CustomGPT vs Glean

Make an informed decision with our comprehensive comparison. Discover which RAG solution perfectly fits your needs.

Priyansh Khodiyar's avatar
Priyansh KhodiyarDevRel at CustomGPT.ai

Fact checked and reviewed by Bill Cava

Published: 01.04.2025Updated: 25.04.2025

In this comprehensive guide, we compare CustomGPT and Glean 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 CustomGPT and Glean, 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 CustomGPT if: you value industry-leading accuracy with 97% benchmark score
  • Choose Glean if: you value permissions-aware ai is genuinely differentiated - real-time enforcement across 100+ datasources addresses critical enterprise concern

About CustomGPT

CustomGPT Landing Page Screenshot

CustomGPT is most accurate rag-as-a-service api for business. CustomGPT is the #1 benchmarked RAG platform that enables businesses to create powerful AI assistants trained on their specific data, offering industry-leading accuracy with reduced hallucinations and seamless integration capabilities. Founded in 2021, headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts, United States, the platform has established itself as a reliable solution in the RAG space.

Overall Rating
94/100
Starting Price
$99/mo

About Glean

Glean Landing Page Screenshot

Glean is enterprise work ai with permissions-aware rag across 100+ apps. Glean is a premium enterprise RAG platform with permissions-aware AI as its core differentiator. Founded by ex-Google Search engineers, Glean achieved $100M ARR in three years and a $7.2B valuation (2025). It connects 100+ enterprise apps with real-time access controls, supports 15+ LLMs, and offers comprehensive APIs with 4-language SDKs. Trade-offs: enterprise-only sales (~$50/user/month, ~$60K minimum), no consumer messaging channels, and premium positioning over plug-and-play simplicity. Founded in 2019, headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, the platform has established itself as a reliable solution in the RAG space.

Overall Rating
96/100
Starting Price
$50/mo

Key Differences at a Glance

In terms of user ratings, both platforms score similarly in overall satisfaction. From a cost perspective, Glean offers more competitive entry pricing. The platforms also differ in their primary focus: AI Chatbot versus Enterprise RAG. 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

