---
title: "Guild vs Runlayer"
description: "Guild vs Runlayer: Runlayer Agents, its MCP gateway, and its rules for AI tools compared with Guild's agents, permissions, triggers, Agent Hub, and CLI."
canonical: "https://www.guild.ai/compare/runlayer"
---

# Guild vs Runlayer

Guild vs Runlayer: Runlayer Agents, its MCP gateway, and its rules for AI tools compared with Guild's agents, permissions, triggers, Agent Hub, and CLI.

Runlayer controls how a company's employees and agents use AI tools, and finds the ones nobody approved. Guild is built around the agents themselves: engineers build, test, and ship them from one CLI, with secrets kept out of agent code and a public Agent Hub.

Last verified 2026-10-30. Across 35 features, Guild leads on 8, Runlayer on 6, and 21 are level. Every cell below names its source.

## When to choose Runlayer

- Your main goal is controlling all AI tool use across the company, including tools nobody approved.
- You need every tool call scanned for attacks and personal data.
- You need approvals that expire, and self-hosting in your own AWS or Kubernetes.
- Employees should create agents from chat apps without code.

## When to choose Guild

- Engineers build agents as code, with typed inputs and outputs, tests, and versions.
- You want one CLI to create, test, publish, and trigger agents.
- You want to share or fork agents on a public Hub.
- You need repo agents, Goose recipes, or Python LangGraph next to plain-instruction agents.

## What Runlayer and Guild are

**Runlayer.** Runlayer sets the rules for AI tool use across a company: logins for tools, fine-grained permissions, scanning on every tool call, a tamper-proof audit log, and discovery of unapproved AI tools through device management. Runlayer Agents are set up in the UI or Terraform and run in a sandbox for up to 8 hours. Pricing isn't public.

**Guild.** Guild treats agents as code you version and ship: TypeScript with typed inputs and outputs, plain-instruction agents, Goose recipes, OpenClaw workspaces, and Python LangGraph, all built, tested, and published from one CLI. Secrets stay out of agent code, and agents can be shared and forked on the Agent Hub.

|   | Runlayer | Guild |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Category | Enterprise AI control plane | One platform to run and control AI agents |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary platform; CLI published on npm as @guildai/cli |
| Pricing | Not public (demo / quote) | No public price list; plans priced with the Guild team; model usage metered at list price |
| Maturity | Generally available | Generally available |
| Docs | https://docs.runlayer.com/llms.txt | https://docs.guild.ai |

## Concept map: Runlayer to Guild

| Concept | Runlayer | Guild | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| The agent | Runlayer Agent (prompt, model, instructions) | A Native agent: `PROMPT.md` + `guild.yaml` (models, integrations, builtins) |   |
| Sandbox | Built-in Code mode and sandbox | An OpenClaw agent (shell, git, files) or a TypeScript agent |   |
| Memory | Built-in Memory | OpenClaw `MEMORY.md`, or `task.save` / `task.restore` in TypeScript |   |
| Connectors | Catalog and MCP Gateway connectors | Guild integrations from MCP servers or OpenAPI specs |   |
| Agent identity | Agent Accounts and on-behalf-of calls | Agent- and member-scoped credentials, plus Slack and GitHub identity mapping |   |
| Policies | Policies (tool, resource, user, arguments) | Credential policies (operation, resource, agent, workspace) |   |
| Approvals | Guarded tool calls | Approval gates, set in the Guild UI | Per agent and per action; the run pauses until a designated human approves. |
| Triggers | Cron, webhooks, Slack monitors | Schedule, API, and event triggers |   |
| Env vars | Env vars | Workspace variables (`task.env`) |   |
| Sharing | Sharing: Can use / Can edit | Workspaces + Hub visibility (Draft, Internal, Public) |   |
| Infrastructure as code | `runlayer_agent` Terraform resource | `guild agent init` + `guild agent save` from CI |   |
| Usage and budgets | Sessions, budgets, ROI | Sessions, spend budgets, Insights and Spend Explorer |   |

