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Developer Tools · head to head

Ona (formerly Gitpod) vs Microsoft Azure

Ona (formerly Gitpod) logo

Ona (formerly Gitpod)

Developer Tools

Cloud development environments repositioned as a control plane for software engineering agents

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Azure logo

Microsoft Azure

Cloud

Open and flexible cloud services

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ona (formerly Gitpod) acquisition risk has already materialised: the company closed a sale to OpenAI on 10 August 2026 and now sits inside the Codex team, so nothing public guarantees pricing, continuity or neutrality between model vendors beyond honouring existing commitments.; Microsoft Azure the 12 months of free services is available only to new customers who have not previously had an Azure account or received 12 months of free services
  • They diverge on capability: Ona (formerly Gitpod) covers Ephemeral environments, Microsoft Azure covers Virtual Machines.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ona (formerly Gitpod) and Microsoft Azure actually diverge.

Attributes where Ona (formerly Gitpod) and Microsoft Azure differ
AttributeOna (formerly Gitpod)Microsoft Azure
Pricing modelPer month by compute unitusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud PlatformWeb, Api, Desktop, Mobile
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCloud
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Ona (formerly Gitpod)

  • Ephemeral environments
  • Agent sessions
  • Bring your own cloud
  • Devcontainer standard
  • Compute unit budgeting
  • Enterprise identity

Only in Microsoft Azure

  • Virtual Machines
  • App Service
  • SQL Database
  • Blob Storage
  • Azure Cosmos DB
  • Functions
  • Service Fabric
  • API Management

What people use each for

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

Ona (formerly Gitpod)

  • Giving a large engineering team identical, disposable environments so onboarding is a link rather than a two day setupnot Microsoft Azure
  • Running several coding agents in parallel against real databases and services instead of on a laptopnot Microsoft Azure
  • Keeping source code off contractor and offshore laptops by moving the whole environment into a controlled accountnot Microsoft Azure
  • Reproducing a hard-to-configure toolchain for a short-lived project without polluting anyone machinenot Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure

  • Cloud infrastructure and computingnot Ona (formerly Gitpod)
  • Database and storage servicesnot Ona (formerly Gitpod)
  • AI and machine learning servicesnot Ona (formerly Gitpod)
  • Enterprise application hostingnot Ona (formerly Gitpod)

Where each one falls short

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

Ona (formerly Gitpod)

  • Acquisition risk has already materialised: the company closed a sale to OpenAI on 10 August 2026 and now sits inside the Codex team, so nothing public guarantees pricing, continuity or neutrality between model vendors beyond honouring existing commitments.
  • Two disruptive changes of direction inside a year, from development environments to agent orchestration and then from independence to acquisition, mean the product a browser IDE buyer originally chose no longer exists in that form.
  • The Gitpod Classic sunset on 15 October 2025 required manual conversion of configuration, hand-moved secrets, self-rescued workspace data and a brand new account, which is the clearest available precedent for how the vendor handles deprecation.
  • Community self-hosting is finished: the AGPL-3.0 repository is deprecated by its own README, and self-hosted now means a vendor-operated install in your AWS or GCP account, with no Azure, no on-premises and no air-gapped path.
  • Pricing is difficult to model because it runs on a compute unit currency where subscription credits expire at the end of the month, the mapping from units to actual compute is not published on the pricing page, and Enterprise is quotation only.

Microsoft Azure

  • The 12 months of free services is available only to new customers who have not previously had an Azure account or received 12 months of free services
  • The 12 months free offer is not available to customers who sign up directly for pay as you go in China and India
  • Customers who try Azure free must move to pay as you go within 30 days to keep receiving the 12 months of free services
  • Free services are capped at specified monthly amounts, and only some of them are always free

Pricing, plan by plan

Ona (formerly Gitpod)

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 3 parallel environments
    • Machines up to 4 vCPU, 16 GB memory and 80 GB disk
    • Ona Cloud multi-tenant only
  • Core$20/month
    • From 20 US dollars a month, up to 100 team members
    • Includes 80 to 2,200 recurring compute units a month depending on tier
    • Additional units from 10 US dollars per 40 units
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Single-tenant deployment in your own AWS or GCP account
    • SAML and OIDC single sign-on
    • Dedicated account management and forward deployed engineers

Microsoft Azure

Free
  • Free AccountFree
    • $200 credit for 30 days
    • Popular services 12 months free
    • 40+ services always free

Which should you pick?

