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Systems Operational · v2.4
Arcade

Arcade

MCP runtime for production AI agents with auth, tools, and governance.

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At a Glance
Website
arcade.dev
Category
AI Agents
Ideal For
Developer, Founder
Platforms
Web, API
Added
July 14, 2026
Pricing
Freemium
Last Verified
September 2, 2026
Arcade screenshot

What is Arcade?

TL;DR

Arcade is an MCP runtime for production AI agents that handles authentication, authorization, tool execution, governance, and audit logs when agents need to take real actions in external systems and apps.

  • Connect AI agents to business systems through an MCP runtime
  • Handle user auth, permissions, policy enforcement, and audit logs
  • Use agent-optimized tools for reliable external actions

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About

Arcade is an MCP runtime for production AI agents. It sits between agents and the external tools, apps, and business systems they need to access, handling authentication, authorization, tool execution, governance, and audit logs in one runtime layer. The platform is useful for developers and founders building agents that need to take real actions, not just generate text. Agents may need to access Google, Slack, Salesforce, databases, internal tools, or other systems on behalf of real users. Arcade helps ensure those actions respect user permissions, policy rules, and compliance requirements. Arcade's site positions the product around three major agent deployment problems: auth, reliability, and governance. It supports MCP patterns, agent-optimized tools, policy enforcement, auditability, and integration with existing identity providers and frameworks. For FutureStack, Arcade belongs in AI Agents because it solves a hard production problem for agent builders: safely connecting agents to tools and business systems. It is best for technical founders and developers shipping agents that need secure tool access, user-scoped actions, and enterprise-ready governance.

Use Cases

Secure Agent Actions

Connect agents to business systems while enforcing user authentication, permissions, policies, and auditable tool execution.

MCP Tool Infrastructure

Use MCP-compatible tools and runtimes to give agents reliable access to external applications and services.

Enterprise Agent Governance

Apply policy controls and audit trails to agent actions across sensitive business workflows and applications.

Custom Agent Tools

Build and connect custom tools so production agents can safely interact with APIs and internal systems.

Key Features

  • Connect AI agents to business systems through an MCP runtime
  • Handle user auth, permissions, policy enforcement, and audit logs
  • Use agent-optimized tools for reliable external actions
  • Works with any LLM, framework, identity provider, or MCP client

Featured Tools

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Wispr Flow
Voice-First Dictation
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Chatbase
Custom AI Chatbots
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beehiiv
Newsletter Platform

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Pricing summary

Free to start, usage-based pricing, and enterprise volume options. Exact pricing should be checked on Arcade's official pricing page.

Pricing & Plans

Free Start

Start building with Arcade's MCP runtime for agents.

Free
  • Start building access
  • MCP runtime workflows
  • Tool catalog access
  • Good for prototypes
Popular

Usage-Based

Scale agent tool calls with usage-based pricing.

Custom
  • Agent auth runtime
  • Tool execution layer
  • Governance and audit logs
  • Production agent workflows

Enterprise

Custom deployment and governance for enterprise agents.

Custom
  • Custom pricing
  • SSO and RBAC workflows
  • Cloud, on-prem, hybrid options
  • Enterprise security review support

Other pricing notes

  • Arcade offers free-to-start and usage-based options for agent infrastructure.
  • Usage and platform resources can affect total cost at production scale.
  • Review current pricing, tool-call limits, authentication needs, and enterprise terms before deployment.
Pricing last checked: July 2026Official pricing

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Handles auth, tool execution, governance, and logs
  • Large library of agent-optimized MCP tools
  • Works with popular agent frameworks and MCP clients
  • Useful for production agents that need user permissions
  • Supports custom tools with Python or JavaScript

Cons

  • More infrastructure-focused than beginner-friendly
  • Best value appears after agents need real actions
  • Pricing can be harder to estimate than flat tools
  • Requires developers to understand MCP and auth flows
  • May be overkill for simple prototype chatbots

The Best Arcade Alternatives

The best Arcade alternatives are One by Pica, Composio, and Toolhouse.

