Tonic Alternative: An Honest, Dated Comparison of Fabricate vs. Generate-Data
Tonic Fabricate and Generate-Data both create synthetic data from scratch, but they are built for different jobs. Fabricate is a conversational AI agent metered in tokens, with a $5/month free tier. Generate-Data is a browser schema builder with an anonymous free path capped at 100 rows and 3 exports. This page shows the sourced differences.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-01
What the product is
Tonic ships three products. Fabricate generates synthetic data from scratch via a conversational agent. Structural masks and subsets existing production data. Textual de-identifies unstructured text. Only Fabricate competes with a from-scratch generator; Structural and Textual are a different job (tonic.ai/products/fabricate, tonic.ai/pricing, 2026-08-01).
Comparison
| Capability | Tonic Fabricate | Generate-Data |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Conversational AI agent; uploaded empty schemas; live DB reads | Browser schema builder; no agent |
| Cost to first export | Fabricate Free $0/mo with $5 credits (tonic.ai/pricing, 2026-08-01) | Free anonymous path: 100 rows, 6 fields, 3 exports, CSV only |
| Signup required | Account required for Fabricate Free (no credit card) | Not required for anonymous use within the cap |
| Metering | LLM token credits | Export-based, not token-based |
| Export formats (Free/Plus) | CSV, JSON, DOCX, EML, Parquet (basic); DB exports Enterprise | CSV, JSON, XML, Parquet, XLSX, JSONL, hf-datasets (no SQL) |
| Database connectors | PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, Databricks and more | Not a capability in this product |
| Mock API generation | Yes, from uploaded API spec | Not published as of 2026-08-01 |
| Duplicate/fuzzy pair generation | Not surfaced as first-class on fetched pages 2026-08-01 | Yes: Master ID and Duplicate Type columns |
| Deployment | Free/Plus: Tonic Cloud; Enterprise: cloud or self-hosted | Hosted web application |
| Compliance posture (contractual) | SOC2, GDPR, HIPAA; BAAs/DPAs for Enterprise | Not published as of 2026-08-01 |
Updated 2026-08-06
The labeled ground-truth difference
Most tool-vs-tool comparisons on this site are about schema builders and export formats. This one is about what happens after the export: can the match rules being tested actually be scored.
A Known-Duplicate Pair File is a synthetic dataset where every duplicate pair is tagged with its Master ID and Duplicate Type, so match-rule testing has a documented answer key instead of an assumed one. Synthetic data notice: the file is fabricated data, not real records. Generate-Data ships this output, already recorded in the "Duplicate/fuzzy pair generation" row of the comparison table above. Whether a given alternative tool ships an equivalent answer key is stated, where sourced, in that same row; where it is not published, the table says so and dates the check rather than guessing.
Settle it on your own data
If the comparison above is close for your use case, settle it on your own data: request a free, no-call Match-Ready Sample shaped to your own domain (patient, supplier, B2C, or another), with the Known-Duplicate Pair File answer key attached, and run your own match rules against the Master ID / Duplicate Type labels before deciding.
Get a Match-Ready SampleWhere Tonic Fabricate is stronger
Tonic is stronger when you need conversational agent generation, live database connectors, mock API generation from an uploaded spec, enterprise compliance contracts (SOC2/GDPR/HIPAA BAAs), or Structural/Textual workflows that start from existing production data.
Where Generate-Data is the better fit
Generate-Data is the better fit when you want a browser schema builder with an anonymous free path, export-based (not token-metered) usage, labeled Master ID / Duplicate Type pairs for match/merge testing, or JSONL / HuggingFace dataset exports without talking to sales.
Pricing (dated 2026-08-01)
| Plan | Published price | Key inclusions / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fabricate Free | $0/month | $5 monthly usage credits; basic exports; Discord; Tonic Cloud |
| Fabricate Plus | $29/month | $25 monthly credits; pay-as-you-go overage; email support |
| Fabricate Enterprise | Custom | Pooled usage; expanded DB exports; RBAC; SSO; self-hosted option |
| Structural / Textual | Contact sales | Custom tiers; AWS Marketplace lists $1.00 placeholders directing to sales |
Generate a dataset
Open the free generator to build a custom schema. Anonymous use needs no account within the stated caps.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tonic Fabricate have a free plan?
Yes. Fabricate Free is $0/month and includes $5 of monthly usage credits with no credit card required. The $5 covers approximately 9 highly complex, multi-step generation sessions in Tonic's own description. [Source: tonic.ai/pricing, 2026-08-01]
What is the difference between Tonic Fabricate, Structural, and Textual?
Fabricate generates net-new synthetic data from scratch or from a schema, using a conversational AI agent. Structural transforms existing sensitive production data into safe test data using masking and subsetting. Textual de-identifies unstructured text. Only Fabricate is a from-scratch generator; the other two require existing data to work from. [Source: tonic.ai/products/fabricate, 2026-08-01]
Do I need to talk to sales to use Tonic?
Not for Fabricate Free or Fabricate Plus. Both are available without a sales call. Structural and Textual are contact-sales at every tier. [Source: tonic.ai/pricing, 2026-08-01]
Does Tonic Fabricate need my production data?
Fabricate does not require production data; it generates from scratch from a schema or a chat prompt. Tonic Structural is built specifically for de-identifying existing production data. [Source: tonic.ai/products/fabricate, 2026-08-01]
Who owns the data generated by Tonic Fabricate?
"You retain full ownership of all generated data. However, Tonic.ai reserves the right to utilize your conversational prompts and feedback to further refine and improve the Data Agent's performance." A training opt-out option exists. [Source: tonic.ai/pricing, 2026-08-01: verbatim quote]
What is a Known-Duplicate Pair File and why does it matter for match-rule testing?
A Known-Duplicate Pair File is a synthetic dataset where every duplicate pair is tagged with a shared Master ID and a Duplicate Type describing how the rows vary (exact copy, typo, nickname, and similar). It matters for match-rule testing because it gives you a documented answer key: which rows should match is stated, not inferred from eyeballing the export.
Does a generic synthetic-data export include a duplicate answer key?
It depends on the tool. Some synthetic-data exports are records only, with no indication of which rows are intentional duplicates of the same entity. Generate-Data ships a Known-Duplicate Pair File with Master ID and Duplicate Type columns; whether a given alternative publishes an equivalent answer key is noted in the comparison table above, sourced where available.
How do I get a labeled sample instead of just a synthetic export?
Request a Match-Ready Sample: a free, no-call sample shaped to a domain you name (patient, supplier, B2C, or another), delivered with the Master ID / Duplicate Type answer key built in. It is the same mechanism behind the Known-Duplicate Pair File, sized for evaluation rather than a full engagement.