--- title: "sacred vs wandb" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/idsia-sacred-vs-wandb-wandb" tools: ["idsia-sacred", "wandb-wandb"] --- # sacred vs wandb *GraphCanon updated Aug 3, 2026* ## Verdict Pick sacred if sacred is an experiment management tool for machine learning that emphasizes configuration management, logging, and reproducibility; pick wandb if wandb excels in streamlined experiment tracking and model versioning across multiple machine learning frameworks. [sacred](https://github.com/IDSIA/sacred) reports 4.4k GitHub stars, 393 forks, and 107 open issues, last pushed Oct 22, 2025. [wandb](https://wandb.ai) has 11k stars, 880 forks, and 906 open issues, last pushed Aug 3, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [sacred's repository](https://github.com/IDSIA/sacred) and [wandb's repository](https://github.com/wandb/wandb). | | [sacred](/tools/idsia-sacred.md) | [wandb](/tools/wandb-wandb.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | A tool for experiment configuration, logging, and reproducibility | Weights & Biases platform for model training and management | | Stars | 4,372 | 11,213 | | Forks | 393 | 880 | | Open issues | 107 | 906 | | Language | Python | Python | | Adopt for | Sacred is an experiment management tool for machine learning that emphasizes configuration management, logging, and reproducibility. | wandb excels in streamlined experiment tracking and model versioning across multiple machine learning frameworks. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Sacred is open-source under the MIT license, providing broad permissiveness in its use and modification across various applications. | MIT | | Categories | Developer Tools, Model Training | Evaluation & Observability, Model Training | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [sacred](/tools/idsia-sacred.md) | [wandb](/tools/wandb-wandb.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Slowing (36%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 284d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 107 | 906 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/idsia-sacred/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/wandb-wandb/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Python**: [sacred](/tools/idsia-sacred.md) - Python runtime; [wandb](/tools/wandb-wandb.md) - Python runtime ## Decision facts: sacred - **Pricing:** freemium - Being an open-source tool under the MIT license, Sacred can be used freely without any cost. - **Adopt for:** Sacred is an experiment management tool for machine learning that emphasizes configuration management, logging, and reproducibility. - **License detail:** Sacred is open-source under the MIT license, providing broad permissiveness in its use and modification across various applications. ## Decision facts: wandb - **Adopt for:** wandb excels in streamlined experiment tracking and model versioning across multiple machine learning frameworks. ## Choose when ### Choose sacred if… - Pricing: Being an open-source tool under the MIT license, Sacred can be used freely without any cost.. - Tags unique to sacred: config injection, experiment management, logging, reproducibility. - Also covers Developer Tools. - When precise control over experiment configurations and their dependencies is required, allowing consistent reproduction of results. ### Choose wandb if… - Tags unique to wandb: ai, collaboration, deep-learning, hyperparameter-optimization. - Also covers Evaluation & Observability. - Need extensive collaboration features for teams working on deep-learning projects ## When NOT to use sacred - If your project does not require deep integration with MongoDB for logging purposes, as Sacred assumes this setup out-of-the-box without offering as much flexibility to other storage options. - When you need a tool with lightweight overhead, since Sacred's comprehensive feature set introduces more complexity suitable only for larger-scale projects. ## When NOT to use wandb - Looking for a lightweight solution without extensive collaboration features - Focusing on simple models where detailed experiment tracking is unnecessary - Operating within environments that strictly forbid third-party hosting solutions ## Common questions ### What is the difference between sacred and wandb? sacred: A tool for experiment configuration, logging, and reproducibility. wandb: Weights & Biases platform for model training and management. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose sacred over wandb? Choose sacred over wandb when Pricing: Being an open-source tool under the MIT license, Sacred can be used freely without any cost.; Tags unique to sacred: config injection, experiment management, logging, reproducibility; Also covers Developer Tools; When precise control over experiment configurations and their dependencies is required, allowing consistent reproduction of results. ### When should I choose wandb over sacred? Choose wandb over sacred when Tags unique to wandb: ai, collaboration, deep-learning, hyperparameter-optimization; Also covers Evaluation & Observability; Need extensive collaboration features for teams working on deep-learning projects. ### When should I avoid sacred? If your project does not require deep integration with MongoDB for logging purposes, as Sacred assumes this setup out-of-the-box without offering as much flexibility to other storage options. When you need a tool with lightweight overhead, since Sacred's comprehensive feature set introduces more complexity suitable only for larger-scale projects. ### When should I avoid wandb? Looking for a lightweight solution without extensive collaboration features Focusing on simple models where detailed experiment tracking is unnecessary Operating within environments that strictly forbid third-party hosting solutions ### Is sacred or wandb more popular on GitHub? wandb has more GitHub stars (11,213 vs 4,372). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are sacred and wandb open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (sacred: MIT, wandb: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to sacred or wandb? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [sacred alternatives](/tools/idsia-sacred/alternatives) and [wandb alternatives](/tools/wandb-wandb/alternatives) ([sacred markdown twin](/tools/idsia-sacred/alternatives.md), [wandb markdown twin](/tools/wandb-wandb/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/idsia-sacred-vs-wandb-wandb.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, sacred or wandb? sacred: Slowing. wandb: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for sacred and wandb? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [sacred trust report](/tools/idsia-sacred/trust); [wandb trust report](/tools/wandb-wandb/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=idsia-sacred`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=idsia-sacred) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_