MockHero vs Mockaroo: A Developer-Focused Comparison

TL;DR

Mockaroo popularized browser-based mock data generation. MockHero is the API-first successor: schema-as-code, first-class relational support, deterministic seeds, and an MCP server for AI coding agents. If you live in the terminal, MockHero fits the workflow better.

Workflow Differences

• Mockaroo — build your schema in a web UI, export a file or hit their API.
• MockHero — define schema in JSON or plain English, POST to the API, ship the response into your DB.

Relational Data

Mockaroo supports relational fields, but wiring them requires navigating the UI and tends to break when schemas evolve. MockHero's ref fields live next to the schema — check them into git, diff them in PRs, and regenerate.

{
  "tables": [
    { "name": "customers", "count": 50, "fields": [
      { "name": "id", "type": "uuid" },
      { "name": "name", "type": "company_name" }
    ]},
    { "name": "orders", "count": 200, "fields": [
      { "name": "customer_id", "type": "ref", "ref": "customers.id" },
      { "name": "total", "type": "price" }
    ]}
  ]
}

Output Formats

• Mockaroo — CSV, JSON, SQL, Excel, XML.
• MockHero — JSON, CSV, and dialect-aware SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite).

AI and MCP

MockHero ships an MCP server so Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf can generate test data directly from your coding agent. Mockaroo doesn't have a native AI integration today.

npx @mockherodev/mcp-server

Pricing Model

Both offer free tiers. MockHero's free tier includes 1,000 rows/month with no credit card. Paid plans scale by rows/month rather than schemas or seats.

When Mockaroo Still Wins

• You prefer a visual schema builder and don't write code.
• You need a format MockHero doesn't emit (e.g., Excel).

When MockHero Wins

• Your schemas live in git and change often.
• You want deterministic CI-friendly seeds.
• You use an AI coding agent and want inline test data.

Try MockHero

Sign up for a free API key and generate your first relational dataset in under a minute.