← All toolsDOSSIER · Build & code · FLAGSHIP · VERIFIED 2026-06-07

Factory74FlagshipBenchmark pendingAgent-native delivery surfaceVerified 2026-06-07

Dossier · Build & code

Factory

Agent-native delivery surface · last verified 2026-06-07

FlagshipEDITOR'S PICK

Build & code

Factory

74/100

ROLEAgent-native delivery surface

Editorial fit

Source quality

Citation honesty

Privacy controls

Value for money

Speed

$20/MOPro

$100/MOPlus

$200/MOMax

FlagshipVerified 2026-06-07VP·METHOD

Sixteen scored dimensions, Droid surfaces from CLI to CI, Pro/Plus/Max rate-limit matrix, SDK and REST API ledger, competitive lens vs Cursor, and desk rows waiting for your agent benches.

What is Factory?

Factory is a tool in the VerdictPal Build & code set: Agent-native software development platform around Droid, with terminal, desktop, CLI, SDK, local/cloud background agents, missions, review workflows, and enterprise controls for delegated software delivery. It scores 74 out of 100 on editorial fit.

Role: Agent-native delivery surfaceCategory: Build & codeEditorial · hands-on

Factory at a glance, with the date each field was checked.
Field	Value
Editorial fit	74 out of 100
Dossier status	Flagship
Set	Build & code
Role in a workflow	Agent-native delivery surface
Pricing	Pro $20/mo · Plus $100/mo · Max $200/mo · Teams Custom · Enterprise Custom · Extra Usage Custom
Training on your data	Not recorded as a plan-wide guarantee. Check the dossier's privacy notes and sources.
Last verified	2026-06-07

Editor's note

Factory should be judged by reviewable delegated delivery: plan quality, diff quality, test behavior, command safety, and cost visibility. A strong demo is not enough if the team cannot govern the agent.

Public facts · vendor & repo

List prices and pay-as-you-go entry points we can cite without running our own bench. Each tile links to a source when possible.

$20/moProfactory.ai/pricing ↗

$100/moPlusfactory.ai/pricing ↗

$200/moMaxfactory.ai/pricing ↗

$10 prepaidExtra Usage (min)docs.factory.ai/pricing ↗

Limits & product surface

Non-price vendor claims — multipliers, caps, and API scope. Detailed matrices live in subscription and SDK sections below.

Standard Usage multipliers: Plus ~5× Pro · Max ~10× Pro (rolling windows)docs.factory.ai/pricing ↗
Rate limit windows: 5-hour · 7-day · 30-day rollingdocs.factory.ai/pricing ↗
Teams seat cap: Up to 150 seats (custom limits)factory.ai/pricing ↗
Autonomy levels: Off · Low · Medium · Highdocs.factory.ai auto-run ↗
REST / OpenAPI surface: Computers · Sessions · Analytics · Readinessapi.factory.ai ↗

How it works · agent loop

The public positioning for this product — the loop we score against on VerdictPal.

Plan in Spec Mode

Turn a plain-English goal into a reviewed plan before Droid touches files — name Spec Mode in your commit messages or PR template.

Match autonomy to risk

Start Off or Low on unfamiliar repos; Medium for installs and local commits; High only with denylists, hooks, and isolated runners.

Watch rolling limits

Run `/limits` before Missions or long autonomous sessions. Enable Droid Core or Extra Usage before deadline week, not after a block.

Automate the repeat work

Wire Droid Exec into CI for lint fixes, import sorting, and PR review — keep interactive CLI for exploratory refactors.

Who it fits, where it fails

Best for

Multi-step refactors, migrations, and repo tasks where Spec Mode planning beats one-shot chat edits
Teams wiring Droid Exec, review flows, and background agents into delivery workflows
Engineering orgs that need SSO, ZDR/on-prem/data-residency-style controls, auditability, and model flexibility
Developers who want agents inside existing terminal/IDE workflows rather than a separate editor-only experience

Avoid if

You only want lightweight VS Code autocomplete
You enable high autonomy or missions on production repos without tests, hooks, command denylists, or sandbox review
You assume $20 Pro equals unlimited premium-model agent work
Your team cannot review diffs, execution traces, and generated plans before merging

Strengths

Droid CLI
terminal UI
desktop app
SDK
cloud/local background agents
Spec Mode
missions
persistent sessions
slash commands
skills
MCP
hooks
plugins
model flexibility
enterprise controls

Weaknesses

Autonomous runs can burn rate limits or spend
Spec plans can miss cross-package contracts
Fallback models can regress on subtle refactors
Command execution needs sandboxing/tests/approval
Enterprise claims need trust-center verification

How it could improve

Extracted values that require manual verification suggest the extraction pipeline needs a confidence-checking layer, cross-reference extracted claims against the original passage before presenting them as fact.

