OpenComputer vs Factory

Factory (factory.ai, now factory.com, maker of the Droid agent) is an agent-native software development platform: its own agent, Droid, takes delegated engineering work from a desktop and web app, a CLI, Slack, Jira, Linear and CI, and runs on your machine or on persistent Factory-hosted computers. OpenComputer is a coding agent you mention in Slack that runs Claude Code and Codex on a cloud Linux machine per Slack workspace and hands back a pull request. The biggest difference is the agent: Factory builds its own agent and bills model usage through its plans, while OpenComputer runs Claude Code and Codex with your own Claude or ChatGPT subscription.

Both take requests in Slack, both work on cloud machines that keep state between sessions, and both end in pull requests. Factory covers much more ground, from local sessions to long multi-agent Missions and self-hosted compute. OpenComputer does one thing: a shared Slack thread that turns into a reviewed pull request, billed per workspace for the minutes the agent works.

At a glance

What is Factory?

Factory describes itself as an agent-native software development platform. Its agent, Droid, takes backlog work, pull request review, tests, incidents and docs. You reach it from the Factory App on desktop, web and mobile, the Droid CLI and SDK, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Linear, Notion, PagerDuty and CI. Pull requests are authored by the Factory Droid GitHub App, which also does automated code review.

Droid can run in several places: locally through the CLI or app, on Droid Computers, which are persistent environments Factory hosts, on your own Linux, macOS or Windows machine through Remote Control, or, in private preview, on your own infrastructure through OpenCompute. For large projects, Missions plan multi-feature work into milestones and coordinate several workers with validation.

What is OpenComputer?

OpenComputer runs Claude Code and Codex in its own cloud, and you hand them work by mentioning @Computer in a Slack thread or calling the API from your code. Each Slack workspace gets its own cloud Linux machine, sized to its plan. Every thread works in its own copy of the repos on its own branch, so parallel requests don't collide. Workspaces resume warm, with the repository, dependencies and build caches already in place.

@Computer reads the code, runs the commands and tests, then opens a pull request that says what changed, why, and how it was checked, with a link back to the thread. UI changes come with a screenshot and a preview link. OpenComputer does not have its own agent harness or an IDE, desktop or mobile app. The same cloud runs serverless agents you write in TypeScript.

Key differences

Own agent, or Claude Code and Codex

Factory's Droid is its own harness, with subagents, skills, hooks, plugins, MCP and AGENTS.md support. It offers a wide model list across Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI, plus open-weight "Droid Core" models, and a router that picks a provider automatically. Each model has a usage multiplier against your plan. You can bring your own API keys, but Factory does not document using a Claude or ChatGPT subscription.

OpenComputer runs Claude Code and Codex as they are. If your team already uses those agents and pays for Claude or ChatGPT, the model costs nothing extra. If you want open-weight models, model routing or a single agent across many providers, Factory offers more.

Breadth of platform

Factory is a broad platform: local and cloud sessions, a desktop app on macOS and Windows, mobile, issue trackers, incident tools, CI, automated code review, Missions for long-horizon work, and self-hosted compute for enterprises. Teams that want one vendor for many kinds of engineering work get more from Factory.

OpenComputer is narrower on purpose. It takes a request in Slack, does the work on your workspace's cloud machine, and opens a pull request with evidence attached. Everyone in the thread sees each file it opens and each command it runs, anyone can steer it, and conventions one person explains apply to later requests.

Persistent machines

Both keep state between sessions. Droid Computers retain packages, files, running services, configuration, credentials and process memory, auto-pause when idle and resume when a session targets them. Environments build a snapshot that new computers start from. Remote Control lets Droid use a machine you already own. OpenComputer keeps the repository, dependencies and build caches on the workspace's machine, so workspaces resume warm, which covers most build-and-test loops. If you need running services and memory restored exactly, or want the agent on your own hardware, Factory fits better.

How usage is metered

Factory plans count usage against three rolling limits over 5 hours, 7 days and 30 days, with exact amounts not published, and Extra Usage is bought as prepaid credits. OpenComputer meters work minutes, by the second, only while @Computer is working on a message. Time waiting on your review costs nothing.

Pricing compared

As of October 2026, Factory lists Pro at $20, Plus at $100 and Max at $200 per month for individuals, with Plus at about 5x and Max at about 10x Pro's usage. Teams is $60 a month per team plus $40 per seat, up to 10 seats, and Business and Enterprise are custom. Per the changelog, Pro includes managed Droid Computers with 5 compute hours a month. OpenComputer lists Pro at $20 a month with 2,000 work minutes and Max at $200 with 25,000, for the whole Slack workspace, plus $0.01 per extra minute.

For a team of five, Factory Teams is $260 a month ($60 plus five $40 seats), with model usage included up to the plan's limits. OpenComputer Pro is $20 a month for the same five people and about 33 hours of active agent work, with model usage covered by the team's own Claude or ChatGPT subscriptions. Factory's price includes models; OpenComputer's does not unless you buy its tokens at API prices.

When to choose Factory

• You want one platform for coding, review, incidents and docs, reachable from Slack, Teams, Jira, Linear and CI.
• You want a wide choice of models, including open-weight ones, with automatic routing.
• You want persistent machines that keep running services and memory, or the agent on your own hardware.
• You plan large multi-feature projects and want Missions to coordinate them.

When to choose OpenComputer

• Your team already uses Claude Code or Codex and pays for Claude or ChatGPT.
• You want requests, review and history in one shared Slack thread anyone can steer.
• You'd rather pay per workspace for active agent time than per seat.
• You also want to build your own agents, such as a background coding agent, on the same cloud and minutes.

FAQ

Is OpenComputer a Factory AI alternative?

Yes, for teams that mainly hand coding work to an agent from Slack and want pull requests back. Both run on cloud machines that keep state. OpenComputer runs Claude Code and Codex with your own subscription, while Factory runs its own Droid agent with models billed through its plans.

How much does Factory Droid cost?

As of October 2026, Factory lists Pro at $20, Plus at $100 and Max at $200 per month, and Teams at $60 per team plus $40 per seat. Usage counts against rolling 5-hour, 7-day and 30-day limits, and Extra Usage is sold as prepaid credits with a $10 minimum.

Can Factory use my Claude or ChatGPT subscription?

Factory documents bringing your own API keys and custom model endpoints, not a Claude or ChatGPT subscription. OpenComputer signs in to Claude Code and Codex with your subscription or your API key, and can switch to its own tokens at API prices when a subscription hits its limit.

Does Factory run in the cloud or on my machine?

Both. Droid runs locally through the CLI and Factory App, on managed Droid Computers in Factory's cloud, or on your own machine or server through Remote Control. OpenComputer always runs the agent on its own cloud, on one Linux machine per Slack workspace.

How does OpenComputer compare with running Claude Code directly?

OpenComputer runs the same Claude Code agent, but on a cloud machine driven from a Slack thread instead of your terminal. See OpenComputer vs Claude Code on the web for how it compares with Anthropic's own cloud option.

Sources

• Factory homepage
• Factory pricing
• Factory docs: pricing
• Droid Computers overview
• Remote Control
• Models
• Missions overview
• Factory App overview
• Release notes
• OpenCompute announcement
• Slack delegation
• GitHub App