Mockaroo
Generates realistic fake datasets in CSV, JSON and SQL from a schema you define in the browser.
why this verdict
Cancel it — switch to Faker.js
Faker.js and Snaplet Seed now cover the same core job on a free tier, so the $5/mo is optional.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- LLMs producing realistic seed data in the exact shape a schema needs. OpenAI, March 14, 2023 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers all of it editorial call
- The whole core job — the thing the subscription was actually for.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 3 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Faker.js, Snaplet Seed and ChatGPT.
- What the call is worth $60/yr
- $5/mo at the entry paid tier — $60 a year per seat.
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- March 14, 2023
- List price
- $5/mo
- Per year
- $60
The backstory
Mockaroo let you pick field types from a long list and download thousands of plausible fake rows for testing and demos. Its catalogue of generators, names, addresses and product categories was the product. A model handed a schema now writes seed data that is coherent across columns, matches your domain and comes as an insert script or a factory function. Free tiers and per-row limits look strange when the alternative costs one prompt.
Escape hatches
switching could free up $60/yrOpen-source library for generating fake data in code
fakerjs.dev open_in_newGenerates seed data shaped by your real database schema
snaplet.dev open_in_newWrites domain-coherent seed rows or a factory function
openai.com open_in_new3 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.