Comparison
mobilerun vs Maestro: agent runtime vs app testing.
Both put mobile devices behind an API. The difference is scope: whose app you are allowed to drive, and how the meter runs.
TL;DR
Maestro is a test framework for your own app.
Apache-2.0 and free locally, with a hosted cloud at $250 per device
per month that its terms scope to your own software.
mobilerun drives any app in production, third-party
apps included, on persistent Android and iPhone devices. Per-minute
billing, state that survives spin-down,
hundreds of concurrent devices, and white-label plus
agents-as-a-service explicitly supported.
| Capability | mobilerun | Maestro |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | AI agents driving any app in production | UI testing of your own app |
| Third-party apps | Supported, that is the product | Cloud ToS scope: "Customer software applications and services" |
| White-label & reselling runs | Explicitly supported | Sublicensing and reselling prohibited (ToS 2.2) |
| Devices | Persistent Android + physical iPhones on request · any-region configuration | Real iPhone/iPad/Pixel/Galaxy plus iOS Simulators & Android Emulators |
| Device identity | Authentic hardware identity, Compatible with the checks real apps run & app trust checks | Mixed fleet, per-SKU split not documented |
| State on spin-down | Persists, resume with logins intact | Built around per-test-run execution |
| Agent control | Your own models via REST API, SDKs, hosted MCP | Maestro MCP in the free local tier, human + AI framing |
| Pricing (July 2026) | $0.03/min · rentals from $5/mo · real iPhone $200/mo | Local free · Cloud $250/device/mo · Enterprise custom |
| Billing shape | Per minute, fits bursty agent workloads | Fixed slot, priced on max concurrent executions |
| Scaling | Hundreds of devices on demand, billed by the minute | Parallel runs, add concurrency slots |
| Open source | MIT framework, 8,000+ stars, 91.4% AndroidWorld | Apache-2.0 CLI, Studio & Viewer, 15,000+ stars |
| Device location | Configurable for any region | See vendor |
Maestro details from maestro.dev, maestro.dev/pricing and maestro.dev/terms-of-service, July 2026. Terms and prices change, read both vendors' current documents before you commit.
Why teams choose mobilerun
- Any app, not just yours. Third-party apps in production are the use case, not an exception.
- White-label and agents-as-a-service are explicitly supported, which the Maestro Cloud terms exclude.
- Persistent Android, plus physical iPhones on request, with location configurable for any region.
- Genuine device signals that pass the checks real apps run.
- State persists. Spin down, resume later with logins and state intact, pay only while running.
- $0.03 per minute pay as you go. Bursty agent work does not fit a fixed $250/device/month slot.
- Rentals from $5/month, dedicated Android $80/month, real iPhone $200/month.
- Social media runs here too, on your own and your clients' authorized accounts.
- Scales on demand. Hundreds of devices at once, billed by the minute.
- Your own models drive it. REST API, Python/TypeScript SDK, hosted MCP.
- Reproducible 91.4% AndroidWorld on an MIT-licensed open-source framework.
FAQ
mobilerun vs Maestro, common questions.
What is the main difference between mobilerun and Maestro?+
Maestro is a mobile UI testing product. Its Apache-2.0 CLI, Studio and Viewer run locally for free, and Maestro Cloud runs those tests on hosted devices in CI. mobilerun is agent infrastructure: persistent Android and iOS devices driven by the model of your choice over REST API, Python/TypeScript SDKs and a hosted MCP server. Maestro verifies your app. mobilerun drives apps in production.
Does Maestro have an MCP server and an AI story?+
Yes. Maestro markets agentic UI testing and ships Maestro MCP in the free local tier, described as giving agents the eyes and hands to build and verify end-to-end coverage locally, alongside self-healing with local agents. The framing is human plus AI in the test loop, not autonomous agents running production work. mobilerun's MCP server is the production control plane for real devices, with per-minute billing and persistent state.
Can I use Maestro Cloud to drive a third-party app or resell agent runs?+
Read the terms first. Section 2.1 of the Maestro Terms of Service states the properties "are to be used solely for Customer's internal business purposes relating to development and performance monitoring of Customer software applications and services" and that "Customer will not permit access to the Hosted Services by any third-party." Section 2.2 additionally prohibits sublicensing, reselling and "unpermitted commercial exploitation". That is a scope limit, not an anti-bot rule: their AUP has no anti-bot or anti-scraping clause. Driving someone else's app, or reselling runs to your own customers, sits outside the granted scope. mobilerun supports white-label and agents-as-a-service explicitly.
How does the pricing shape differ?+
Maestro Cloud is $250 per device per month with unlimited hosted test runs, priced on maximum concurrent executions, which fits a stable CI suite well. mobilerun bills $0.03 per minute pay as you go, with rentals from $5/month, dedicated Android at $80/month and a real iPhone at $200/month. Agent workloads are bursty, so per-minute billing tracks the work instead of a fixed concurrency slot.
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Run your agent on a real phone.
Pay as you go from $0.03/minute, or bring your own phone for $5/month.