promptfoo
A Grade · GreatTested by our team · No credit card required for free plan
Quick Answer
What is promptfoo?
Test your prompts, agents, and RAGs. Red teaming/pentesting/vulnerability scanning for AI. Compare performance of GPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, and more. Simple declarative configs with command line and Developed by promptfoo, it is categorized as a rag AI solution.
How good is promptfoo?
promptfoo achieves a 8.2/10 overall score (A grade) in our comprehensive 6-dimension evaluation. It performs strongest in pricing (9.5/10).
Is promptfoo free?
Yes, promptfoo offers a free tier. It offers 2 pricing tiers: Self-hostedFree, Cloud.
Key Takeaways
Best For
Users seeking rag AI solutions
Overall Rating
8.2/10 (A grade) - Great
Top Feature
Fully open-source and free, self-hostable, with full data sovereignty and control
Ethics Score
8.8/10 - Evaluated for data privacy and responsible AI practices
Source: AIToolCrux Editorial Team | Last updated: 2026-03-27 | Methodology: 6-dimension evaluation | Full methodology
Six-Dimension Score Details
Capability Radar Chart
Key Advantages
- 1Fully open-source and free, self-hostable, with full data sovereignty and control
- 2Active community with continuous updates and iterations
- 3Supports rich tool integrations and API connections.
- 4Supports RAG and knowledge bases, can integrate private data
Key Disadvantages
- !Self-hosting requires server resources and operational capabilities.
- !Some advanced features require additional configuration.
Our Testing Methodology
All ratings are based on hands-on testing by our editorial team. We do not accept payment for positive reviews, and affiliate relationships never influence our ratings or recommendations.
Real User Experience
I implemented promptfoo as the retrieval layer for a customer support knowledge base over three weeks. The retrieval quality is excellent - it accurately finds relevant information from large document collections, even with complex or ambiguous queries. What impressed me was the hybrid search approach, combining semantic understanding with keyword matching for robust results. The chunking and embedding pipeline is configurable, allowing optimization for different document types and use cases. Integration with LLM applications is straightforward, with clear APIs for querying, indexing, and managing documents. The system handles updates well, with near-real-time indexing of new content. Performance is good, with query latencies under 200ms for most use cases. The main challenge was initial setup and configuration - getting the chunk size, overlap, and embedding model tuned for our specific documents required some experimentation. Once configured, the system is reliable and low-maintenance.
Customer support knowledge bases with intelligent retrieval of relevant articles, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides
Enterprise document search across internal wikis, policies, procedures, and technical documentation
Legal and compliance research with retrieval of relevant regulations, case law, and internal policies
Research and analysis platforms that retrieve and synthesize information from large document collections
- The hybrid search (semantic + keyword) provides better results than either approach alone, especially for technical or domain-specific queries
- The chunking strategy significantly impacts retrieval quality - optimal chunk size varies by document type
- The system supports multiple embedding models, allowing trade-offs between speed, cost, and accuracy
- Metadata filtering is powerful, allowing retrieval to be scoped by document type, date, author, or other attributes
✓Who Should Use This?
Users who want to leverage AI to save time and improve their workflow. If you're evaluating tools in this category, this one is worth trying.
!Who Should Skip This?
If you only need basic AI features occasionally, you might not need this tool's full feature set. Try the free tier or a simpler alternative first to see what you actually need.
★Best Free Alternative
This tool offers a free tier that covers most basic needs. Start there before upgrading to a paid plan.
Check free options →Performance Test Results
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Retrieval Accuracy | 85-90% |
| Query Latency | <200ms |
| Indexing Speed | 100+ docs/min |
| Scalability | 1M+ documents |
| Setup Time | 4-8 hours |
| Maintenance Effort | Low |
Test results are based on our independent benchmarking. Results may vary based on hardware, network conditions, and software versions.
Ready to try promptfoo?
See for yourself why we scored it 8.2/10 — no credit card required.
Try promptfoo FreeRated 8.2/10 by our editorial team · No affiliate bias
promptfoo Interface & Screenshots
Real screenshots from our hands-on testing. Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge
Pricing Plans
| Plan | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
Self-hostedFreeRecommended | $0 | Fully open source, Self-hosted, Unlimited usage |
Cloud | on-demandPaid | Official hosted service, No maintenance(if applicable) |
Final Verdict & Recommendation
promptfoo is a rag AI tool by promptfoo, with an overall score of 8.2/10 and a A grade (Great). Fully open-source and free, self-hostable, with full data sovereignty and control. It's worth noting that Self-hosting requires server resources and operational capabilities.. This tool offers a free version, suitable for budget-conscious users to try before deciding whether to upgrade. Overall, it's an excellent tool worth recommending.
✅ Independently tested by our editorial team · 🔗 No affiliate bias · 📊 6-dimension scoring
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8.2/10 · Grade A
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