In this comprehensive guide, we compare Contextual AI and Progress Agentic RAG across various parameters including features, pricing, performance, and customer support to help you make the best decision for your business needs.
Overview
When choosing between Contextual AI and Progress Agentic RAG, understanding their unique strengths and architectural differences is crucial for making an informed decision. Both platforms serve the RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) space but cater to different use cases and organizational needs.
Quick Decision Guide
Choose Contextual AI if: you value invented by the original creator of rag technology
Choose Progress Agentic RAG if: you value proprietary remi v2 model (30x faster inference) addresses hallucination problem with continuous quality monitoring - differentiated capability absent from most competitors
About Contextual AI
Contextual AI is rag 2.0 platform for enterprise-grade specialized ai agents. Contextual AI is an enterprise platform that pioneered RAG 2.0 technology, enabling organizations to build specialized RAG agents with exceptional accuracy for complex, knowledge-intensive workloads through end-to-end optimized systems. Founded in 2023, headquartered in Mountain View, CA, the platform has established itself as a reliable solution in the RAG space.
Overall Rating
91/100
Starting Price
Custom
About Progress Agentic RAG
Progress Agentic RAG is enterprise application development and deployment platform. Enterprise RAG-as-a-Service platform launched Sept 2025 following Progress Software's acquisition of Barcelona-based Nuclia. Combines SOC2/ISO 27001 security with proprietary REMi evaluation model for continuous answer quality monitoring. Built on open-source NucliaDB (710+ GitHub stars) with Python/JavaScript SDKs. Starting at $700/month. Founded in 2019 (Nuclia), acquired 2025, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain (Nuclia) / Bedford, MA, USA (Progress), the platform has established itself as a reliable solution in the RAG space.
Overall Rating
82/100
Starting Price
$700/mo
Key Differences at a Glance
In terms of user ratings, Contextual AI in overall satisfaction. From a cost perspective, Contextual AI starts at a lower price point. The platforms also differ in their primary focus: RAG Platform versus Enterprise Software. These differences make each platform better suited for specific use cases and organizational requirements.
⚠️ What This Comparison Covers
We'll analyze features, pricing, performance benchmarks, security compliance, integration capabilities, and real-world use cases to help you determine which platform best fits your organization's needs. All data is independently verified from official documentation and third-party review platforms.
Detailed Feature Comparison
Contextual AI
Progress Agentic RAG
CustomGPTRECOMMENDED
Data Ingestion & Knowledge Sources
Easily brings in both unstructured files (PDFs, HTML, images, charts) and structured data (databases, spreadsheets) through ready-made connectors.
Does multimodal retrieval—turns images and charts into embeddings so everything is searchable together. Source
Hooks into popular SaaS tools like Slack, GitHub, and Google Drive for integrated data flow.
60+ Document Formats – PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, email with auto parsing
Multimedia Processing – Auto speech-to-text, video transcripts, OCR for scans
Cloud Connectors – SharePoint, Confluence, OneDrive, Google Drive, S3
Fast Deployment – 2-hour initial ingestion, 48-hour full deployment
⚠️ Missing – No Dropbox, Notion, or YouTube transcript integration
1,400+ file formats – PDF, DOCX, Excel, PowerPoint, Markdown, HTML + auto-extraction from ZIP/RAR/7Z archives
Website crawling – Sitemap indexing with configurable depth for help docs, FAQs, and public content
Multimedia transcription – AI Vision, OCR, YouTube/Vimeo/podcast speech-to-text built-in
Cloud integrations – Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive, Dropbox, Notion with auto-sync
In-browser testing – Test before deploying to production
Zero learning curve – Productive on day one
Competitive Positioning
Market position: Enterprise RAG 2.0 platform with proprietary Grounded Language Model (GLM) optimized for factual accuracy and multimodal retrieval capabilities
Target customers: Large enterprises and ML teams requiring mission-critical AI applications with advanced reasoning, multimodal content handling (images, charts), and strict accuracy requirements (88% factual accuracy benchmarked)
Key competitors: OpenAI Enterprise, Azure AI, Deepset, Vectara.ai, and custom-built RAG solutions using LangChain/Haystack
Competitive advantages: Proprietary GLM model with superior RAG performance, multimodal retrieval (images/charts), SOC 2 compliance with VPC/on-prem deployment options, Snowflake Native App integration, groundedness scoring with "Instant Viewer" for source attribution, and multi-hop retrieval with chain-of-thought reasoning
Pricing advantage: Usage-based enterprise pricing with standalone component APIs (reranker, generator) priced per token; flexible for organizations that want to mix and match components; best value for high-accuracy, high-volume use cases
Use case fit: Ideal for mission-critical enterprise applications requiring multimodal retrieval (technical documentation with diagrams), domain-specific AI agents with advanced reasoning, and organizations needing role-based data access with query-time permission checks
Web Components – <nuclia-search-bar> and <nuclia-chat> for embedding
⚠️ No Proactive Alerts – Monitoring exists but alerting undocumented
Custom AI Agents – Autonomous GPT-4/Claude agents for business tasks
Multi-Agent Systems – Specialized agents for support, sales, knowledge
Memory & Context – Persistent conversation history across sessions
Tool Integration – Webhooks + 5,000 Zapier apps for automation
Continuous Learning – Auto re-indexing without manual retraining
R A G-as-a- Service Assessment
Platform Type: TRUE ENTERPRISE RAG 2.0 PLATFORM - Proprietary Grounded Language Model (GLM) optimized for factual accuracy and multimodal retrieval