## Feature by feature: Runlayer vs. Guild

### Authoring

| Feature | Runlayer | Guild |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Code-first TypeScript agents | **Partial.** Agents are configured in the UI or with the runlayer_agent Terraform resource; no code SDK documented. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agents.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** @guildai/agents-sdk: agent(), llmAgent(), and the task API (task.llm, task.tools, task.ui, task.gather). ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/packages/agents-sdk.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Python / LangGraph agents | **No.** No Python or LangGraph authoring documented. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agents.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** LangGraph agent type: langgraph.json + graph.py using guild_model() and guild_tools(). LangChain v1, Python 3.13, no extra pip packages. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/guide/agent-types.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Instruction-only (no-code) agents | **Yes.** Create agents from Slack, Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Codex, the web UI, or templates. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agents.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Native agents: PROMPT.md + guild.yaml, no container, ready immediately. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/guide/agent-types.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Several agent formats on one platform | **No.** One Runlayer agent definition (prompt, connectors, model, skills). ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agents.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Native, TypeScript, Goose, OpenClaw, and LangGraph agent types, plus ADK (CLI 0.28). ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/guide/agent-types.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Typed agent input/output | **No.** Not documented; agents take a prompt. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agents.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Zod inputSchema and outputSchema on agent(); root input must be z.object. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/packages/agents-sdk.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Repo / workspace agents (shell, git, files) | **Yes.** Per-agent sandbox with persistent /tmp/workspace, shell, and headless browser; runs up to 8 hours. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/deployment/overview.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** OpenClaw agents (AGENTS.md + skills/) run in the guildai~lobsterpot container with shell, git, and file editing. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/guide/agent-types.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Sub-agents and agent-to-agent calls | **Yes.** Agent-to-agent handoffs with Approve once, Approve always, or Deny. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-approvals.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** guildAgentTool calls owner~agent; Native, Goose, and OpenClaw agents declare sub_agents in guild.yaml. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/guide/guild-yaml.md), checked 2026-10-23) |

### Tools & integrations

| Feature | Runlayer | Guild |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Managed integrations catalog | **Yes.** Catalog plus an MCP Gateway (claims 18k+ servers) and plugins that bundle connectors. ([source](https://runlayer.com/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** 37 non-model integrations (GitHub, Slack, Gmail, Linear, Jira, Notion, Zendesk, …) plus 8 model publishers. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/integrations/overview.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Use MCP servers as tools | **Yes.** MCP-native gateway; local MCPs run through the runlayer CLI. ([source](https://runlayer.com/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Build custom integrations from MCP servers with guild integration. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/integrations/overview.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Platform exposed over MCP | **Yes.** The Runlayer Plugin is a single MCP entrypoint for everything a user is approved for. ([source](https://runlayer.com/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Guild is an MCP server: https://api.guild.ai/mcp (OAuth + PKCE) or local `guild mcp`. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/api-reference/mcp.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Custom APIs from OpenAPI | **Partial.** Hosted custom MCP servers rather than OpenAPI import. ([source](https://runlayer.com/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** guild integration builds tools from OpenAPI specs; Porter drafts integrations from public APIs. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/integrations/overview.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Secrets never reach the agent | **Yes.** OAuth broker, session grants, Agent Accounts, and secret stores. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agent-accounts.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** A credential proxy injects auth server-side; GitHub uses short-lived GitHub App tokens. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/credentials.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Per-operation credential policies | **Yes.** Policies by server, tool, resource, user, group, role, client, network, tool arguments, or session context. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** ALLOW/DENY rules by operation, resource, agent, and workspace; DENY wins. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/credential-policies.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Act as the invoking user | **Yes.** Delegated calls get the intersection of agent, user, and server policies. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agent-accounts.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Member-scoped credentials plus identity mapping for Slack and GitHub users. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/credentials.md), checked 2026-10-23) |

