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Developer Tools · head to head

CodeSandbox vs Factory

CodeSandbox logo

CodeSandbox

Developer Tools

Cloud platform for instant, isolated development sandboxes and code execution

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Factory logo

Factory

Software Development

The autonomy stack for enterprise teams

From
$20/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only CodeSandbox has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CodeSandbox detailed paid plan pricing was not published on the accessible pages, making cost comparison difficult.; Factory business and Enterprise plans require direct sales contact for pricing

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CodeSandbox and Factory actually diverge.

Attributes where CodeSandbox and Factory differ
AttributeCodeSandboxFactory
Starting priceFree$20/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, apiWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsSoftware Development

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CodeSandbox

  • Instant sandboxes
  • Programmatic sandbox API
  • Secure isolated execution
  • Browser-based editor
  • CI/CD sandbox support
  • Scalable VM infrastructure

Only in Factory

Nothing recorded that CodeSandbox does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CodeSandbox

  • Running AI agent-generated code safely in isolationnot Factory
  • Prototyping and sharing web projects in-browsernot Factory
  • Executing untrusted code for a code playground productnot Factory
  • Using sandboxes as ephemeral CI/CD build environmentsnot Factory

Factory

  • AI agent development and deploymentnot CodeSandbox
  • Multi-platform automationnot CodeSandbox
  • Background task executionnot CodeSandbox
  • Agent orchestrationnot CodeSandbox

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CodeSandbox

  • Detailed paid plan pricing was not published on the accessible pages, making cost comparison difficult.
  • Focus has shifted toward programmatic sandbox infrastructure, which may be less approachable for casual users just wanting a quick online editor.
  • Public sandboxes are visible to others by default, which is not ideal for proprietary code.

Factory

  • Business and Enterprise plans require direct sales contact for pricing
  • Individual plans (Pro, Plus, Max) have limited feature details

Pricing, plan by plan

CodeSandbox

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Public sandboxes
    • Basic sandbox usage

Factory

$20/month
  • Pro$20/month
    • Agent-native multi-platform experience
    • Desktop, CLI, and SDK access
    • Cloud and local background agents
  • Plus$100/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Approximately 5x usage limits
    • Droid Computers for remote agents
  • Max$200/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Approximately 10x usage limits
    • Early access to new features
  • Business$null/mo

Which should you pick?

Choose CodeSandbox if

  • You need instant sandboxes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want programmatic sandbox api.
CodeSandbox review

Choose Factory if

Nothing in the data separates Factory from CodeSandbox on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Factory review

Questions people ask

Is CodeSandbox or Factory better?
Neither clearly leads. CodeSandbox starts at Free and Factory at $20/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CodeSandbox or Factory?
CodeSandbox has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CodeSandbox and $20/month for Factory.
Does CodeSandbox or Factory run on more platforms?
CodeSandbox runs on web, api. Factory runs on Web.
Can I use CodeSandbox for free?
Yes. CodeSandbox has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Factory starts at $20/month.
What is CodeSandbox best used for?
CodeSandbox is most often used for running ai agent-generated code safely in isolation, prototyping and sharing web projects in-browser, executing untrusted code for a code playground product, using sandboxes as ephemeral ci/cd build environments. Of those, running ai agent-generated code safely in isolation and prototyping and sharing web projects in-browser are not what Factory is typically brought in for.
What can CodeSandbox do that Factory cannot?
CodeSandbox covers Instant sandboxes, Programmatic sandbox API, Secure isolated execution, Browser-based editor.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CodeSandbox: Does CodeSandbox offer a free tier?

Yes, CodeSandbox offers a free option available on the platform. Users can start for free.

Source
Factory: What is Factory.ai's pricing?

Factory.ai offers individual plans starting at USD$20 per month for Pro, USD$100 per month for Plus, and USD$200 per month for Max. Team plans including Business and Enterprise tiers are available at custom pricing based on the number of seats required.

Source
CodeSandbox: Where can I find CodeSandbox's pricing details?

CodeSandbox maintains a dedicated pricing page, but specific tier names, feature breakdowns, and costs are not displayed on the landing page.

Source
Factory: What are the usage limits for each plan?

The Pro plan is the baseline tier. Plus provides approximately 5 times the usage limits of Pro, while Max provides approximately 10 times the usage limits of Pro. Exact usage limits are not specified on the pricing page.

Source
Factory: What AI models are included with Factory.ai?

All Factory.ai plans include access to GPT-5, Claude Opus and Sonnet, Google Gemini, and open-weight models. Business and Enterprise plans also include dedicated compute with partitioned inference and options for on-premise deployment.

Source
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