Baal vs Prodigy
Baal
github.comProdigy
prodi.gySide by side
| Figure | Baal | Prodigy |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 2 |
| Spec score · Active Learning Tools | 6.9 (#10) | 7.9 (#3) |
| Deployment | The repository provides Docker commands to build and run an experiment. | The standard Python web server can be deployed on any cloud provider or entirely on-premise. |
| Integrations | The README links a seminar with Label Studio and describes training with Hugging Face or ModelWrapper. | Prodigy has first-class support for spaCy, plugins for Hugging Face models, and integrations with major LLM API providers. |
| Purpose | Baal is an active learning library for industrial applications and research. | Prodigy is a downloadable developer tool for creating training and evaluation data for machine learning models. |
Plans
In their own words
Prodigy
Prodigy is a downloadable developer tool for creating training and evaluation data for machine learning models. Its browser-based app supports annotation of text, images, audio, video, relations, and multiple choice. Computer vision workflows include image classification, segmentation, and object detection; built-in recipes cover named entity recognition, text classification, dependency parsing, transcription, speaker diarization, training, and evaluation. Active learning models are included for named entity recognition, text classification, part-of-speech tagging, and dependency parsing. Users can create workflows with Python recipes and build interfaces using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Prodigy supports spaCy, has plugins for Hugging Face models, and integrates with major LLM API providers. Data is accessible through Python and the command line, and can be stored in SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL, or exported to JSON. It runs on the user's own machines, including air-gapped machines, and its Python web server can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise. Personal costs $390, paid once, excluding tax; Company costs $490, paid once per seat in packs of five, excluding tax. Both include 12 months of free upgrades. Prodigy assumes basic Python and command-line familiarity; trials are not offered to individuals.