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Developer Tools · head to head

Namespace vs Ory

Namespace logo

Namespace

Developer Tools

The dev platform for the next 100 billion commits

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Ory logo

Ory

Cybersecurity

Open-source identity, authentication, and permissions infrastructure

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Namespace developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear; Ory production and Growth plans are billed annually ($770/year and $9,350/year), which is a larger upfront commitment than monthly-only competitors.
  • They diverge on capability: Namespace covers Devboxes, Ory covers Authentication APIs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Namespace and Ory actually diverge.

Attributes where Namespace and Ory differ
AttributeNamespaceOry
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
PlatformsCloud, Mac, Windows, Linuxweb, api
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity

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 Namespace

  • Devboxes
  • GitHub Actions runners
  • Docker builds
  • Cross-invocation caching
  • NVMe storage
  • High-speed networking
  • Multiple OS support
  • Bazel and Turborepo support

Only in Ory

  • Authentication APIs
  • Permissions engine
  • Machine-to-machine tokens
  • B2B organizations
  • SAML SSO
  • Multi-region deployments

What people use each for

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

Namespace

  • Providing AI coding agents with cloud-based development environmentsnot Ory
  • Accelerating CI builds with faster GitHub Actions runnersnot Ory
  • Distributing builds across teams with managed infrastructurenot Ory
  • Scaling development velocity for monorepo organizationsnot Ory

Ory

  • Adding self-hosted or cloud identity to a new productnot Namespace
  • Implementing fine-grained permission checksnot Namespace
  • Supporting B2B organizations and multi-tenancynot Namespace
  • Building machine-to-machine authentication for microservicesnot Namespace

Where each one falls short

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

Namespace

  • Developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear
  • Team plan $100/mo is competitive but usage limits may be tight
  • Devbox pricing separate at $0.004/minute could add up quickly
  • Enterprise plan requires custom sales conversation

Ory

  • Production and Growth plans are billed annually ($770/year and $9,350/year), which is a larger upfront commitment than monthly-only competitors.
  • SAML SSO and multi-region deployments are reserved for the custom-priced Enterprise tier.
  • Usage-based pricing across aDAU, M2M tokens, and permission checks makes cost estimation more complex than flat per-MAU billing.

Pricing, plan by plan

Namespace

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • Pay-as-you-go
    • On-demand compute
    • Docker builds
  • Team$100/month
    • 100,000 unit minutes
    • 1,000 Docker builds
    • Everything in Developer
  • Business$250/month
    • 250,000 unit minutes
    • 2,500 Docker builds
    • Everything in Team
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Custom compute/Docker build limits
    • Audit log export
    • Enterprise SSO

Ory

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • Community support
    • No production environments
  • Production$64/month
    • $21 monthly credit included
    • 1 production environment
    • 3 staging environments
  • Growth$779/month
    • $255 monthly credit included
    • 2 production environments
    • B2B organizations (max 3)

Which should you pick?

Choose Namespace if

  • You need devboxes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Mac, Windows, Linux.
  • You also want github actions runners.
Namespace review

Choose Ory if

  • You need authentication apis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want permissions engine.
Ory review

Questions people ask

Is Namespace or Ory better?
Neither clearly leads. Namespace starts at Free and Ory at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Namespace or Ory?
Namespace starts at Free and Ory at Free.
Does Namespace or Ory run on more platforms?
Namespace runs on Cloud, Mac, Windows, Linux. Ory runs on web, api.
Can I use Namespace for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Namespace best used for?
Namespace is most often used for providing ai coding agents with cloud-based development environments, accelerating ci builds with faster github actions runners, distributing builds across teams with managed infrastructure, scaling development velocity for monorepo organizations. Of those, providing ai coding agents with cloud-based development environments and accelerating ci builds with faster github actions runners are not what Ory is typically brought in for.
What can Namespace do that Ory cannot?
Namespace covers Devboxes, GitHub Actions runners, Docker builds, Cross-invocation caching. Ory covers Authentication APIs, Permissions engine, Machine-to-machine tokens, B2B organizations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Namespace: How is compute usage metered on the Developer plan?

Developer plan uses pay-as-you-go billing. Devboxes bill at $0.004 per minute. Storage and caching services have separate usage-based fees. A 30-day free trial is available to test usage patterns.

Source
Ory: What does Ory cost?

Ory has a free Developer tier, a Production plan at $770/year including a $21 monthly credit, a Growth plan at $9,350/year including a $255 monthly credit, and custom Enterprise pricing.

Source
Namespace: What is the difference between Team and Business plans?

Team ($100/mo) includes 100,000 unit minutes and 1,000 Docker builds with email support. Business ($250/mo) includes 250,000 unit minutes, 2,500 Docker builds, and high concurrency with a dedicated Slack channel.

Source
Ory: How is usage metered?

Beyond the included credit, Ory charges per average daily active user (aDAU), per machine-to-machine token, and per permission check, with lower per-unit rates on the Growth plan.

Source
Namespace: Can Namespace support AI coding agents?

Yes, Namespace Devboxes are specifically designed as feature-rich development environments for AI coding agents, with full tooling and performance optimization.

Source
Ory: What payment methods are supported?

Ory accepts credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Amex) and bank transfer, processed via Stripe.

Source
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