Context Engine vs Glean
Context Engine and Glean are both AI assistants tools. Context Engine is aimed at small businesses and developers, while Glean is aimed at enterprise. Only Context Engine has a free plan.
Shared memory that AI agents and team members read and write
Enterprise AI search and assistant across all your company apps
| Pricing | Freemium · $12 | Paid |
| Starting price | $12/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Small businesses, Developers, Agencies | Enterprise |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US | US · 2019 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Context Engine if
Small teams and agencies that use several AI assistants and want one shared, auditable memory across them.
- Unlimited human users on every plan, including free
- Low entry price of $12 a month per engine
- Works with ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code and Cursor
Look elsewhere if: Developers who want an embeddable memory library inside their own agent code (Mem0, Zep).
Choose Glean if
Large companies with knowledge spread across dozens of SaaS tools that need permission-safe AI search and assistants.
- Among the most mature permission-aware enterprise search products
- Very broad connector library including code and ticketing tools
- Model-agnostic, so companies are not tied to one AI vendor
Look elsewhere if: Small teams or firms already standardized on one suite's AI (Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise or Notion AI are simpler).
Context Engine vs Glean pricing
Context Engine
- Free$01 agent (up to 3 via referrals) and 1 GB per engine, unlimited users
- Pro$12/moPer engine: 10 agents, 25 GB; $99/yr billed annually
- Unlimited$39/moPer engine: unlimited agents, 100 GB; $299/yr annually
- EnterpriseFrom $6,000/yrSelf-hosted install, SSO, roles and audit log
Glean
- EnterpriseCustom quoteSales-led, seat-based; Search, Assistant and Agents via demo
Context Engine · Key features
- Shared memory that AI tools read and save to over MCP
- Separate engines, each with its own database and search index
- Per-connection access set to read only or read and save
- Plain-language answers that cite their source memories
- Automatic daily, weekly and monthly summaries
- Duplicate detection that updates the existing memory
Cons
- Free plan allows one agent per engine, three at most through referrals
- Each connected tool counts as a separate agent
- Self-hosting only on the Enterprise plan from $6,000 a year
Glean · Key features
- Permission-aware enterprise search across 275+ connected apps
- Glean Assistant answers questions with citations to company sources
- Glean Agents that automate multi-step tasks from plain-language instructions
- Enterprise Graph mapping people, content, projects and activity
- Near real-time permission sync so users only see what they may access
- Model routing across 40+ open and frontier models
Cons
- No public pricing and no self-serve trial
- Priced for enterprises; reported seat minimums put off small firms
- Answer quality depends on tidy permissions and content in sources
Context Engine vs Glean: FAQ
Do Context Engine and Glean have a free plan?
Context Engine has a free plan. Glean has no free plan.
Which is better for small businesses, Context Engine or Glean?
Context Engine lists small businesses as a core audience, while Glean is aimed more at enterprise.