What is the pricing for Atlas and Factory AI in 2026?

Atlas offers a free core and requires users to bring their own model keys. Factory AI has Pro at $20/month, Plus at $100/month, Max at $200/month, and custom pricing for Business and Enterprise tiers.

How do Atlas and Factory AI handle code changes and approvals?

Atlas drafts a plan in a read-only plan agent, asks for approval, computes a unified diff for every file edit, and surfaces it for approval. Every Atlas tool call is permission-gated. Factory AI's Droids write to existing architecture, but specific change review processes are not detailed.

Can Atlas and Factory AI run locally?

Atlas is a terminal-native TUI that runs in your shell and can build its code index with local Ollama embeddings. Factory AI uses Factory-managed cloud machines called Droid Computers for background agents, though it offers a CLI and SDK.

What are Factory AI's Droids?

Factory AI features a roster of named Droids, each scoped to a job: Code Droid writes to your existing architecture, Reliability Droid triages production alerts on call, Knowledge Droid writes specs, and Product Droid grooms the backlog.

How do Atlas and Factory AI compare on benchmarks?

Factory AI promotes its Droid ranking first on Terminal-Bench but deliberately publishes no current SWE-bench Verified score. Atlas details specific capabilities like hybrid semantic and keyword retrieval fused by reciprocal rank fusion and indexing code by AST declarations.

Does Atlas support plugins?

Yes, Atlas is extensible through plugins that contribute tools and hook into agent lifecycle events. It also connects to Model Context Protocol servers and exposes their tools to the agent.

What enterprise features does Factory AI offer?

SSO, audit logs, zero data retention, and on-prem deployment are available in Factory AI's custom-priced Business and Enterprise tiers.

Atlas vs Factory AI: Terminal AI Coding Agents in 2026

In 2026, developers choosing between terminal AI coding agents like Atlas and Factory AI will find distinct approaches to workflow and deployment. Atlas provides a terminal-native TUI with a free core, emphasizing local control and explicit approval for changes. Factory AI, conversely, offers a suite of specialized Droids and managed cloud machines, with pricing starting at $20/month for its Pro tier.

Agent Specialization and Workflow

Factory AI distinguishes itself with a roster of named Droids, such as the Code Droid for writing to existing architectures, contrasting with Atlas's single, extensible agent. Factory AI's Pro tier starts at $20 per month, offering specialized agents for tasks like triaging production alerts or grooming backlogs in 2026.

Atlas operates as a terminal-native TUI that runs in your shell, providing a unified agent experience. It is extensible through plugins that contribute tools and hook into agent lifecycle events, allowing developers to customize its capabilities. Atlas also fans out work to subagents that can run in the foreground or in parallel background sessions, adapting to complex tasks. In contrast, Factory AI offers a specialized Droid roster, including the Code Droid for writing to existing architecture, the Reliability Droid for triaging production alerts on call, the Knowledge Droid for writing specs, and the Product Droid for grooming the backlog. These Droids are driven from a desktop app, a CLI, or an SDK, offering a different interaction model compared to Atlas's terminal-first approach.

Code Safety and Change Review

Atlas prioritizes code safety by drafting a plan in a read-only plan agent and asking for approval before switching to a build agent, a process not explicitly detailed for Factory AI's Droids. Every Atlas tool call is permission-gated against allow, ask, and deny rules before it runs, ensuring explicit control over agent actions in 2026.

Atlas provides robust mechanisms for code safety and explicit change review. Atlas drafts a plan in a read-only plan agent and asks before switching to a build agent. Furthermore, Atlas computes a unified diff for every file edit and surfaces it for approval before writing, giving developers granular control over changes. Every Atlas tool call is permission-gated against allow, ask, and deny rules before it runs, adding another layer of security. Atlas also snapshots file changes as git patches so edits can be diffed and rolled back, providing a clear audit trail. Atlas reads git branches, status, and diffs, and can stage and create commits on your behalf. While Factory AI's Code Droid is described as writing to your existing architecture, the specific details of its plan drafting, diff review, and permission gating processes are not published, making Atlas's explicit safety features a key differentiator for developers prioritizing control.

Deployment and Data Handling

Factory AI relies on Factory-managed cloud machines, called Droid Computers, to keep background agents running, which contrasts with Atlas's terminal-native TUI that runs in your shell. Atlas can build its code index with local Ollama embeddings, keeping code off third-party servers, a key difference for data privacy in 2026.

Atlas ships as a single self-contained binary and runs directly in your shell as a terminal-native TUI. This local execution model is complemented by its ability to build its code index with local Ollama embeddings, ensuring that code remains off third-party servers. This approach offers significant advantages for data privacy and local control. Factory AI, on the other hand, utilizes Droid Computers, which are Factory-managed cloud machines designed to keep background agents running. For enterprise-grade data handling and security features like SSO, audit logs, zero data retention, and on-prem deployment, Factory AI requires custom-priced Business and Enterprise tiers, indicating that these capabilities are not standard across all its offerings.