Features
logo of customGPT logo
CustomGPT
logo of glean
Glean
Data Ingestion & Knowledge Sources
  • 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
  • Knowledge platforms – Zendesk, Freshdesk, HubSpot, Confluence, Shopify connectors
  • Massive scale – 60M words (Standard) / 300M words (Premium) per bot with no performance degradation
  • ✅ 100+ native connectors – Cloud storage, CRM, collaboration platforms plus Indexing API
  • File formats – PDFs, Word, HTML, spreadsheets, structured data
  • Real-time sync – Content within minutes, permission changes immediate
  • ⚠️ Initial indexing – Few days depending on volume
  • Scale – 10K-100K users, hundreds of millions of documents
Integrations & Channels
  • Website embedding – Lightweight JS widget or iframe with customizable positioning
  • CMS plugins – WordPress, WIX, Webflow, Framer, SquareSpace native support
  • 5,000+ app ecosystem – Zapier connects CRMs, marketing, e-commerce tools
  • MCP Server – Integrate with Claude Desktop, Cursor, ChatGPT, Windsurf
  • OpenAI SDK compatible – Drop-in replacement for OpenAI API endpoints
  • LiveChat + Slack – Native chat widgets with human handoff capabilities
  • Slack & Teams – Official apps, Gleanbot auto-responses, Real-Time Search API
  • Browser extensions – Chrome (300K+ users), Firefox, Safari, Edge
  • ⚠️ No WhatsApp/Telegram – Designed for internal enterprise use only
  • SSO protocols – OIDC, SAML 2.0 with Okta, Microsoft Entra
Core Chatbot Features
  • ✅ #1 accuracy – Median 5/5 in independent benchmarks, 10% lower hallucination than OpenAI
  • ✅ Source citations – Every response includes clickable links to original documents
  • ✅ 93% resolution rate – Handles queries autonomously, reducing human workload
  • ✅ 92 languages – Native multilingual support without per-language config
  • ✅ Lead capture – Built-in email collection, custom forms, real-time notifications
  • ✅ Human handoff – Escalation with full conversation context preserved
  • Glean Chat interface – Natural conversations with company knowledge
  • Multi-turn conversations – Context awareness across turns
  • Streaming responses – Real-time with source citations
Customization & Branding
  • Full white-labeling included – Colors, logos, CSS, custom domains at no extra cost
  • 2-minute setup – No-code wizard with drag-and-drop interface
  • Persona customization – Control AI personality, tone, response style via pre-prompts
  • Visual theme editor – Real-time preview of branding changes
  • Domain allowlisting – Restrict embedding to approved sites only
  • UI customization – Custom logos, color schemes, background images
  • Custom subdomains – your-company.glean.com
  • Chat widget styling – CSS positioning, width/height, custom containers
  • ⚠️ Limited white-labeling – Glean branding may remain visible
L L M Model Options
  • GPT-5.1 models – Latest thinking models (Optimal & Smart variants)
  • GPT-4 series – GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4o available
  • Claude 4.5 – Anthropic's Opus available for Enterprise
  • Auto model routing – Balances cost/performance automatically
  • Zero API key management – All models managed behind the scenes
  • ✅ 15+ LLMs supported – GPT-4, Gemini 1.5 Pro, Claude 3 Sonnet
  • Per-step model selection – Different LLMs for each workflow step
  • Temperature controls – Factual, balanced, or creative output settings
  • BYOK support – Glean Universal Key or Customer Key options
  • Automatic routing – Zero data retention, optimizes top models per query
Developer Experience ( A P I & S D Ks)
  • REST API – Full-featured for agents, projects, data ingestion, chat queries
  • Python SDK – Open-source customgpt-client with full API coverage
  • Postman collections – Pre-built requests for rapid prototyping
  • Webhooks – Real-time event notifications for conversations and leads
  • OpenAI compatible – Use existing OpenAI SDK code with minimal changes
  • ✅ Client & Indexing APIs – Search, Chat, Agents, Documents, Governance
  • Official SDKs – Python, Java, Go, TypeScript with async support
  • Web SDK – Embeddable chat, search, autocomplete, recommendations components
  • Framework integrations – LangChain, CrewAI, OpenAI Assistants, MCP Server
  • Authentication – OAuth 2.0, user-scoped tokens, impersonation support
Performance & Accuracy
  • Sub-second responses – Optimized RAG with vector search and multi-layer caching
  • Benchmark-proven – 13% higher accuracy, 34% faster than OpenAI Assistants API
  • Anti-hallucination tech – Responses grounded only in your provided content
  • OpenGraph citations – Rich visual cards with titles, descriptions, images
  • 99.9% uptime – Auto-scaling infrastructure handles traffic spikes
  • ✅ 74% human-agreement rate – 25% precision increases
  • 141% ROI over 3 years – Forrester Total Economic Impact
  • 110 hours saved per employee annually – Productivity gains
  • Hallucination prevention – RAG grounding, permissions, citations
Security & Compliance
  • SOC 2 Type II + GDPR – Regular third-party audits, full EU compliance
  • 256-bit AES encryption – Data at rest; SSL/TLS in transit
  • SSO + 2FA + RBAC – Enterprise access controls with role-based permissions
  • Data isolation – Never trains on customer data
  • Domain allowlisting – Restrict chatbot to approved domains
  • ✅ SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR
  • ⚠️ NO FedRAMP – Not for US federal government
  • Single-tenant – Isolated per customer, Cloud-Prem option
Pricing & Plans
  • Standard: $99/mo – 10 chatbots, 60M words, 5K items/bot
  • Premium: $449/mo – 100 chatbots, 300M words, 20K items/bot
  • Enterprise: Custom – SSO, dedicated support, custom SLAs
  • 7-day free trial – Full Standard access, no charges
  • Flat-rate pricing – No per-query charges, no hidden costs
  • ⚠️ No public pricing – Enterprise sales only
  • ~$45-50+/user/month – Estimated cost from reports
  • ~$60K minimum ACV – Approximately 100 users minimum
Support & Ecosystem
  • Comprehensive docs – Tutorials, cookbooks, API references
  • Email + in-app support – Under 24hr response time
  • Premium support – Dedicated account managers for Premium/Enterprise
  • Open-source SDK – Python SDK, Postman, GitHub examples
  • 5,000+ Zapier apps – CRMs, e-commerce, marketing integrations
  • Standard support – 24x5 via portal, email, Slack Connect
  • Premium support – 24x7 critical issues with additional fee
  • ✅ Excellent documentation – developers.glean.com with OpenAPI specs
  • GitHub repositories – SDK examples and sample projects
Observability & Monitoring
  • Real-time dashboard – Query volumes, token usage, response times
  • Customer Intelligence – User behavior patterns, popular queries, knowledge gaps
  • Conversation analytics – Full transcripts, resolution rates, common questions
  • Export capabilities – API export to BI tools and data warehouses
  • Insights Dashboard – DAU/WAU/MAU, Search Session Satisfaction metrics
  • Usage metrics – Searches and chats per user per week
  • 270-day data retention – Department-level filtering
  • Audit logging – User activity, access patterns, SIEM export
Use Cases
  • Customer support – 24/7 AI handling common queries with citations