Choose Ona (formerly Gitpod) if

  • You need ephemeral environments.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud Platform.
  • You also want agent sessions.
Ona (formerly Gitpod) review

Choose Microsoft Azure if

  • You need virtual machines.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want app service.
Microsoft Azure review

Questions people ask

Is Ona (formerly Gitpod) or Microsoft Azure better?
Neither clearly leads. Ona (formerly Gitpod) starts at Free and Microsoft Azure at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ona (formerly Gitpod) or Microsoft Azure?
Ona (formerly Gitpod) starts at Free and Microsoft Azure at Free.
Does Ona (formerly Gitpod) or Microsoft Azure run on more platforms?
Ona (formerly Gitpod) runs on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud Platform. Microsoft Azure runs on Web, Api, Desktop, Mobile.
Can I use Ona (formerly Gitpod) for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Ona (formerly Gitpod) best used for?
Ona (formerly Gitpod) is most often used for giving a large engineering team identical, disposable environments so onboarding is a link rather than a two day setup, running several coding agents in parallel against real databases and services instead of on a laptop, keeping source code off contractor and offshore laptops by moving the whole environment into a controlled account, reproducing a hard-to-configure toolchain for a short-lived project without polluting anyone machine. Of those, giving a large engineering team identical, disposable environments so onboarding is a link rather than a two day setup and running several coding agents in parallel against real databases and services instead of on a laptop are not what Microsoft Azure is typically brought in for.
What can Ona (formerly Gitpod) do that Microsoft Azure cannot?
Ona (formerly Gitpod) covers Ephemeral environments, Agent sessions, Bring your own cloud, Devcontainer standard. Microsoft Azure covers Virtual Machines, App Service, SQL Database, Blob Storage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ona (formerly Gitpod): Is Gitpod still called Gitpod?

No. It rebranded to Ona in September 2025, and gitpod.io now redirects to ona.com. The company was acquired by OpenAI in a deal that closed on 10 August 2026.

Microsoft Azure: How much does Microsoft Azure cost?

Azure uses consumption-based pricing where you pay only for resources used and scale as you grow, with no fixed monthly fee. Prices are listed in USD globally, and pricing varies by service, region, and usage patterns.

Source
Ona (formerly Gitpod): Can I still self-host it for free?

No. The AGPL-3.0 self-hosted project is deprecated by its own README. What is offered now is a vendor-operated single-tenant install in your AWS or GCP account on the Enterprise plan.

Microsoft Azure: How can I save money on Azure services?

Azure offers savings up to 65% on select compute services through Azure Savings Plans with one- or three-year commitments. Using Azure Hybrid Benefit with existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses plus reservations can save up to 85% compared to standard rates.

Source
Ona (formerly Gitpod): What happened to Gitpod Classic?

Pay-as-you-go Classic was switched off on 15 October 2025. Migration required converting gitpod.yml to devcontainer.json, moving secrets by hand, downloading workspace data before the cutoff and creating a new account.

Microsoft Azure: Does Azure offer a free tier?

Azure provides free tier services for new users and perpetually free options, including free Spot Virtual Machines, dev/test pricing for development workloads, and access to the Azure Pricing Calculator to estimate monthly costs before deployment.

Source
Ona (formerly Gitpod): What does it cost?

Core starts at 20 US dollars a month and includes a monthly allowance of Ona Compute Units, with more from 10 dollars per 40 units. Subscription credits expire monthly. Enterprise is quoted.

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