AI agents, formerly a node canvas · checked 28 Sept 2026
DeskFerry vs Gumloop
Gumloop made its name with a drag-and-drop node canvas. In 2026 it moved to chat-first agents deployed into Slack, Teams and email, and its pricing now labels the canvas "Workflows (Legacy)". That makes Gumloop one of the closest tools to DeskFerry, so the differences are in the details.
Choose Gumloop when
- you want a company-wide knowledge layer across Drive, Notion, Slack and GitHub
- the agent should run Python in a sandbox for data-heavy work
- you need deployment inside your own AWS, Azure or GCP account
Choose DeskFerry when
- you want a flat monthly plan instead of cost pass-through plus a fee
- the job is a process across business apps, not a data or code task
- your team wants approvals in Slack as the default way to work
01 · Build model
Gumloop: chat-first agents with skills and triggers
DeskFerry: a brief per agent
02 · Pricing
Gumloop: tokens and compute at cost + 8% fee
DeskFerry: credits in a flat plan
03 · Connectors
Gumloop: 300+ on the homepage, 150+ in the docs
DeskFerry: 1,500+ apps
04 · Entry price
Gumloop: Pro from $37/mo, 14-day trial
DeskFerry: $49/mo, 7-day trial
Two Gumloops and DeskFerry
The canvas you've seen, the agents it became, and where we differ
Screenshots of Gumloop usually show the node canvas. That is now the legacy product. The current one is much closer to DeskFerry, so this compares all three.
| Job | Gumloop Workflows (legacy) | Gumloop Agents | DeskFerry |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you build | Drag and wire nodes | Chat + connectors + skills | Write a brief |
| Where it runs from | Canvas, API | Slack, Teams, email, chat page, API | Web app, Slack, chat widget |
| Company knowledge search | Via nodes | Company Brain with citations | Through connected apps |
| Runs code | Code nodes | Python sandbox, 80+ packages | No code steps |
| Sub-agents | Subflows | Up to 10 at once | One agent per job |
| Deploy in your cloud | Enterprise VPC | Enterprise VPC | No |
| What you pay | Same credits as Agents | At cost + 8%, Pro from $37/mo | $49 / $99 / $299 flat |
Where Gumloop wins
Company Brain, a real code sandbox and optional VPC deployment make Gumloop stronger for data-heavy, technical or regulated work.
Where DeskFerry wins
A flat plan you can predict, more business-app connections, and a narrower product built around briefs and approvals for everyday operations work.
Feature by feature
Where each one wins
| Feature | Gumloop | DeskFerry | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent model | Chat-first agents with Skills, Triggers and Subagents | Brief-based agents | Depends |
| Knowledge grounding | Company Brain across Drive, Notion, Slack, GitHub, Confluence | Per-agent context and connected apps | Gumloop |
| Code execution | Persistent Python sandbox | None | Gumloop |
| Business app connections | 150–300+ connectors | 1,500+ apps | DeskFerry |
| Pricing model | Pass-through cost + 8% orchestration fee | Flat plan with credits | Depends |
| Private deployment | VPC on Enterprise | Cloud only | Gumloop |
| Trial | 14 days on Pro | 7 days | Gumloop |
Sources: gumloop.com/pricing · Gumloop: transparent pricing · Gumloop docs: agents · checked 28 Sept 2026
How the bill works
At cost plus 8%, or a flat plan
Since August 2026, Gumloop passes model tokens and compute through at cost and adds an 8% orchestration fee, with Pro starting at $37 a month for 20,000 credits and support for your own API keys.
DeskFerry sells a fixed plan: $49 for 5,000 credits, $99 for 12,000, $299 for 40,000. Heavy, model-intensive workloads often come out cheaper on pass-through; steady operations work is easier to budget on a flat plan.
Credits aren't comparable between vendors. Bar lengths show the entry price only.
Straight talk
When to stay on Gumloop
Knowledge-heavy agents
If answers have to be grounded in Drive, Notion and GitHub with citations, Company Brain is a real advantage.
Data and code work
A persistent Python sandbox handles analysis and scripting that DeskFerry agents don't do.
Your own cloud
Enterprise VPC deployment in AWS, Azure or GCP answers data-residency requirements DeskFerry can't.
FAQ
Gumloop questions
Is Gumloop still a node canvas?
The canvas still exists but is labelled "Workflows (Legacy)" on Gumloop's pricing page, and its docs now lead with chat-first Agents deployed into Slack, Teams, email and a chat page.
Does Gumloop have a free plan?
Gumloop's December 2025 update described a free tier with 5,000 credits a month, but the current pricing page shows only Pro, from $37 a month with a 14-day trial, and Enterprise. Check gumloop.com/pricing for the latest.
How does Gumloop's pricing work?
Since August 2026, tokens and compute are billed at cost plus an 8% orchestration fee. Pro starts at $37 a month with 20,000 credits and unlimited seats and agents.
How are Gumloop and DeskFerry different?
Both are chat-first agent platforms that run from Slack. Gumloop leans technical, with a code sandbox, company knowledge search and VPC deployment. DeskFerry leans operational, with more business-app connections, a flat plan and approvals in Slack.
Agents for operations, on a plan you can budget
Brief an agent on a process your team runs every week and try it for 7 days.