Pricing Model and Model Agnosticism

Atlas offers a free core and allows users to bring their own model keys, providing cost flexibility, whereas Factory AI operates on a subscription model with Pro at $20/month, Plus at $100/month, and Max at $200/month. Factory AI describes its Plus and Max tiers only as roughly 5x and 10x Pro usage, without stated token or task quotas in 2026.

Atlas provides a free core, allowing developers to get started without an upfront subscription fee. Its pricing model is 'bring your own model keys,' which means users manage their own model API costs directly, offering transparency and control over expenditures. Atlas also lets you switch the active model and provider on the fly with favorites and recents. Factory AI employs a tiered subscription model: Pro is $20/month, Plus is $100/month, and Max is $200/month. The usage for Plus and Max tiers is described only as roughly 5x and 10x Pro usage, respectively, without specific token or task quotas, which can make cost prediction challenging. Both Atlas and Factory AI are model-agnostic across frontier and open-weight models, allowing flexibility in model choice.

Performance Benchmarking and Transparency

While Factory AI promotes its Droid ranking first on Terminal-Bench, a benchmark it actually promotes, it deliberately publishes no current SWE-bench Verified score, making direct comparison to peers on the standard benchmark difficult in 2026. Atlas, while not citing SWE-bench, details specific capabilities like hybrid semantic and keyword retrieval fused by reciprocal rank fusion.

Factory AI highlights its Droid ranking first on Terminal-Bench, a benchmark that Factory AI itself promotes. However, it deliberately publishes no current SWE-bench Verified score, which is a standard benchmark for evaluating AI coding agents, making it challenging for developers to compare Factory AI's performance against other peers using a common metric. Atlas, while not providing a single benchmark score, offers transparent details about its code-verified capabilities. For instance, Atlas searches code with hybrid semantic and keyword retrieval fused by reciprocal rank fusion. Atlas indexes code by AST declarations using tree-sitter, not blind line windows. These specific technical descriptions provide insight into Atlas's operational methods and capabilities.

How to choose

Choose SeaShell if

You prefer a terminal-native TUI that runs in your shell.
You require explicit approval for every change, with unified diffs and permission-gated tool calls.
You prioritize local execution and data privacy, including building code indexes with local Ollama embeddings.
You want a free core and the flexibility to bring your own model keys.
You value extensibility through plugins and Model Context Protocol support.

Choose the alternative if

You need specialized Droids for specific tasks like code writing, knowledge management, reliability, or product backlog grooming.
You prefer Factory-managed cloud machines (Droid Computers) to keep background agents running.
Your organization requires enterprise features like SSO, audit logs, zero data retention, or on-prem deployment (available in custom-priced tiers).
You are comfortable with a subscription model ($20/mo Pro, $100/mo Plus, $200/mo Max) with usage described as multiples of Pro.
You prioritize performance on Terminal-Bench, the benchmark Factory AI promotes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pricing for Atlas and Factory AI in 2026?: Atlas offers a free core and requires users to bring their own model keys. Factory AI has Pro at $20/month, Plus at $100/month, Max at $200/month, and custom pricing for Business and Enterprise tiers.
How do Atlas and Factory AI handle code changes and approvals?: Atlas drafts a plan in a read-only plan agent, asks for approval, computes a unified diff for every file edit, and surfaces it for approval. Every Atlas tool call is permission-gated. Factory AI's Droids write to existing architecture, but specific change review processes are not detailed.
Can Atlas and Factory AI run locally?: Atlas is a terminal-native TUI that runs in your shell and can build its code index with local Ollama embeddings. Factory AI uses Factory-managed cloud machines called Droid Computers for background agents, though it offers a CLI and SDK.
What are Factory AI's Droids?: Factory AI features a roster of named Droids, each scoped to a job: Code Droid writes to your existing architecture, Reliability Droid triages production alerts on call, Knowledge Droid writes specs, and Product Droid grooms the backlog.
How do Atlas and Factory AI compare on benchmarks?: Factory AI promotes its Droid ranking first on Terminal-Bench but deliberately publishes no current SWE-bench Verified score. Atlas details specific capabilities like hybrid semantic and keyword retrieval fused by reciprocal rank fusion and indexing code by AST declarations.
Does Atlas support plugins?: Yes, Atlas is extensible through plugins that contribute tools and hook into agent lifecycle events. It also connects to Model Context Protocol servers and exposes their tools to the agent.
What enterprise features does Factory AI offer?: SSO, audit logs, zero data retention, and on-prem deployment are available in Factory AI's custom-priced Business and Enterprise tiers.

Try SeaShell in your terminal

The terminal-native AI coding agent. Free core, single binary.

Install SeaShell

Sources

Factory AI official site (factory.ai)
Factory AI documentation (docs.factory.ai)

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