  • Internal knowledge – HR policies, onboarding, technical docs
  • Sales enablement – Product info, lead qualification, education
  • Documentation – Help centers, FAQs with auto-crawling
  • E-commerce – Product recommendations, order assistance
  • Enterprise knowledge – Unified search across 100+ datasources
  • Permissions-aware – Healthcare, finance, legal hierarchies
  • AI agents – 30+ prebuilt for sales, engineering, IT
Limitations & Considerations
  • Managed service – Less control over RAG pipeline vs build-your-own
  • Model selection – OpenAI + Anthropic only; no Cohere, AI21, open-source
  • Real-time data – Requires re-indexing; not ideal for live inventory/prices
  • Enterprise features – Custom SSO only on Enterprise plan
  • ⚠️ High cost barrier – ~$50/user/month, ~$60K minimum
  • ⚠️ NO FedRAMP – Not for US federal government
  • ⚠️ No consumer channels – No WhatsApp, Telegram
  • Complex implementation – Indexing takes days
Core Agent Features
  • 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
  • ✅ Autonomous AI agents – Understand tasks, execute autonomously
  • Natural language builder – Describe goals, auto-designs workflows
  • 100+ native actions – Slack, Teams, Salesforce, Jira, GitHub
R A G Capabilities
  • GPT-4 + RAG – Outperforms OpenAI in independent benchmarks
  • Anti-hallucination – Responses grounded in your content only
  • Automatic citations – Clickable source links in every response
  • Sub-second latency – Optimized vector search and caching
  • Scale to 300M words – No performance degradation at scale
  • ✅ Hybrid search – Semantic + lexical for accuracy
  • Knowledge Graph Framework – Proprietary anchors across data
  • 74% human-agreement – 25% precision increases
Competitive Positioning
  • Market position – Leading RAG platform balancing enterprise accuracy with no-code usability. Trusted by 6,000+ orgs including Adobe, MIT, Dropbox.
  • Key differentiators – #1 benchmarked accuracy • 1,400+ formats • Full white-labeling included • Flat-rate pricing
  • vs OpenAI – 10% lower hallucination, 13% higher accuracy, 34% faster
  • vs Botsonic/Chatbase – More file formats, source citations, no hidden costs
  • vs LangChain – Production-ready in 2 min vs weeks of development
  • ✅ Unique strength – Real-time permissions-aware AI across 100+ datasources
  • Proven ROI – 141% ROI, 110 hours/employee saved
  • ⚠️ Pricing barrier – ~$50/user/month, ~$60K minimum
R A G-as-a- Service Assessment
  • 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
  • ✅ TRUE RAG PLATFORM – API-first with comprehensive tools
  • Data flexibility – 100+ connectors, Indexing API
  • Best for – Large enterprises requiring permissions-aware RAG
A I Models
  • OpenAI – GPT-5.1 (Optimal/Smart), GPT-4 series
  • Anthropic – Claude 4.5 Opus/Sonnet (Enterprise)
  • Auto-routing – Intelligent model selection for cost/performance
  • Managed – No API keys or fine-tuning required
  • ✅ 15+ LLMs – GPT-4, Gemini 1.5 Pro, Claude 3 with per-step selection
  • Temperature controls – Factual, balanced, or creative output
  • BYOK support – Customer Key for data sovereignty
No- Code Interface & Usability
  • 2-minute deployment – Fastest time-to-value in the industry
  • Wizard interface – Step-by-step with visual previews
  • Drag-and-drop – Upload files, paste URLs, connect cloud storage
  • In-browser testing – Test before deploying to production
  • Zero learning curve – Productive on day one
  • ✅ Natural language configuration – Describe goals in plain language
  • Visual builder – Drag-and-drop workflow creation
  • AI-assisted creation – Auto-generates draft agents
  • 30+ prebuilt agents – Sales, engineering, IT, HR
Customization & Flexibility ( Behavior & Knowledge)
  • Live content updates – Add/remove content with automatic re-indexing
  • System prompts – Shape agent behavior and voice through instructions
  • Multi-agent support – Different bots for different teams
  • Smart defaults – No ML expertise required for custom behavior
  • Natural language config – Build agents without technical expertise
  • Visual builder – Drag-and-drop workflow creation
  • 30+ templates – Sales, engineering, IT, HR
Pricing & Scalability
  • Standard: $99/mo – 60M words, 10 bots
  • Premium: $449/mo – 300M words, 100 bots
  • Auto-scaling – Managed cloud scales with demand
  • Flat rates – No per-query charges
  • ⚠️ No public pricing – Enterprise sales only
  • Estimated cost – ~$45-50+ per user/month
  • Minimum ACV – ~$60K (approximately 100 users minimum)
  • No free trial – Paid POCs up to $70K
  • Annual contracts – Per-seat model, 7-12% renewal increases, FlexCredits for premium
Security & Privacy
  • SOC 2 Type II + GDPR – Third-party audited compliance
  • Encryption – 256-bit AES at rest, SSL/TLS in transit
  • Access controls – RBAC, 2FA, SSO, domain allowlisting
  • Data isolation – Never trains on your data
  • ✅ SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR
  • ⚠️ No FedRAMP – Not for US federal government
  • AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit
  • Single-tenant – Isolated per customer, Cloud-Prem option
Support & Documentation
  • Documentation hub – Docs, tutorials, API references
  • Support channels – Email, in-app chat, dedicated managers (Premium+)
  • Open-source – Python SDK, Postman, GitHub examples
  • Community – User community + 5,000 Zapier integrations
  • 24x5 standard support – Portal, email, Slack Connect
  • ✅ Excellent documentation – developers.glean.com with OpenAPI
  • Official SDKs – Python, Java, Go, TypeScript
Additional Considerations
  • Time-to-value – 2-minute deployment vs weeks with DIY
  • Always current – Auto-updates to latest GPT models
  • Proven scale – 6,000+ organizations, millions of queries
  • Multi-LLM – OpenAI + Claude reduces vendor lock-in
  • ⚠️ Cannot create content directly – Focuses on search/retrieval
  • Large organization focus – May be overkill for smaller teams
  • Training investment – Upskilling employees needed
Core R A G Features
N/A
  • ✅ Hybrid search – Semantic (vector-based) + lexical (keyword) approaches
  • Knowledge Graph Framework – Proprietary anchors across enterprise data
  • LLM Control Layer – Optimizes outputs with context-aware query rewriting
  • Grounded answers – Source citations with every response
Permissions- Aware A I ( Core Differentiator)
N/A
  • ✅ Real-time access control – Across all 100+ datasources
  • Identity crawling – Users, groups, memberships, permission models
  • Connector-level mirroring – Respects native permissions (Salesforce, GDrive)
  • Zero-trust architecture – Users only see authorized content
Multi- Language & Localization
N/A
  • Full support – English, German, Japanese (semantic, assistant, UI)
  • Partial support – French, Spanish
  • 20+ languages – Early access or keyword search
Conversation & Agent Features
N/A
  • Conversation history – Thread tracking in Slack, History tab
  • Version control – All agent versions auto-saved
  • ⚠️ No lead capture – Designed for internal enterprise use
Deployment Options
N/A
  • Cloud (SaaS) – Standard Glean infrastructure deployment
  • Cloud-Prem – Customer-hosted in AWS or GCP
  • Single-tenant architecture – Isolated per customer

