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Vercel Agents alternative: deploy the job, not the agent

Vercel’s agent stack (eve, AI Gateway, Sandbox, Workflows, Connect and Drives) builds agents that a model directs and runs them on durable infrastructure. Whenever is for the recurring job inside that agent: your coding agent refactors it into a reviewed workflow, and Whenever hosts, triggers and runs that code, calling a model only where a step asks for one.

By Whenever team · Updated · Workflow behavior and runtime limits

Why teams deploy the job to Whenever

  • Your agent writes it, then steps aside

    Claude Code, Codex or Cursor turns the task into a workflow module and deploys it over MCP; each run follows the code, not a fresh plan.

  • Managed integrations and secrets

    1402 integrations, plus any documented API, and credentials you enter once in Setup.

  • One meter

    A run is a run, however many steps it has.

Resources used, or a run per workflow.

Vercel bills an agent by the resources it uses. Whenever counts whole workflow runs, with optional runtime AI on top.

Vercel Agents

Usage-based: functions, workflow events and data, sandbox usage and model tokens are billed by resource.

resource used

Hobby, Pro or Enterprise

Whenever

$39/mo

10,000 runs per month

Find the right plan for you

Tax exempt for this offering.

At full use of 10,000 included runs, $39 ÷ 10,000 ≈ $0.0039/included run. This is an allowance average, not a per-run tariff, overage price or competitor savings claim. The monthly subscription is still $39 if you use fewer runs; unused allowance, runtime AI usage, moving to a larger plan and external charges change your effective cost.

Vercel bills eve through the resources an agent uses: Functions, Workflows, Sandbox, AI Gateway and model providers. Estimate one representative agent task rather than comparing resource units with runs. No competitor dollar price is asserted.

A run is one execution of one workflow, start to finish. AI building and editing are free within weekly usage limits; runs are metered separately.

A closer look

What changes when you describe the job in plain language and code runs it: to build, to run, and to keep.

Repeatable execution logic

Vercel Agents

An eve agent is model-directed: the model chooses which tools to call. Vercel Workflows can also run fixed TypeScript steps you write.

Whenever

AI writes the procedure; published code runs its fixed logic. Optional AI steps can vary, and external data, time or randomness can change results. Fixed logic does not guarantee exactly-once delivery.

Runs per dollar

Vercel Agents

Billed by resource: compute, workflow events, storage, model tokens and sandbox usage.

Whenever

Billed per run, whatever the step count.

What you can express

Vercel Agents

TypeScript tools, Markdown skills, subagents, and isolated sandboxes that run code and install packages.

Whenever

A TypeScript workflow module with managed integrations and steps, within the documented runtime limits.

Export and portability

Vercel Agents

eve is open source; agents are TypeScript and Markdown.

Whenever

The TypeScript is yours: read it, edit it, export it, take it with you. Moving it to another runtime can require adapting managed connections, triggers and runtime-specific integrations.

Debugging a failed run

Vercel Agents

Run observability in the Vercel dashboard; checkpointed steps resume after a failure.

Whenever

Each step’s recorded result, a debugger with breakpoints on a saved version, and an email on the first failure. A failed run is not retried or resumed for you.

Where the AI cost lands

Vercel Agents

Model tokens for the models the agent calls, routed through AI Gateway or a model provider.

Whenever

AI writes the workflow once, with free building subject to weekly AI usage limits. A published procedure runs its steps without a model choosing them. Any model call you explicitly include still runs and has its own cost.

Durability

Vercel Agents

Vercel Workflows survive crashes and restarts, and every step is checkpointed.

Whenever

No replay or resume; a run may take up to an hour.

API workflows to start from

Starter briefs for related jobs, not recorded runs. Connect authorised accounts, confirm trigger and plan requirements, then review and test the workflow before publishing.

Browse all templates

Questions people ask before switching

Is Whenever a Vercel alternative for websites?

No. Whenever hosts workflows: scheduled, webhook, event and manual automation. Keep your app on Vercel.

When should I build the agent on Vercel instead?

When the work needs a model to decide each turn: chat in Slack, open-ended research, code in a sandbox, or durable runs that wait on people.

Can a Whenever workflow still call a model?

Yes, inside a step that asks for one. Those steps can vary and use the AI-spend allowance.

Sources and scope

Official sources captured on the date shown below. These describe published features and billing rules, not independent performance tests. Check the linked documentation for current modes, plans and limits. No competitor dollar price is asserted.

Checked

Move a recurring agent job to Whenever

Ask your coding agent to turn it into a workflow. Whenever hosts, triggers and runs the code you reviewed.

  1. Pick the job that repeats

    The schedule or event your agent already answers.

  2. Ask your coding agent to refactor it

    Paste “Turn this task into a Whenever workflow and deploy it. Follow www.whenever.dev/skill.md”.

  3. Complete Setup and publish

    Enter the credentials, run it once by hand, then publish.

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