Search modes · 8 lenses

One input box, many retrieval postures. Filter by tier.

01Pro

Droid CLI

Interactive terminal agent — default surface for power users

02Pro

Factory App

Desktop app with usage dashboard and Droid Computers management

03Pro

Droid Exec

Headless runs for CI/CD — lint fixes, reviews, doc sync

04Pro

Spec Mode

Read-only planning before implementation — Shift+Tab in CLI

05Max

Factory Missions

Multi-feature orchestration — requires High autonomy and Extra Usage enabled

06Pro

Droid Control

Browser, terminal, and desktop automation for QA and demos

07Pro

Local /review

AI code review on local diffs before you open a PR

08Pro

IDE integrations

VS Code, JetBrains, Zed — Droid inside the editor via ACP

Competitive lens

Where Factory wins for cited research — and where a rival still belongs in the stack.

Cursor is the AI-native VS Code fork students already know for tab-complete and inline edits. Factory is the agent delivery platform for delegated multi-file work, CI automation, and enterprise controls — pick Cursor for daily typing, Factory when the unit of work is a refactor, Mission, or pipeline.

Factory

Droid Exec and GitHub Actions patterns for headless CI
Factory Missions for multi-feature orchestration
Agent Readiness dashboard and /readiness-report
Enterprise on-prem, ZDR, OTEL, and hierarchical org controls
Explicit Autonomy Off–High with command denylists

Cursor

Full VS Code fork — familiar keybindings and extension ecosystem
Privacy Mode story is simpler for individual developers
Student Pro free for 12 months (cursor.com/students)
Lower mid-tier price: Cursor Pro+ $60 vs Factory Plus $100
Faster payoff for inline autocomplete without CLI setup

Scores and evidence

Metric lab · 16 dimensions

Click a tile for the editorial note. Color follows score: coral, yellow, mint.

Shape

Avg 74 · 58–86

74Editorial fit

Fits agentic delivery stacks; not a student essay tool or cited research front door.

By group

Fit70

Editorial fit74
IDE familiarity62
Context portability77
Onboarding curve58
Readiness analytics79

Cost70

Value for money68
Rate limit clarity71

Trust74

Enterprise controls86
Autonomy safety73
Sandbox maturity65
Escape hatches72

Workflow80

Agent orchestration82
CI / headless fit85
Code review depth76
BYOK flexibility80
Model routing78

Benchmark ledger

Public rows are vendor or third-party claims we logged with a date. Desk rows are reserved for VerdictPal self-run results.

Measure	Result	Source
Pro subscription	20 USD / mo2026-06-07	factory.ai/pricing
Plus subscription	100 USD / mo2026-06-07	factory.ai/pricing
Max subscription	200 USD / mo2026-06-07	factory.ai/pricing
Plus Standard Usage	5 × Pro (vendor)2026-06-07	docs.factory.ai/pricing
Max Standard Usage	10 × Pro (vendor)2026-06-07	docs.factory.ai/pricing
Extra Usage minimum	10 USD prepaid2026-06-07	docs.factory.ai/pricing
Teams seat cap	150 seats max2026-06-07	factory.ai/pricing
Short rolling window	5 hours2026-06-07	docs.factory.ai/pricing
Weekly rolling window	7 days2026-06-07	docs.factory.ai/pricing
Monthly rolling window	30 days2026-06-07	docs.factory.ai/pricing

Editorial evidence · 2 entries

Task

Run a cross-package refactor with tests and compare plan, diff, missed contracts, and rollback path.

Existing desk test caught a missed barrel export; rerun with current Droid.

↳ Pending benchmark row from Notion.

Task

Run headless lint/test repair against a known failing repo.

Existing desk run fixed most lint issues; human judgment still required.

↳ Pending benchmark row from Notion.

Benchmark coverage · 9 benchmarks

Agent Diff Review (VerdictPal Lab)BFCL ⚠DeepSWE GDPval HumanEval ⚠SWE-bench Verified ⚠Terminal-Bench-Science Terminal-Bench Vals Index ⚠

Benchmarks that evaluate or report on this tool. Scores and caveats live on the benchmark page.

Test scenarios · hands-on lab

How we exercised the product. Step through each run before you trust the scores.

Test run

Step 1 of 5

Open an unfamiliar repo branch and set Autonomy to Low.

Research log · desk notes

What we learned while building this dossier — not vendor copy.

