--- title: "Factory AI Alternative: Free, Self-Hosted Agents | intentic" description: "Compare Factory's Droids with intentic: whose agent, where it runs, Droid Computers vs your own sandbox, PR review, automations and enterprise controls." url: "https://intentic.dev/compare/factory/" updated: "2026-10-20" --- [Comparisons](https://intentic.dev/compare/) Cloud coding agents · managed or self-hosted # Factory vs intentic: Droids or your own agents on your machine Compare Factory's Droid agent, Droid Computers, Missions and enterprise controls with a free, self-hosted workspace. factory.ai now redirects to factory.com. Factory is the foundation for your software factory: plan, build, review and ship software with autonomous agents, called Droids, across desktop, terminal, web and CLI. *Factory ·[factory.com](https://factory.com/)* [Try intentic free](https://app.intentic.dev)[See how intentic works](https://intentic.dev/features/) The short answer Choose Factory for its own Droid agent across models from several providers, managed Droid Computers, automated PR review and enterprise controls such as SSO, SOC 2 and air-gapped builds. Choose intentic to keep the agents you already pay for, running in a sandbox on your hardware, as free MIT software. Factory also runs Droids on your own computers through Remote Control, with no inbound ports. The bigger difference is whose agent does the work: Factory's Droid, or the Claude Code, Codex and Cursor accounts you already have. ## Factory vs intentic: at a glance ▸ marks Factory's strengths (4 rows) Agents on machines you manage · Both can run agents on a computer you manage through an outbound connection, with no inbound ports, and both start work from schedules, webhooks or outside events. Both put changes in front of you before they reach your main branch. | Dimension | intentic | Factory | | --- | --- | --- | | Agent | Third-party agents on your own subscriptions | ▸Factory's Droid on models from four providers, your keys or local models | | Licence | MIT | Proprietary CLI and app | | Where it runs | Docker sandbox on your hardware, or an optional hosted sandbox | ▸Terminal, Droid Computers, your machines via Remote Control, air-gapped builds | | Code review | Plan approval and file-by-file review before landing | ▸Review Droid comments inline on GitHub and GitLab pull requests | | Automations | Schedules, webhooks and service events | Schedules, Slack messages, GitHub events and webhooks; Linear and Jira delegation | | Enterprise | Free team sharing; Google or email sign-in | ▸SSO and SCIM, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and on-premise options | | Plans | Free software; you pay your model provider | Paid plans for individuals and teams; free for open-source contributors | ## The main differences 01 ### Factory's agent or the ones you already use Droid is Factory's own agent. It runs on Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI models, your own API keys or local models, with a router that picks a model per task. intentic runs third-party agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Cursor on your existing subscriptions. 02 ### Where the work runs Droids run in your terminal and IDE, on Factory-hosted Droid Computers that keep their state, on your machines through Remote Control, and in air-gapped enterprise builds. intentic runs a Docker sandbox on your hardware, or an optional hosted one, with a git worktree per conversation. 03 ### Review and enterprise controls Factory's review Droid posts inline comments on GitHub and GitLab pull requests, and Factory lists SSO, SCIM, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. intentic reviews work before it lands in your checkout; teammates sign in with Google or an emailed code. ## When to choose Factory Pick Factory if you want one vendor's agent tuned across many models, managed computers that keep state, PR review and Missions for long work, plus the compliance documents an enterprise asks for. It also runs on your own machines and in air-gapped networks. Choose intentic to keep your current agents and run the whole workspace as free MIT software. ## Factory: common questions ### What is Factory AI? Factory makes Droid, an autonomous coding agent you use from a desktop app, a CLI, IDEs, the web, Slack, Linear and Jira. It adds Droid Computers, Missions, automations and pull-request review. factory.ai now redirects to factory.com. ### Factory Droid vs Claude Code: what is the difference? Claude Code is Anthropic's agent for Claude models. Droid is Factory's agent and works with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI models, your own keys or local models. intentic does not replace either agent; it runs Claude Code and others in a sandbox you control. ### Is Factory's Droid CLI open source? No. The droid package is proprietary, though some side repositories, such as its Python SDK, are open source. intentic is MIT, including the sandbox and CLI that run on your machine. ### Can Factory Droids run on my own machine? Yes. Remote Control connects a Linux, macOS or Windows computer through Factory's relay with no inbound ports, and OpenCompute, in private preview, runs sandboxes in your own infrastructure. Enterprises can deploy air-gapped builds. intentic runs its sandbox on your machine by default. ### Does Factory have a free plan? Its pricing page lists paid plans for individuals and organisations, with an allowance for your own API keys, and Factory offers free access to open-source contributors. intentic's software is free to self-host; you pay your model provider directly. ### What are the best Factory AI alternatives? For a managed cloud agent, compare Devin or Codex cloud. For a terminal agent, compare Claude Code, Codex CLI or OpenCode. For a self-hosted workspace that runs the agents you already use, compare intentic. ## Sources and last checked date Product facts were checked against these official sources on 19 October 2026. Prices and features can change. [Report a mistake](https://github.com/intentic/intentic/issues). - [Factory · factory.com](https://factory.com/) - [Droid CLI · docs.factory.com](https://docs.factory.com/droid-cli/overview) - [Droid Computers · docs.factory.com](https://docs.factory.com/droid-computers/overview) - [Remote Control · docs.factory.com](https://docs.factory.com/remote-control) - [Bring your own key · docs.factory.com](https://docs.factory.com/model-independence/byok) - [Automations · docs.factory.com](https://docs.factory.com/software-factory/automations) - [Code review · docs.factory.com](https://docs.factory.com/software-factory/code-review-ci) - [Compliance · docs.factory.com](https://docs.factory.com/enterprise/compliance-audit-and-monitoring) - [Air-gapped deployment · docs.factory.com](https://docs.factory.com/enterprise/airgapped-deployment) - [Plans · factory.com](https://factory.com/pricing) - [Open-source access · factory.com](https://factory.com/oss) - [CLI package licence · registry.npmjs.org](https://registry.npmjs.org/droid/latest) [Next comparison intentic vs Intent → Not the same product: compare Intent's spec-driven agent coordination with intentic's sandboxed browser workspace.](https://intentic.dev/compare/intent/) [Try intentic free](https://app.intentic.dev)[All comparisons](https://intentic.dev/compare/)