An AI agent that works inside your project: it reads, writes and runs the code for you.
Coding & Dev Tools
Factory
AI coding agents called Droids that take on whole engineering tasks from your backlog.
3.8our rating
PaidFrom $20/moWorks with Claude Code
Quick take
- A coding agent you can run in the terminal or desktop app, or hand tickets to from Jira, Linear, Slack and Teams.
- Works with models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and open-weight providers, so you're not tied to one AI company.
- Pro is $20 a month, Plus $100 and Max $200, with usage limits on rolling windows. When you hit them you can fall back to free open models or buy extra usage.
- Background Droids on Factory's cloud computers need the Plus plan or above.
- For non-developers, this is not the tool. For one developer on one model, Claude Code is simpler.
What is Factory?
Factory makes AI agents called Droids that do software engineering work: build a feature from a ticket, fix a bug, review a pull request, write tests, look into an incident or keep documentation up to date. You can run a Droid from the command line or desktop app while you watch, or hand it a ticket in Jira, Linear, Slack or Teams and let it work in the background on a cloud computer, then come back to a pull request.
Pick it over Claude Code or OpenAI Codex if you want one agent that can switch between Claude, GPT, Gemini and open models, or if your team wants agents that start from tickets and chat rather than from a developer's terminal. Devin is the closest rival for background work. For a single developer happy with one model, Claude Code is the simpler, better-documented default.
The catch: this is a tool for software teams, not something a non-developer will get value from. Usage limits run on rolling five-hour, weekly and monthly windows, and heavy jobs on premium models burn through them fast, so real monthly cost is hard to forecast. Some developers also find its handling of context less transparent than Claude Code's.
Who's using it, and who it's for
- Software teams
- Engineering managers
- Developers
- Platform and DevOps teams
Software teams that want AI agents to take tickets off the backlog and come back with finished pull requests.
Key features
Droids
Agents that plan, write, test and open pull requests for whole tasks, with checkpoints where a person approves.
Start work from anywhere
Kick off a Droid from the CLI, desktop app, web, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Linear or your CI pipeline.
Droid Computers
Persistent cloud machines where background Droids keep working while you do something else (Plus and above).
Missions and automations
Long multi-step projects, plus scheduled or event-driven jobs like nightly dependency updates.
Choice of models
Switch between Claude, GPT, Gemini and open-weight models per task.
Public API and SDK
Drive sessions, computers and automations from your own tools.
How we rate it
3.8 / 5
Our rating
From using the tool ourselves. The average of the five scores.
- Ease of use
- 3.0
- Features
- 4.5
- Output quality
- 4.0
- Value for money
- 3.5
- Speed & reliability
- 4.0
How quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
How completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
How good the results are before you fix them.
What you get for the price, including the free plan.
How fast it is and how often it falls over.
Factory pricing
Which plan should you pick?
Try Pro for a month to see if the agents suit your codebase. If you want Droids working in the background while you do other things, you need Plus.
Prices in USD unless noted, checked 22 October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Best use cases
Ways Factory can slot into your week.
- 1
Clear the bug backlog
Assign small bug tickets in Jira or Linear to a Droid and review the pull requests it opens.
- 2
Review every pull request
Have a Droid read each pull request and leave comments before a person looks at it.
- 3
Nightly maintenance
Schedule automations to update dependencies, fix failing tests or refresh docs overnight.
- 4
Incident first look
Point a Droid at an alert so it gathers logs and suggests a likely cause before an engineer picks it up.
How it fits your tech stack
It sits alongside your existing repo, ticket system and chat. Teams often keep Cursor or Claude Code for hands-on work and use Factory for background tasks started from tickets.
Connects to
- GitHub
- Jira
- Linear
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
Pros and cons
Pros
- Start agent work from tickets and chat, not only the terminal
- Use models from several AI companies in one tool
- Can fall back to free open models when you hit your limit
- Strong enterprise options: SSO, zero retention, on-premise
Cons
- Rolling usage limits make monthly cost hard to predict, and premium models eat them fast
- Background cloud agents need the $100 plan
- Less transparent about what context it's using than Claude Code
- Only useful if you have developers to review its work
Factory alternatives
The closest alternatives to Factory in the library, best rated first.
Claude Code
4.4
Best for building features end to end
Compare with Factory
Zed
4.3
Best for Running Claude Code inside an editor
Compare with Factory
OpenAI Codex
4.2
Best for background tasks in the cloud
Compare with Factory
Warp
4.1
Best for A nicer home for Claude Code
Compare with Factory
Why it made the list
It is one of the leading coding agents for teams, and it lets you use Claude, GPT and Gemini models in one place.
Factory FAQ
How much does Factory cost?
There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $20/mo. Prices checked 22 October 2026 against Factory's pricing page.
Is Factory free?
No. There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $20/mo.
What is Factory best for?
Factory is best for working through backlog tickets in the background, bug fixes and small features from Jira or Linear and automated pull request reviews. Software teams that want AI agents to take tickets off the backlog and come back with finished pull requests.
What are the best Factory alternatives?
The closest alternatives are Claude Code, Zed, OpenAI Codex and Warp. Claude Code is best for building features end to end.
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