Cua review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Shared desktops on your own computers for you and your AI agents
Black Friday: is there a Cua sale?
Cua report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for sandboxed computers for AI agents
Cua gives AI agents their own computers, called Spaces, and lets you hand control back and forth. Pro is $15 a month on yearly billing and Free covers 2 computers and 20 remote hours. It does not rent the machines, a Mac Space needs macOS 26, and several security features are still marked as coming.
Who Cua is for
- Fits if you want to watch and take over what a coding agent does on a computer
- Works for developers who already own or rent the machines to run it on
Who Cua is not for
- Watch out: Cua does not rent computers, so the VMs are billed by your cloud provider
- Skip it if you are not on Apple silicon with macOS 26 and want a Mac Space
- Not for you if you need audit history or SSO today, which are listed as coming soon or not included
- Too light for phones, as there is no mobile app
- Watch out: anonymous usage data is collected by default, per the vendor's FAQ
Why Cua gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for money$15 a month billed yearly ($18 monthly) is under the category's cheaper quarter of $19. Your cloud provider bills the VMs on top, because Cua does not rent computers.
- BFree plan and trialThe free plan has Spaces, Teleport and sharing, for up to 2 computers at once and 20 remote hours a month. No trial, but a person can live on it.
- CFeaturesSpaces, Teleport, shared control and a driver for agents. The listing shows gaps: expiring share links and audit history are coming soon, and SSO and audit export are not included.
- DEase of useNo store rating on record. It is a developer tool with a driver, agent connections and your own machines to set up; Mac Spaces need macOS 26 on Apple silicon.
- CPlatforms and integrationsMac, Windows (a preview) and Linux only, with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Docker connections. Nothing for phones.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Cua's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/cua#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/cua.svg" alt="Cua: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Cua stands among AI agents
Cua's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 81 of the 178 other AI agents we grade, and level with 41.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 144 of 178) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $25 for the category: 6 of the 98 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. 13 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 179 AI agents we grade, cut by the letter each got. Cua’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 135 of 178, level with 25
- BFree plan and trialAbove 144 of 178, level with 22
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 178, level with 130
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 178, level with 35
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 178, level with 46
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 109 AI agents. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Cua, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Cua you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $180 a year. Cua is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- A fast, secure link to another computer through any network.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Claude Code, Codex and Cursor among them.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
What this rests on. Cua’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Cua?
Cua Spaces turns Macs, Linux machines and cloud VMs that you own or rent into desktops that AI agents can operate and people can watch or share. Cua does not host the computers; it supplies the app, sharing and a relay for reaching them. The open-source Cua Driver lets agents use native desktop apps on macOS, Windows and Linux.
Worth knowing
- Cua does not rent computers: Spaces run on machines you own or rent, and your cloud provider bills those VMs.
- Running a Mac Space needs macOS 26 or later on Apple silicon; the Windows app is a preview.
- Share links that expire and 90-day audit history are listed as coming soon, and SSO and audit export as not yet included.
- There is no trial. Anonymous usage data is collected by default, per the vendor's FAQ.
Key features
- Spaces
- A Space is a full desktop, a virtual machine or container, that agents can use and people can watch, running on your Mac, your own computers or your own cloud.
- Teleport
- Packs an app's session (open tabs, profile, sign-ins) into a bundle and moves it into a Space after the user approves it on a consent screen.
- Shared control
- Share a Space with named people as viewer or editor. Each person and each agent gets its own cursor, so someone can step in and hand the desktop back.
- Cua Driver
- An MIT-licensed driver that lets an agent operate native apps on macOS, Windows and Linux without taking over the user's cursor or keyboard.
- Agent connections
- Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Cline, Kiro and OpenClaw connect through the Cua MCP server.
Cua pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cua has a free plan, and paid plans start at $15 per month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $15 per month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Free: Spaces on every computer you connect, Teleport, sharing with named people, and the relay for up to 2 computers at once and 20 remote hours a month.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | No account needed to start. Up to 2 computers in use at once and 20 remote hours a month through the relay. |
| Pro | $15per month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly) | For one person: up to 5 computers in use at once and 200 remote hours a month. Billed $180 a year. |
| Teams | $25per seat / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) | 1 to 100 seats. Each seat adds 5 computers at once and 200 remote hours to a shared pool, plus shared team computers, roles and device approval. |
Read from cua.ai on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Cua before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountTwo months free on yearly billing
Pro is $180 a year ($15 a month) against $18 a month; Teams is $300 per seat a year against $30 per seat a month.
Stated on cua.ai
Works with
Cua alternatives
- Cua vs E2B
Free trial · from $150/mo
- Cua vs Browserbase
Free plan · from $20/mo
- Cua vs Kernel
Free plan · from $30/mo
- Cua vs Browser Use
Free plan · from $5
Common questions
Does Cua have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Cua is listed for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does Cua have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Cua is listed for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Is Cua open source?
Yes. Cua is open source, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.