat count and usage. StackAI does not publish prices. Pinchy is free and open source under AGPL-3.0 with no user limit, plus a flat Pro tier (around EUR 99 per month, up to 10 users, not per seat). Governance features are in the free tier.
Teams for whom data residency, open source, and per-agent governance outweigh a polished cloud builder. Choose Pinchy when prompts and documents must stay on your own infrastructure or fully offline, when you want a default-deny per-agent permission model and a signed audit without per-seat pricing, and especially when Odoo is central to the work. Stay on StackAI if you need its broad connector library, no-code visual workflow canvas, and shipped compliance certifications (SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA) today.
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