ScopeGate vs Arcade.dev

Arcade.dev (Y Combinator-backed) provides an MCP runtime that manages tool execution for AI agents, with pricing at $25/month plus per-execution fees. ScopeGate takes a different approach: rather than executing tools, it acts as a permission proxy layer — letting you control exactly which tools and scopes each agent is allowed to use, with flat predictable pricing.

Feature comparison

Feature
ScopeGate
Arcade.dev
Per-agent scope control
Granular per-agent permission profiles
Tool-level access control per user/agent
Developer self-service (5-min setup)
Yes — connect services and set permissions
Yes — SDK-based integration
Self-hosted option
Yes — open-core, MIT-licensed
No — cloud-only SaaS
Instant cross-service revocation
One-click revocation across all services
Per-tool revocation available
Audit trail dashboard
Built-in audit dashboard
Execution logs and monitoring
Transparent pricing
Flat pricing from $0/mo, no per-call fees
$25/mo + per-execution fees (variable costs)
MCP-native design
MCP permission proxy — controls access
MCP runtime — executes tools
Rate limiting per agent
Per-agent rate limits included
Execution-based throttling

Winner in this category · Tie

Where ScopeGate wins

  • Flat, predictable pricing — no surprise per-execution bills at scale
  • Self-hosted option for data sovereignty and compliance
  • Focused on the permission layer — pairs with any execution runtime
  • Cross-service revocation in one click vs per-tool management

Where Arcade.dev wins

  • Built-in tool execution runtime — handles the full execution lifecycle, not just permissions
  • Pre-built tool integrations with managed auth flow for 100+ services

The verdict

Arcade.dev is a good fit if you want a managed tool execution runtime and are comfortable with per-execution pricing. ScopeGate is better if you want a dedicated permission layer with flat pricing that you can pair with any MCP-compatible execution environment.

Who should pick which?

Pick ScopeGate if

Teams that want predictable pricing and a dedicated permission layer for their existing MCP setup.

Pick Arcade.dev if

Teams that want a fully managed tool execution runtime with built-in auth handling.

Ready to try ScopeGate?

Free tier with 1 project, 5 endpoints, and 1K requests/month. Set up per-agent permissions in under 5 minutes.

View on GitHub

See also