Comparison
mobilerun vs Sauce Labs: agent workloads vs app testing.
Both give you real iOS and Android in the cloud. They are built for two different jobs: validating your own build, or running agents on accounts that persist.
TL;DR
Sauce Labs is an enterprise test cloud. Real and
virtual devices for CI regression runs, with the device wiped and
the accounts cleared between every session.
mobilerun is built for production. Persistent,
authorized accounts on persistent Android and iPhone devices. State
survives spin-down, your own models
drive it over REST API, SDKs or MCP, and it scales from a free plan
to 100 concurrent phones on Scaleup, unlimited on Enterprise.
| Capability | mobilerun | Sauce Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Production AI agent workloads | Testing & validation of your own apps |
| Device type | Persistent Android + physical iPhones as an add-on · any-region configuration | Real device cloud + virtual devices |
| iOS | Real iPhones we own and operate | Real iOS devices |
| Permitted use | Production agents on authorized accounts | AUP: legitimate testing or validation only |
| State between sessions | Persists, spin down, resume later | Accounts cleared, AppleIDs removed |
| Social media apps | Yes, on your own and clients' authorized accounts | AUP: only for software testing or validation |
| Production data | Your real workload | ToS 2.4: non-production, non-sensitive data only |
| Device-level API | REST API, Python/TypeScript SDKs, hosted MCP | Real Device Access API, per-device add-on |
| Agent benchmark | 98.24% iOSWorld · public replays | None published |
| Open source | MIT framework, 8,000+ stars | Closed |
| Pricing | Free plan · paid from $20/mo · $0.03/min extra · real iPhone $160/mo annual, $200 monthly | Real Device Cloud $199/mo annual, $249 monthly, per parallel |
| Scaling model | 5 to 100 concurrent phones per plan, pooled minutes, unlimited on Enterprise | Per parallel, $199 to $249/mo each |
| Fleet size | Devices we own in the US & EU | "Thousands", no published number |
Sauce Labs details from saucelabs.com/pricing, the Acceptable Use Policy, the Terms of Service (section 2.4) and Real Device Cleaning docs, July 2026. mobilerun pricing as of September 2026. Prices and policies change, check both vendors.
Why teams choose mobilerun
- Accounts and state persist. Spin a device down, resume later with logins intact.
- Production workloads on your own and your clients' authorized accounts.
- Persistent Android and iOS devices with location configurable for any region.
- Genuine device signals that pass the checks real apps run.
- Social media runs here too, on authorized accounts, and we permit that workload.
- Your own models drive the phone. REST API, Python/TypeScript SDKs, hosted MCP.
- Start free, Developer at $20/month. Android + dedicated IP from $64/month, a real iPhone from $160/month, billed annually.
- Scales on demand. One $20 Developer plan runs 5 phones at once, where Sauce Labs prices each parallel at $199 to $249. Scaleup runs 100, and Enterprise has no limit.
- Open framework, MIT, 8,000+ GitHub stars. Published benchmark results: 98.24% on iOSWorld and 100% on AndroidWorld.
FAQ
mobilerun vs Sauce Labs, common questions.
What is the main difference between mobilerun and Sauce Labs?+
They are different product categories. Sauce Labs is a CI vendor for testing and validation of your own apps across a device matrix, with accounts wiped between sessions. mobilerun is built for production agent workloads on persistent, authorized accounts: Android and iOS devices driven by the model of your choice over REST API, Python/TypeScript SDKs and a hosted MCP server.
Can I run production agent workloads on Sauce Labs?+
Their Acceptable Use Policy draws that line themselves. It prohibits content or activity that "Is used for any other purpose other than the legitimate testing or validation of web sites, mobile web sites and applications." It also prohibits activity that "Accesses any social media site other than for purposes of software testing or validation" and that "Involves commercial activities and/or sales, other than for legitimate testing purposes", and it prohibits creating "more than a single account per person". Their Terms of Service section 2.4 adds that customers "may only upload non-sensitive, non-production data (for example, synthetic or 'dummy' test data)". Their Real Device Access API (GA since February 2026, raw ADB and xcrun over HTTP) is a real agent surface, but the same policy governs what a session may be used for. That is a testing product working exactly as designed.
Does state persist between sessions on Sauce Labs?+
No, and that is deliberate for a test cloud. Their Real Device Cleaning docs state "AppleID's are removed between sessions" and that "Access is restricted to the test application and webapps through Safari or Chrome." Their Mobile FAQ states they "Clear all accounts whenever allowed by the OS (e.g., Google Play, Twitter, etc.)" after each session. On mobilerun, state persists: spin a device down and resume later with logins and state intact.
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