AI CodeOps vs Factory

Factory and AI CodeOps both hand software work to AI agents. Factory's agent, Droid, is designed to run wherever developers already work. AI CodeOps is a browser product that runs agents on its own servers and puts every change through a gate before it ships. Here is what each one is, a comparison of facts we could check in Factory's own docs, and where Factory is the better pick.

What Factory is

Factory's docs invite you to "install Droid, delegate your first task, and scale from a single session to an automated SDLC" (Factory docs). Factory's plans include desktop, CLI and SDK access (pricing). Droid runs as a CLI (Droid CLI) and in the Factory App, which keeps "local, web, and mobile review surfaces" connected (Factory App), and it "works in any editor with an integrated terminal" (IDE integrations). You can delegate a Linear issue, and "Droid is instructed to open a pull request and return its URL" (Linear). Droid Exec is a headless mode for CI/CD and scripts (Droid Exec).

What AI CodeOps is

AI CodeOps runs AI software-engineering sessions in your browser, with nothing to install. You pick a project and a workflow and describe the task. Agents (architect, builder, reviewer, tester, security auditor and others) plan it, write the change, run your tests and review the result. The change then waits at a release gate: tests, the AI findings review and approvals must pass before it can ship.

Side by side

Facts about Factory are as of October 2026 and link to Factory's own docs and pricing page.

Where Factory is the better choice

• Your developers live in the terminal or the editor. Droid runs there. AI CodeOps does not have a CLI or an editor plugin, by design.
• You want the agent inside your CI pipeline. Droid Exec and the Droid review action run in your own CI.
• You need an airgapped or EU deployment. Factory documents both as standard deployment patterns.
• You work from Jira, Linear, Slack or Microsoft Teams. Factory documents delegating work from Jira, Linear, Slack and Microsoft Teams.
• You want a paid individual plan today. Factory publishes Pro, Plus and Max plans. AI CodeOps is in open beta and its Team plan is not priced yet.

Where AI CodeOps fits

AI CodeOps is for teams that want agents to do the work in a shared place, with controls a reviewer or auditor can follow.

• Nothing to install. Every session runs on the platform. Terminal sessions run in sandboxed pods, not on a developer's laptop.
• A release gate. Tests, AI findings review and approvals must pass. Approvals can require two people, and policies decide which changes need them. See approvals and policies.
• Signed evidence per change. Each change has an Ed25519-signed evidence pack that anyone can verify at /evidence/verify.
• Cost controls. Spend caps per workspace and per workflow, and cost tracked per session. See cost controls.
• Model tiers. Economy, Standard, Premium or Auto on the platform's models, or your own provider key. See models.
• Gitea, Forgejo and Bitbucket, as well as GitHub and GitLab.

How to decide

If the question is "how do we put an agent in every developer's terminal and pipeline", Factory is built for it. If the question is "how do we let agents ship changes and show who approved what", try AI CodeOps. The quickstart takes a few minutes, and the compare page lists our other comparisons.