### Runtime & triggers

| Feature | Runlayer | Guild |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Managed hosted runtime | **Yes.** Runlayer-managed or single-tenant runtime. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/deployment/overview.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Guild hosts and runs all agent types. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/security-architecture.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Self-host option | **Yes.** Customer-hosted on AWS ECS (Terraform) or Kubernetes with an operator. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/deployment/overview.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **No.** Hosted only; no self-host option documented. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/security-architecture.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Sandboxed, network-controlled execution | **Yes.** Per-agent network policy: unrestricted, allow-list, or block-list. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/deployment/overview.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Containers lose network access before the agent runs; only Guild proxies can reach out. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/security-architecture.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Durable long-running runs | **Yes.** Runs up to 8 hours; agents can schedule_continuation for 1 minute to 24 hours. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/deployment/overview.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Partial.** Multi-turn sessions; they can be interrupted but not resumed. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Schedules (cron) | **Yes.** Cron schedules in UTC or local wall clock. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Partial.** CLI supports --frequency CRON --cron-expression; docs list hourly–monthly presets. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/triggers.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Webhook, event & API triggers | **Yes.** Webhooks, API, and audit-event triggers with semantic conditions. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Event triggers (Slack mention, GitHub PR, Zendesk ticket, …) and API triggers. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/triggers.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Chat channels (Slack, Teams, …) | **Yes.** Slack mentions and channel monitors, Teams, and iMessage. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Slack event triggers; Discord, Telegram, and Twilio integrations. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/integrations/overview.md), checked 2026-10-23) |

### Control & governance

| Feature | Runlayer | Guild |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Per-tool-call approval gate | **Yes.** Guarded tool calls pause for the requester; approvals valid for 1 hour. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-approvals.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Approval gates are set in the Guild UI, per agent and per action: when the agent reaches a gated action, the run pauses until a designated human approves. No code needed. ([source](https://www.guild.ai/product/ai-governance), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Roles & access control | **Yes.** Roles, teams, and per-agent sharing (Can use / Can edit). ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Partial.** Admin and Member org roles, restricted workspaces, and scoped API keys. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Audit log | **Yes.** Tamper-proof audit logs exportable to S3 or a SIEM. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Immutable, CSV-exportable audit log (admins). ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Runtime guardrails & scanning | **Yes.** ToolGuard and AgentGuard scanning plus PII detection. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **No.** No prompt or tool-call scanning documented; isolation comes from the network-less runtime and credential policies. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/security-architecture.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Spend budgets & usage limits | **Yes.** Per-agent run limits and USD budgets. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Per-agent and per-workspace spend budgets, model allowlists, and daily token limits. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Multi-provider models with fallbacks | **Yes.** Anthropic, OpenAI, Bedrock, Azure Foundry, Google AI Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agents.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** guild.yaml models is an ordered fallback list across Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Meta, DeepSeek, and more; BYO keys supported. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/guide/guild-yaml.md), checked 2026-10-23) |

### Observability

| Feature | Runlayer | Guild |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Run traces | **Yes.** Sessions tab with traces, tokens, and cost. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Session event log of LLM calls, tool calls, sub-tasks, and container logs; also via the API. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Evaluations | **Yes.** Agent Evals replay past runs against a different model or prompt. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Partial.** Evaluations with samples, checks, and llmJudge; enabled per account, no CLI command yet. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/evaluations.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Cost & usage tracking | **Yes.** Analytics and ROI dashboards; warehouse export. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Insights and Spend Explorer. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) |

### Ecosystem & business

| Feature | Runlayer | Guild |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Public agent hub (install & fork) | **Partial.** Catalog is an internal governed registry; agents shared inside the org. ([source](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Agent Hub: Draft, Internal, or Public; owner~name with semver; install and fork (guild agent init --fork). ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/publish-to-agent-hub.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Reusable skills | **Yes.** Skills distributed through the Catalog. ([source](https://runlayer.com/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** Hub skills, `guild skill`, and skills inside Goose and OpenClaw agents. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/cli/commands.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Full lifecycle CLI | **Partial.** login, run (local MCP proxy), and setup sync. ([source](https://docs.runlayer.com/deploy-cli/index.md), checked 2026-10-23) | **Yes.** 17 top-level commands: init, test, save --publish, workspace chat, trigger, integration, skill, session, and more. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/cli/commands.md), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Open-source core | **No.** Proprietary. ([source](https://runlayer.com/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **No.** Proprietary platform; the CLI is published on npm. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) |
| Public pricing | **No.** Demo or quote only. ([source](https://runlayer.com/llms.txt), checked 2026-10-23) | **Partial.** No public price list: plans are priced with the Guild team; model usage is metered at list price. ([source](https://docs.guild.ai/reference/pricing.md), checked 2026-10-23) |

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between Guild and Runlayer?

