The Factory Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Factory in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Factory
The Insider’s Guide
Coding agents called Droids for desktop, terminal and web
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI agents, read from Factory’s own pages.
Made by The San Francisco AI Factory, Inc. · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Factory’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Factory’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 70 of the 101 other AI agents we grade
Factory sells software-development agents it calls Droids, which plan, write, review and validate changes in a codebase. They run from a desktop app, a terminal CLI, a web app and an SDK, and the vendor says they work with any model. Individuals pay per person on tiered usage; teams and enterprises get admin, security and deployment options.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Factory, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It has a terminal quickstart and model and key setup to do.
- 1
Best for coding agents called Droids
Factory runs coding agents called Droids from a desktop app, terminal, web and SDK.
- 2
Paid plans start at $20 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $20 per individual / month (billing basis not stated).
- 3
There is a free plan
Bring your own inference by signing in with ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or OpenRouter, or by connecting your own API keys.
- 4
It runs on 4 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
- 5
Droid agents
Droids plan, build and validate changes in a repository. The CLI quickstart shows the agent proposing edits and waiting for review before it changes files.
- 6
Desktop, terminal, web and SDK
The homepage lists desktop, terminal, web and CLI surfaces, and the docs cover an SDK, a sessions API and a non-interactive exec mode.
- 7
Model routing
Tasks can be routed across models, and the pricing page says the platform supports frontier and open-weight models from several providers.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 70 of 101
That is against the other AI agents we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Factory 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.
Factory at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $20 per individual / month (billing basis not stated)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
- Made by
- The San Francisco AI Factory, Inc.
- Category
- AI Agents
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for coding agents called Droids
Factory runs coding agents called Droids from a desktop app, terminal, web and SDK. Free means bringing your own model access, and Pro is $20 a month, Plus $100 and Max $200. Plus and Max are described only as about 5x and 10x the usage.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Pro is $20 a month, in the middle of the category, with Plus at $100 and Max at $200. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Free works if you sign in with ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or OpenRouter, or use your own keys, so the model costs are yours. |
| Features | B | Droids across desktop, terminal, web and SDK, with code review, automations and analytics; the listing shows no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. It has a terminal quickstart and model and key setup to do. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, Mac, Windows and Linux with four integrations; no phone app is listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Factory is for
- Fits if you already pay for ChatGPT or Copilot and want to run a coding agent on it
- Works for a developer who wants desktop, terminal and SDK in one product
Who it is not for
- Watch out: the page shows monthly figures without saying whether they are billed monthly or annually
- Pricey if you want more usage: Plus and Max are only 5x and 10x Pro with no token numbers
- Not for you if you need SSO, SAML or audit logs, which are Business and Enterprise with no price
- Tight if you are a group over 10, as Teams covers up to 10 seats
Good to know
Good for
- Engineering teams that want agents inside their own terminal or IDE workflow
- Developers who already pay for ChatGPT or Copilot and want to bring that access
- Companies that need SSO, audit logs or on-premise deployment
Worth knowing
- The pricing page shows monthly figures without saying whether they are billed monthly or annually.
- Plus and Max are described only as roughly 5x and 10x the usage of Pro; no token or task numbers are given.
- Business and Enterprise have no published price, and SSO, SAML/SCIM and audit logging sit behind them.
- The Teams plan covers up to 10 seats; larger groups are routed to sales.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$20
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Factory has a free plan. Paid plans start at $20 per individual / month (billing basis not stated).
Free works if you sign in with ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or OpenRouter, or use your own keys, so the model costs are yours.
Free
$0
per individual / month
Bring your own inference: sign in with ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or OpenRouter, or use your own API keys or endpoint.
Pro
$20
per individual / month, billing basis not stated
Desktop, CLI and SDK access with full model availability.
Plus
$100
per individual / month, billing basis not stated
Everything in Pro with about 5x the usage.
Max
$200
per individual / month, billing basis not stated
Everything in Pro with about 10x the usage.
Teams
$60
per team / month, plus $40 per individual / month
Everything in Pro for up to 10 seats, with centralized billing.
Business and Enterprise
Custom
Sold through sales: custom limits, SSO, SAML/SCIM, audit logs; Enterprise adds on-premise options and data residency.
The free plan
Bring your own inference by signing in with ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or OpenRouter, or by connecting your own API keys.
