# Activepieces API + MCP vs Gumloop

> Gumloop scores 61.6 (C) on agent readiness against Activepieces API + MCP's 57.5 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Activepieces API + MCP leads on security & auth, payments & pricing and transparency & trust. Both do automation workflows. Category scores, facts…

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-gumloop
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-gumloop.md (~2,350 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-gumloop.min.md (~730 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-gumloop.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Gumloop scores 61.6 (C) on agent readiness against Activepieces API + MCP's 57.5 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Activepieces API + MCP leads on security & auth, payments & pricing and transparency & trust. Both do automation workflows.

- Activepieces API + MCP: grade C, 57.5/100, rank #545 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/activepieces.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/activepieces.json
- Gumloop: grade C, 61.6/100, rank #419 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gumloop.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gumloop.json

## Which one, for what

### Activepieces API + MCP (C)

Good for: A team that wants an MIT-licensed builder it can self-host or embed, with an agent that builds flows through MCP.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 64 against 50
- Payments & pricing, 35 against 20
- Transparency & trust, 73 against 57

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card
- Open source

Watch for: Docs say API keys come from the platform dashboard in Platform and Enterprise editions, while the pricing page lists the API on every plan

### Gumloop (C)

Good for: A team that wants hosted agents with connectors, approvals and triggers, driven or configured by an outside agent through the API or MCP server.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 82 against 55

Watch for: API keys and the `gumloop_api` OAuth scope need the Pro plan at $37 a month. The 14-day trial needs a card


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Activepieces API + MCP | Gumloop | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 55 | 82 | Gumloop +27 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 83 | Gumloop +3 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 66 | Gumloop +1 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 64 | 50 | Activepieces API + MCP +14 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 35 | 20 | Activepieces API + MCP +15 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 77 | Activepieces API + MCP +3 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 73 | 57 | Activepieces API + MCP +16 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -6 | -2 | |
| **Total** | | **57.5 · C** | **61.6 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Activepieces API + MCP | Gumloop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Activepieces | AgentHub Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://cloud.activepieces.com/api/v1` | `https://api.gumloop.com/api/v1` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT (core), commercial licence for enterprise-only parts | Proprietary service under Gumloop's terms of service. The Python SDK and CLI repository and the npm package are Apache-2.0 |
| Tools exposed | 45 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-09-30 | 2026-10-08 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 25k stars, 452k npm/wk | 188 npm/wk, 2.9k PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**Activepieces API + MCP.** MIT core, self-hostable, with the enterprise parts clearly separated. Docs say API keys come from the platform dashboard in Platform and Enterprise editions, while the pricing page lists the API on every plan.

**Gumloop.** Gumloop's REST API has a public OpenAPI file with 105 operations, Markdown docs and a changelog with 28 dated releases since 9 July 2026. API keys need the $37 Pro plan, the trial needs a card, the key can travel in the URL, and self-serve content may be used to train Gumloop's models.

## Before you call either

### Activepieces API + MCP

1. Run `ap_validate_flow` before publishing a flow
2. Use `ap_search_actions` with a plain task description rather than listing pieces
3. Turn off the Flow Building and Tables groups for a project the agent should only read
4. Page with `limit` and `cursor` and stop when `next` is null
5. Cloud runs stop at 10 minutes of active time. Waits and approvals don't count

### Gumloop

1. Send the key as `Authorization: Bearer` and, for a personal key, add the `x-auth-key` header with the user ID. Do not put `api_key` in the URL
2. Create sessions with `POST /agents/{agent_id}/sessions`, then poll `GET /sessions/{session_id}`. A 202 means processing or queued, and the reply is not in the response
3. Supply your own `session_id` when creating a session. A repeat returns 409, which makes a retry safe
4. For streamed output send the same body with `stream: true` to `ws.gumloop.com`. `api.gumloop.com` answers 400 to it
5. Treat a webhook trigger URL as a password. It returns `{"success": true}` at once and never carries the agent's output

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Activepieces API + MCP or Gumloop?

Gumloop scores 61.6 (C) on agent readiness against Activepieces API + MCP's 57.5 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Activepieces API + MCP leads on security & auth, payments & pricing and transparency & trust.

### Do Activepieces API + MCP and Gumloop need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Activepieces API + MCP and Gumloop without installing anything?

Yes. Activepieces API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://cloud.activepieces.com/api/v1 and Gumloop at https://api.gumloop.com/api/v1.

### Are Activepieces API + MCP and Gumloop open source?

Activepieces API + MCP is open source (MIT (core), commercial licence for enterprise-only parts). No open-source release is listed for Gumloop.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-gumloop.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-gumloop.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "activepieces", "b": "gumloop"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare activepieces gumloop`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/activepieces.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gumloop.json

## Other comparisons with Activepieces API + MCP or Gumloop

- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Kestra](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-kestra.md)
- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Make API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-make.md)
- [Activepieces API + MCP vs n8n API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-n8n.md)
- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Paragon ActionKit + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-paragon.md)
- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Pipedream API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-pipedream.md)
- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Microsoft Power Automate](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-power-automate.md)
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- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Windmill API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-windmill.md)
- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Workato API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-workato.md)
- [Gumloop vs Kestra](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-kestra.md)
- [Gumloop vs Make API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-make.md)
- [Gumloop vs n8n API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-n8n.md)
- [Gumloop vs Paragon ActionKit + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-paragon.md)
- [Gumloop vs Pipedream API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-pipedream.md)
- [Gumloop vs Microsoft Power Automate](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-power-automate.md)
- [Gumloop vs Tray.ai API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-tray.md)
- [Gumloop vs Windmill API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-windmill.md)
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