2026-05-30docs.factory.ai/pricing ↗

Three independent rolling windows

Standard Usage is capped across 5-hour, 7-day, and 30-day rolling windows that reset from first use — hitting one window blocks requests even if others have headroom. `/limits` is the operational command students should know.

2026-05-30docs.factory.ai/pricing ↗

Missions require Extra Usage enabled

Factory Missions share the same rate limits as interactive sessions and pause on limit errors. Vendor docs recommend running Missions on Droid Core when possible to stretch quota.

2026-05-30docs.factory.ai auto-run ↗

Missions need High autonomy

Missions orchestration requires High autonomy or `--skip-permissions-unsafe` (explicitly marked unsafe in docs). Syllabus should forbid the unsafe flag outside isolated sandboxes.

2026-05-30factory.ai/pricing + cursor.com/pricing ↗

Pro and Max price-match Cursor tiers

Factory Pro ($20) and Max ($200) align with Cursor Pro and Ultra list prices — the fork is agent orchestration vs IDE-native editing, not entry cost.

What it costs, what it keeps

Individual subscription · checked 2026-06-07

Plan matrix

Individual plans from factory.ai/pricing and docs.factory.ai/pricing May 2026. Standard Usage draws from rolling 5-hour, weekly, and monthly windows. Teams and Enterprise are exempt from consumer rate-limit changes per vendor docs.

Capability	Free	Pro	Max
Standard Usage (rolling)	—	Baseline	Plus ~5× · Max ~10×
Droid Computers (managed cloud)	—	—	Plus & Max
Cloud background agents	—	Yes	Yes
Agent-readiness dashboard	—	Yes	Yes
Droid Core fallback	—	Yes	Yes
Extra Usage (prepaid)	—	Optional · $10 min	Optional · $10 min
Early feature access	—	—	Max tier
ZDR · SSO · SCIM	—	Teams+	Teams+

factory.ai plans for Droid across CLI, desktop app, and cloud agents. Standard Usage is consumed first; Droid Core and Extra Usage are fallbacks documented separately. Plus and Max expand rolling rate limits — not a separate product surface.

Desk pick

Pro

$20/mo

Monthly subscription

CLI · Factory App · SDK access
Cloud and local background agents
Usage statistics and Agent Readiness dashboard
Rolling 5h / weekly / monthly Standard Usage windows
Droid Core fallback when Standard Usage exhausts

Plus

$100/mo

Monthly subscription

Everything in Pro
~5× Standard Usage rate limits vs Pro
Factory-managed Droid Computers (remote cloud environments)
For daily Missions and long autonomous sessions

Max

$200/mo

Monthly subscription

Everything in Plus
~10× Standard Usage rate limits vs Pro
Early access to new Factory features
Par price with Cursor Ultra — compare orchestration vs IDE polish

Teams (up to 150 seats, custom limits, SSO, ZDR) and Enterprise (unlimited seats, on-prem, audit logs, dedicated compute) are contact-sales. Teams/Enterprise plans are not affected by consumer rate-limit changes per vendor docs.

SDK & REST API · checked 2026-06-07

Factory exposes Droid programmatically via SDK, Droid Exec, and REST APIs (Computers, Sessions, Analytics, Readiness). Session APIs are gated to selected organizations per docs — verify access before courseware assignments.

Pro includes SDK

Bundled with Pro+

Same Standard Usage pool

Droid SDK for embedded agent workflows
Droid Exec for GitHub Actions and headless automation
OpenAPI at api.factory.ai/api/v0/openapi.json
Analytics API for org usage and productivity metrics

Extra Usage

From $10 prepaid

Pay-as-you-go credits

Kicks in when Standard Usage exhausts (if enabled)
Credits never expire per vendor FAQ
Sticky toggle — enable once until off or depleted
Required for Factory Missions when limits approach

Endpoints · 5 routes

POST/computers

Create persistent Droid Computer environments

GET/computers

List org computers — managed and BYOM

POST/sessions

Create agent session (selected orgs only per docs)

GET/analytics/usage

Org-level credits, tool usage, productivity metrics

CLIdroid exec

Headless mode — `--auto low|medium|high` for CI edits

BYOK usage includes a free allowance on all plans; overage billed per plan terms. Never commit API keys — use org secret stores and Droid Shield on pushes.

Atlas bundle string · checked 2026-06-07

Pro $20/mo. Existing desk notes list Plus $100/mo, Max $200/mo, Teams custom, and Enterprise custom. Current Factory pricing snippets show Pro includes desktop/CLI/SDK, cloud and local background agents, billing/usage statistics, and an agent-readiness dashboard.