One by Pica

One by Pica

Freemium

AI Agents

Choose One by Pica if...

  • ✓you want simplifies backend OAuth plumbing for agent connections
  • ✓you need broad access to thousands of pre-vetted API actions and schemas
  • ✓you prefer developer-first CLI and Model Context Protocol support
See details ↓
Composio

Composio

Freemium

AI Agents

Choose Composio if...

  • ✓you want saves time building agent integrations from scratch
  • ✓you value Claude, Codex, Cursor, and MCP workflows
  • ✓you prefer clear usage tiers for tool-call based scaling
See details ↓
Toolhouse

Toolhouse

Freemium

AI Agents

Choose Toolhouse if...

  • ✓you want focused on practical AI workers rather than generic chat
  • ✓you value founders and lean operations teams
  • ✓you prefer can automate repeatable business processes
See details ↓

Frequently Asked Questions

Reviews

Honest feedback from the FutureStack community.

0.0
0 ratings

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience.

Featured Tools

Wispr Flow logo
Wispr Flow
Voice-First Dictation
Chatbase logo
Chatbase
Custom AI Chatbots
beehiiv logo
beehiiv
Newsletter Platform

We may earn commissions from links to support our work. Learn more.

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Trending Tools on FutureStack

Discover the most popular and hand-picked AI tools across FutureStack

CommandCode
CommandCode

CommandCode

Paid

Coding

Choose CommandCode if...

  • ✓you prefer developers who prefer terminal workflows
  • ✓you need learns repeated coding preferences over time
  • ✓you prefer supports skills, memory, MCP, plugins, and commands
See details ↓
SambaNova Cloud
SambaNova Cloud

SambaNova Cloud

Freemium

Developer Tools

Choose SambaNova Cloud if...

  • ✓you want strong open-model selection
  • ✓you need usage-based pricing by model and token
  • ✓you prefer designed for production inference workloads
See details ↓
Google Flow
Google Flow

Google Flow

Freemium

Video Generation

Choose Google Flow if...

  • ✓you want strong filmmaking-oriented workflow
  • ✓you need uses multiple Google generative models
  • ✓you prefer supports reference-driven consistency
See details ↓
Amp
Amp

Amp

Paid

Coding

Choose Amp if...

  • ✓you want strong for complex multi-step engineering work
  • ✓you need remote agents can continue without your laptop
  • ✓you prefer specialist agents enable parallel workflows
See details ↓
IBM Bob
IBM Bob

IBM Bob

Paid

Coding

Choose IBM Bob if...

  • ✓you prefer enterprise software development
  • ✓you need supports agents and parallel development work
  • ✓you prefer works across IDE, CLI, and CI/CD workflows
See details ↓
Humanloop
Humanloop

Humanloop

Free Trial

Developer Tools

Choose Humanloop if...

  • ✓you want combines prompt management, evals, and observability
  • ✓you need supports both UI-first and code-first workflows
  • ✓you prefer human and automated evaluation options
See details ↓
LiteAi.me
LiteAi.me

LiteAi.me

Freemium

Developer Tools

Choose LiteAi.me if...

  • ✓you want very low setup barrier for beginners
  • ✓you value students and classroom projects
  • ✓you prefer combines web publishing and Android packaging
See details ↓
Scribe
Scribe

Scribe

Freemium

Productivity

Choose Scribe if...

  • ✓you want turns real workflows into documentation much faster than writing guides manually
  • ✓you prefer SOPs, onboarding, training, customer education, and client handoffs
  • ✓you prefer supports web, desktop, and mobile process capture on paid plans
See details ↓
Cursor
Cursor

Cursor

Freemium

Coding

Choose Cursor if...

  • ✓you want combines editing, chat, autocomplete, and agents
  • ✓you need strong project-context awareness
  • ✓you value founders shipping quickly
See details ↓
OpenWork
OpenWork

OpenWork

Freemium

Developer Tools

Choose OpenWork if...

  • ✓you want open source and local-first
  • ✓you need supports many model providers
  • ✓you prefer useful beyond coding and chat
See details ↓
Arcade

Arcade

AI Agents

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