Final Thoughts

Final Verdict: CustomGPT vs Glean

After analyzing features, pricing, performance, and user feedback, both CustomGPT and Glean are capable platforms that serve different market segments and use cases effectively.

When to Choose CustomGPT

  • You value industry-leading accuracy with 97% benchmark score
  • Patented technology to reduce hallucinations
  • Easy no-code setup with powerful customization

Best For: Industry-leading accuracy with 97% benchmark score

When to Choose Glean

  • You value permissions-aware ai is genuinely differentiated - real-time enforcement across 100+ datasources addresses critical enterprise concern
  • Strong developer experience - comprehensive APIs, 4-language SDKs (Python, Java, Go, TypeScript), LangChain integration
  • Model flexibility without vendor lock-in - 15+ LLMs with per-step selection and bring-your-own-key option

Best For: Permissions-aware AI is genuinely differentiated - real-time enforcement across 100+ datasources addresses critical enterprise concern

Migration & Switching Considerations

Switching between CustomGPT and Glean 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

CustomGPT starts at $99/month, while Glean begins at $50/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

  1. Start with a free trial - Both platforms offer trial periods to test with your actual data
  2. Define success metrics - Response accuracy, latency, user satisfaction, cost per query
  3. Test with real use cases - Don't rely on generic demos; use your production data
  4. Evaluate total cost - Factor in implementation time, training, and ongoing maintenance
  5. Check vendor stability - Review roadmap transparency, update frequency, and support quality

For most organizations, the decision between CustomGPT and Glean 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: January 19, 2026 | This comparison is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the latest platform capabilities, pricing, and user feedback.

Ready to Get Started with CustomGPT?

Join thousands of businesses that trust CustomGPT for their AI needs. Choose the path that works best for you.

Why Choose CustomGPT?

97% Accuracy

Industry-leading benchmarks

5-Min Setup

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24/7 Support

Expert help when you need it

Enterprise Ready

Scale with confidence

Trusted by leading companies worldwide

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CustomGPT

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.

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Priyansh Khodiyar's avatar

Priyansh Khodiyar

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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