Privacy deep-dive · checked 2026-06-07

Factory privacy policy last updated 2026-04-29. It says Factory may process contact details, login/device data, analytics/support/marketing data, plus code-repository metadata such as repo/project names, code files, GitHub/GitLab file URLs, and commits when GitHub/GitLab is integrated on the web platform and remote containers are used. Personal data is primarily stored on AWS US West; archive deletion may take up to 10 years after last use unless contract terms differ.

Under the hood

Vendors named on the product about page — useful for procurement and privacy reviews.

Agent runtime: Factory Droid
Surfaces: CLI · App · SDK · Droid Exec
Models: Factory-hosted · BYOK · Droid Core pool
Integrations: GitHub · Slack · Linear · MCP
Enterprise security: Droid Shield · Prisma AIRS (Shield Plus)
Open source: No public platform fork

Alternatives and context

Alternatives

Cursor Command CodeDevinGitHub CopilotWindsurf

Head-to-head

Factory vs Cursor Factory vs Command Code

Compare side-by-side → open compare

Workflow roles

How this tool fits into a composed research stack:

agentic codingdelivery automation

Powered by

The model(s) that drive this tool. The tool is the wrapper; the model is the engine.

Deep panes · 9 lenses

Editorial lenses only. Subscription and API pricing live in their own sections above.

Lens 01

Droid CLI

The default power-user surface. Install with the curl one-liner, run `droid`, and treat Autonomy Level as a syllabus-visible safety knob — not a bragging-rights setting.

Install: curl -fsSL https://app.factory.ai/cli | sh
Limit check: /limits command

Ctrl+L cycles Off → Low → Medium → High → Off
Shift+Tab toggles Auto vs Spec Mode
Start new repos at Low until AGENTS.md and hooks exist

Sources and provenance

Source ledger · 6 checked

Product sitechecked 2026-06-07
Pricingchecked 2026-06-07
Docs welcomechecked 2026-06-07
CLI overviewchecked 2026-06-07
Terminal UIchecked 2026-06-07
Securitychecked 2026-06-07

Quality gate · Flagship

Evidence ready

Benchmark pending

Verdict history

2026-06-07Factory is the agent-native software-delivery tool. It is strongest when the task is bigger than autocomplete: repo understanding, spec-planned refactors, terminal/IDE delegation, background agents, SDK use, and CI-style Droid Exec workflows. This pass adds current 2026 Factory/Droid source detail and sharpens the enterprise/security boundary.
2026-06-17Production-readiness audit pass: editorsNote and pricing/privacy checked dates confirmed. benchmarkReady remains false intentionally until Spec Mode, Droid Exec autonomy, and enterprise-control runs land.

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Watch outYou require a fully local traditional terminal with no account/cloud features

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Questions this dossier answers

Every answer below is assembled from the dated fields on this page. Nothing is written separately for search.

Is Factory worth using?

Factory scores 74 out of 100 on editorial fit and carries Flagship dossier status. Its job in a research workflow is: Agent-native delivery surface.

Who is Factory best for?

Factory earns its place when you need:

Multi-step refactors, migrations, and repo tasks where Spec Mode planning beats one-shot chat edits
Teams wiring Droid Exec, review flows, and background agents into delivery workflows
Engineering orgs that need SSO, ZDR/on-prem/data-residency-style controls, auditability, and model flexibility
Developers who want agents inside existing terminal/IDE workflows rather than a separate editor-only experience

When should you not use Factory?

Skip Factory in these cases:

You only want lightweight VS Code autocomplete
You enable high autonomy or missions on production repos without tests, hooks, command denylists, or sandbox review
You assume $20 Pro equals unlimited premium-model agent work
Your team cannot review diffs, execution traces, and generated plans before merging

What does Factory cost?

Pro $20/mo · Plus $100/mo · Max $200/mo · Teams Custom · Enterprise Custom · Extra Usage Custom. Pricing last checked 2026-06-07.

Does Factory train on your data?

Not recorded as a plan-wide guarantee. Check the dossier's privacy notes and sources.. Privacy terms last checked 2026-06-07.

What goes wrong with Factory?

The dossier publishes 5 failure modes for Factory, and they stay published whether or not the vendor likes them:

Autonomous runs can burn rate limits or spend
Spec plans can miss cross-package contracts
Fallback models can regress on subtle refactors
Command execution needs sandboxing/tests/approval
Enterprise claims need trust-center verification

What are the alternatives to Factory?

The closest options to Factory are Cursor, Claude Code, Devin, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf. Each one that has a tool in the atlas is linked from this dossier, with a head-to-head comparison.

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