Read from factory.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
4
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows and Linux
Coding agents called Droids for desktop, terminal and web. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, workflow automation, AI agents.
Droids across desktop, terminal, web and SDK, with code review, automations and analytics; the listing shows no gap in the core job.
- Droid agents
- Droids plan, build and validate changes in a repository. The CLI quickstart shows the agent proposing edits and waiting for review before it changes files.
- Desktop, terminal, web and SDK
- The homepage lists desktop, terminal, web and CLI surfaces, and the docs cover an SDK, a sessions API and a non-interactive exec mode.
- Model routing
- Tasks can be routed across models, and the pricing page says the platform supports frontier and open-weight models from several providers.
- Code review and Automations
- Droids can review pull requests with inline comments, and Automations put repeated engineering work on a schedule.
- Analytics and Agent Readiness
- Per-developer and per-team usage reports, plus a readiness score for each repository, are listed as enterprise-facing features.
- Governance and deployment options
- Business and Enterprise plans add SSO, audit logging, zero data retention and admin controls, and Enterprise lists on-premise deployment.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
What it works with
- GitHub
- ChatGPT
- GitHub Copilot
- OpenRouter
Factory is made by The San Francisco AI Factory, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
70/101
Other AI agents it is graded above
Factory's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 70 of the 101 other AI agents we grade, and level with 17.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 82 of 101) and worst on ease of use (C, above 14).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $22.13 for the category: 20 of the 65 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 102 AI agents we grade, cut by the letter each got. Factory’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 17 of 101
- BFree plan and trialAbove 82 of 101
- BFeaturesAbove 69 of 101
- CEase of useAbove 14 of 101
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 20 of 101
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 70 AI agents. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Factory is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Factory 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 is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 70 of the 101 other AI agents we grade. It costs $240 a year.
What you could not
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Factory’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Devin, OpenHands, Jules, Amp and CrewAI
The 5 tools Factory is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Devin
Free plan · from $20/mo
Autonomous software engineer that runs in the cloud or locally.
- Factory also covers workflow automation.
- 2.4GPA
OpenHands
Free plan · from $500/mo
Open-source platform for AI coding agents and automations.
- Only Factory lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- OpenHands is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
Jules
Free plan
Google's asynchronous coding agent that opens pull requests.
- Only Factory lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- 2.4GPA
Amp
Free plan · from $20/mo
Coding agent that runs in cloud machines it calls orbs.
- Only Amp lists iOS and Android apps.
- 2.2GPA
CrewAI
Free plan
Multi-agent platform to build, run and govern AI agents.
- Only Factory lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- CrewAI is open source, according to its own site.
- CrewAI also covers no-code.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Factory free?
Factory has a free plan. Bring your own inference by signing in with ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or OpenRouter, or by connecting your own API keys.
How much does Factory cost?
Factory lists 6 plans. Free: $0 per individual / month.
What platforms does Factory work on?
Factory is available on Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does Factory have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Factory is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does Factory have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Factory is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Is Factory open source?
Factory is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Factory have an API?
Yes. Factory offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Factory integrate with?
Factory's listing names GitHub, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot and OpenRouter.
Who makes Factory?
Factory is made by The San Francisco AI Factory, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Factory?
The closest alternatives to Factory in our directory are Devin, OpenHands, Jules, Amp and CrewAI.
How does Factory compare with other AI agents?
Factory's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 70 of the 101 other AI agents we grade, and level with 17.
Is Factory good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Factory C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $22.13 for the category: 20 of the 65 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Factory?
To replace Factory you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Factory’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Factory's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by The San Francisco AI Factory, Inc. Prices change, so check factory.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Factory, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/factory
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Factory: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/factory
Know someone choosing between AI agents?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/factory/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI agents after Factory, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Agents Insider's GuideEvery one of the 102 AI agents we grade, compared
- Genspark Insider's GuideAI workspace with an agent for research, slides, sheets and docs3.2 GPA
- Manus Insider's GuideGeneral AI agent for research, slides, websites and browser tasks3.2 GPA
- OpenClaw Insider's GuideOpen-source personal AI agent you run yourself and message in chat3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Factory’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Factory is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by The San Francisco AI Factory, Inc. Prices and plans change: check factory.com before you buy.