Runlayer controls how employees and agents use AI tools: an MCP gateway with security scanning, discovery of AI tools nobody approved, and Runlayer Agents launched from chat apps. Guild is built around the agents themselves: several ways to build them, one CLI to test and ship them, secrets kept out of agent code, and a public Agent Hub.

### Is Guild an alternative to Runlayer?

It depends on the job. Runlayer is the stronger fit for controlling AI use across a whole company, including finding unapproved tools through device management and scanning every tool call. Guild is the stronger fit when engineers build agents as code, with typed inputs and outputs, tests, versions, and a public Hub.

### Does Runlayer have its own agents?

Yes. Runlayer Agents are agents that employees create from Slack, Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Codex, or the web, with approved tools, their own identity, and a sandbox that can run for up to 8 hours.

### How do I move a Runlayer agent to Guild?

Copy the agent's prompt, model, connectors, skills, and environment from the Runlayer UI or the runlayer\_agent Terraform resource into a Guild Native agent (PROMPT.md and guild.yaml), or into an OpenClaw agent if it needs a shell or files. Runlayer connectors become Guild integrations, and schedules become triggers.

### Is Runlayer pricing public?

No. As of October 2026, Runlayer sells by demo and quote, with no public price list. Guild doesn't publish a price list: plans are priced with the Guild team, and model usage is metered at list price.

### Can I self-host Guild like Runlayer?

No. As of October 2026, Guild is hosted only, while Runlayer can be self-hosted in your own AWS or Kubernetes.

## Migrate from Runlayer to Guild

[The step-by-step migration guide](https://docs.guild.ai/migrations/runlayer): what to take stock of, how each piece maps, and what doesn’t map one to one.

## Sources

- [docs.runlayer.com/platform-agents](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agents.md)
- [docs.runlayer.com/deployment/overview](https://docs.runlayer.com/deployment/overview.md)
- [docs.runlayer.com/platform-approvals](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-approvals.md)
- [runlayer.com/llms.txt](https://runlayer.com/llms.txt)
- [docs.runlayer.com/platform-agent-accounts](https://docs.runlayer.com/platform-agent-accounts.md)
- [runlayer.com/llms-full.txt](https://www.runlayer.com/llms-full.txt)
- [docs.runlayer.com/deploy-cli/index](https://docs.runlayer.com/deploy-cli/index.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/packages/agents-sdk](https://docs.guild.ai/packages/agents-sdk.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/guide/agent-types](https://docs.guild.ai/guide/agent-types.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/guide/guild-yaml](https://docs.guild.ai/guide/guild-yaml.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/integrations/overview](https://docs.guild.ai/integrations/overview.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/api-reference/mcp](https://docs.guild.ai/api-reference/mcp.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/platform/credentials](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/credentials.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/platform/credential-policies](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/credential-policies.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/platform/security-architecture](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/security-architecture.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/llms.txt](https://docs.guild.ai/llms.txt)
- [docs.guild.ai/platform/triggers](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/triggers.md)
- [guild.ai/product/ai-governance](https://www.guild.ai/product/ai-governance)
- [docs.guild.ai/platform/evaluations](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/evaluations.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/platform/publish-to-agent-hub](https://docs.guild.ai/platform/publish-to-agent-hub.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/cli/commands](https://docs.guild.ai/cli/commands.md)
- [docs.guild.ai/reference/pricing](https://docs.guild.ai/reference/pricing.md)

## Other comparisons

- [Guild vs. Claude Managed Agents](https://www.guild.ai/compare/claude-managed-agents)
- [Guild vs. AWS](https://www.guild.ai/compare/aws)
- [Guild vs. LangChain](https://www.guild.ai/compare/langchain)
- [Guild vs. Arcade](https://www.guild.ai/compare/arcade)
- [Guild vs. Vercel eve](https://www.guild.ai/compare/vercel-eve)
- [All comparisons](https://www.guild.ai/compare)
- [Book a demo](https://www.guild.ai/talk-to-sales)