RAG 2.0 Architecture: Advanced approach tops industry benchmarks for document understanding and factuality with multi-hop retrieval (announced general availability January 2025)
Proprietary GLM Model: ~88% factual accuracy on FACTS benchmark outperforming Gemini 2.0 Flash (84.6%), Claude 3.5 Sonnet (79.4%), GPT-4o (78.8%)
Built-in Evaluation Tools: Assess generated responses for equivalence and groundedness with comprehensive evaluation across every critical component
Multimodal Retrieval: Turns images and charts into embeddings for unified search across text and visual content in technical documentation
Groundedness Scoring: Built-in scoring with "Instant Viewer" highlighting exact source text backing each answer part for transparency
Reranker + Scoring: Uses reranker plus groundedness scoring for factual answers with precise attribution and hallucination reduction
Handles Noisy Datasets: Strong reranking and retrieval for large, noisy datasets with multiple datastores by role or permission
Production-Grade Accuracy: Delivers production-grade accuracy for specialized knowledge tasks with enterprise security, audit trails, high availability, scalability, compliance
Joint Tuning Capability: Retrieval and generation components can be jointly tuned by providing sample queries, gold-standard responses, supporting evidence
Comprehensive Assessment: Measures end-to-end RAG performance, multi-modal document understanding, structured data retrieval, and grounded language generation
Target Market: Large enterprises and ML teams requiring mission-critical AI applications with advanced reasoning and strict accuracy requirements
Use Case Fit: Ideal for mission-critical enterprise applications requiring multimodal retrieval, domain-specific AI agents, and role-based data access with query-time permission checks
✅ TRUE RAG-AS-A-SERVICE – Core mission is RAG backend
LLM Flexibility – 7 providers switchable without changes
Open-Source – NucliaDB 710+ stars, AGPLv3
Platform type – TRUE RAG-AS-A-SERVICE with managed infrastructure
API-first – REST API, Python SDK, OpenAI compatibility, MCP Server
No-code option – 2-minute wizard deployment for non-developers
Hybrid positioning – Serves both dev teams (APIs) and business users (no-code)
Enterprise ready – SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, WCAG 2.0, flat-rate pricing
R E Mi Evaluation Model ( Core Differentiator)
N/A
✅ Proprietary Investment – Addresses hallucination, absent from competitors
Final Verdict: Contextual AI vs Progress Agentic RAG
After analyzing features, pricing, performance, and user feedback, both Contextual AI and Progress Agentic RAG are capable platforms that serve different market segments and use cases effectively.
When to Choose Contextual AI
You value invented by the original creator of rag technology
Best-in-class accuracy on RAG benchmarks
End-to-end optimized system vs cobbled together solutions
Best For: Invented by the original creator of RAG technology
When to Choose Progress Agentic RAG
You value proprietary remi v2 model (30x faster inference) addresses hallucination problem with continuous quality monitoring - differentiated capability absent from most competitors
Open-source NucliaDB transparency (710+ GitHub stars) with managed infrastructure removes operational burden while maintaining technical visibility
Genuine no-code accessibility: business users (marketing, HR, legal, support) can deploy functional RAG pipelines in minutes via visual dashboard
Best For: Proprietary REMi v2 model (30x faster inference) addresses hallucination problem with continuous quality monitoring - differentiated capability absent from most competitors
Migration & Switching Considerations
Switching between Contextual AI and Progress Agentic RAG requires careful planning. Consider data export capabilities, API compatibility, and integration complexity. Both platforms offer migration support, but expect 2-4 weeks for complete transition including testing and team training.
Pricing Comparison Summary
Contextual AI starts at custom pricing, while Progress Agentic RAG begins at $700/month. Total cost of ownership should factor in implementation time, training requirements, API usage fees, and ongoing support. Enterprise deployments typically see annual costs ranging from $10,000 to $500,000+ depending on scale and requirements.
Our Recommendation Process
Start with a free trial - Both platforms offer trial periods to test with your actual data
Define success metrics - Response accuracy, latency, user satisfaction, cost per query
Test with real use cases - Don't rely on generic demos; use your production data
Evaluate total cost - Factor in implementation time, training, and ongoing maintenance
Check vendor stability - Review roadmap transparency, update frequency, and support quality
For most organizations, the decision between Contextual AI and Progress Agentic RAG comes down to specific requirements rather than overall superiority. Evaluate both platforms with your actual data during trial periods, focusing on accuracy, latency, ease of integration, and total cost of ownership.
📚 Next Steps
Ready to make your decision? We recommend starting with a hands-on evaluation of both platforms using your specific use case and data.
• Review: Check the detailed feature comparison table above
• Test: Sign up for free trials and test with real queries
• Calculate: Estimate your monthly costs based on expected usage
• Decide: Choose the platform that best aligns with your requirements
Last updated: February 3, 2026 | This comparison is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the latest platform capabilities, pricing, and user feedback.
The most accurate RAG-as-a-Service API. Deliver production-ready reliable RAG applications faster. Benchmarked #1 in accuracy and hallucinations for fully managed RAG-as-a-Service API.
DevRel at CustomGPT.ai. Passionate about AI and its applications. Here to help you navigate the world of AI tools and make informed decisions for your business.
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