Braintrust vs Converra: What Each Does for AI Agents
Braintrust is an evaluation and observability platform for AI products, and its Loop agent can investigate traces and edit prompts, scorers, and datasets. Converra runs the improvement loop for agent behavior: it diagnoses failures, tests fixes head-to-head in multi-turn simulation, ships what you approve, and returns a production verdict.
The two overlap more than they used to, so this page is specific about where. It uses the same dimensions as every comparison in the AI agent optimization hub.
The short version
Use Braintrust for evaluations, experiments, prompt environments, and Loop's suggested fixes. Choose Converra when you want fixes tested against the current agent in multi-turn simulation and a verified, not fixed, or confounded verdict after release.
Braintrust vs Converra, side by side
Each row answers the same question for both products. Braintrust statements come from its own documentation, reviewed on the date shown above; sources are listed at the end.
- Dimension
- Primary job
- Braintrust
- Evaluation and observability platform for AI products, with the Loop agent to analyze data and make changes
- Converra
- Runs the improvement loop for production agents: diagnose, fix, simulate, ship with approval, verify
- Dimension
- Production evidence
- Braintrust
- Logging and tracing through Braintrust SDKs and OpenTelemetry, with framework integrations
- Converra
- Imports traces through LangSmith and Langfuse connectors, or receives conversations through its SDK and traces API, which accepts OpenTelemetry-compatible data; it is not a tracing tool
- Dimension
- Failure diagnosis
- Braintrust
- Online scoring of production traces; Topics classifies logs to surface recurring problems; Patterns runs Loop on a schedule to find recurring issues (public preview)
- Converra
- Step-level diagnosis that labels and counts recurring failure patterns across conversations
- Dimension
- Fix generation
- Braintrust
- Loop creates and edits prompts, scorers, datasets, and automations, and Patterns attaches suggested fixes
- Converra
- Generates bounded prompt or configuration variants aimed at a diagnosed pattern
- Dimension
- Testing before release
- Braintrust
- Datasets, experiments, playgrounds, and scorers, including multi-turn scoring of conversation traces; user simulation through a partner
- Converra
- Head-to-head multi-turn simulation against the current agent on the same personas, plus regression scenarios
- Dimension
- Deployment and approval
- Braintrust
- Prompt versions assigned to environments such as development, staging, and production and loaded by environment in code; Loop asks for approval before edits unless auto-accept is on
- Converra
- Review-first by default: a GitHub pull request or a direct update a person applies; optional auto-deploy requires a passing regression test
- Dimension
- Verdict after release
- Braintrust
- Track whether a known problem declines over time in production traces; no documented per-deploy verdict
- Converra
- Measures the targeted failure on live traffic and marks the fix verified, not fixed, or confounded
- Dimension
- Hosting
- Braintrust
- Managed cloud; self-hosted data plane on the Enterprise plan
- Converra
- Managed cloud service; the Enterprise plan lists an on-prem or VPC option
Where Braintrust and Converra overlap
Both find recurring failures in production and propose changes. Braintrust's Topics classify logs to surface recurring problems, Patterns runs Loop against a project on a schedule, and Loop can edit prompts and attach suggested fixes, pausing for approval before it writes. Converra also diagnoses recurring failure patterns and generates prompt or configuration fixes. Patterns is in public preview, so expect it to change.
Where they differ
How the fix is tested. Braintrust runs experiments on your datasets with your scorers, and scores multi-turn conversation traces; simulated users come through a partner integration. Converra runs the candidate and the current agent head-to-head in multi-turn simulation with the same personas, counts only paired comparisons, and checks regression scenarios.
What happens after release. Braintrust lets you track whether a specific problem declined over time. Converra ties the measurement to the deployment: it counts the targeted failure after the change ships and returns verified, not fixed, or confounded when another change to the same prompt overlapped. The guide to verifying a fix after deployment explains why a trend line alone can mislead.
Where approval sits. Loop asks before editing unless auto-accept is turned on, and promoting a prompt version to the production environment is an assignment rather than a review step. Converra is review-first by default: a person merges the pull request or applies the update.
When to choose Braintrust
Your team's center of gravity is evaluation: datasets, experiments, scorers, and playgrounds across many AI features, not only agents.
You want an agent inside your evaluation platform that can query logs and edit prompts, scorers, and datasets on request.
You want prompt environments loaded directly from code and a self-hosted data plane on an Enterprise plan.
When to choose Converra
Your agent is conversational and its recurring failures are behavioral, such as routing, unsupported claims, or broken policies.
You want every candidate fix tested head-to-head against the current agent in multi-turn simulation before release, with regression scenarios.
You want each shipped fix to come back with a production verdict: verified, not fixed, or confounded.
Does Converra replace Braintrust?
Partly. Converra does not replace Braintrust's evaluation workflow: datasets, experiments, scorers, and playgrounds. It overlaps with Loop and Patterns on finding recurring failures and proposing fixes, and goes further on head-to-head simulation and the post-release verdict.
Converra has no Braintrust connector today. Teams that keep Braintrust for evaluation send conversations to Converra through its SDK or traces API, which accepts OpenTelemetry-compatible data.
Frequently asked questions
Is Converra a Braintrust alternative?
For evaluation, no: Braintrust's datasets, experiments, and scorers have no direct Converra equivalent. For finding recurring failures and fixing them, the products overlap, and Converra adds head-to-head simulation and a production verdict.
Does Braintrust Loop fix prompts automatically?
Loop can create and edit prompts, scorers, datasets, and automations. It pauses for approval before editing unless auto-accept is turned on, and Patterns can attach suggested fixes to recurring issues.
Can Braintrust tell me whether a deployed fix worked?
Braintrust lets you track whether a specific problem declined over time in production traces. It does not document a verdict tied to a specific deployment that accounts for overlapping changes.
Can Converra read my Braintrust logs?
Not through a dedicated connector today. Converra has connectors for LangSmith and Langfuse, and receives other conversations through its SDK or traces API, which accepts OpenTelemetry-compatible data.
What does Braintrust cost?
Braintrust lists a free Starter plan, a Pro plan at $249 per month, and custom Enterprise pricing. Check the current pricing page, since plans change.
Written by
Oren CohenFounder of Converra. Previously founded Buildup (acquired by Stanley Black & Decker) and, as VP Product Growth at Totango, owned AI end-to-end from design through production.
Add a production verdict to every fix
Connect your production conversations. Converra diagnoses recurring failures, tests fixes head-to-head against your current agent, ships what you approve, and returns a verdict: verified, not fixed, or confounded.