Factory review: orchestrated Missions with Factory's own Droids
Last reviewed: September 2026
Verdict
Factory is the closest thing in this list to a vendor-packaged "software factory": Droids automate coding, testing and deployment, and Missions put an orchestrator in charge of a plan. It is single-vendor, and its docs question whether running agents in parallel produces better results than sequential execution, so it ranks ninth (4.7/10). BAND for desktop ranks first for mixing vendors' agents.
4.7/10
Best for: Plan-driven Missions run by an orchestrator with Factory's own Droids
- Agent-to-agent handoff (25%)
- 4.5
- Multi-vendor agents (20%)
- 0.0
- Local execution (15%)
- 6.0
- Shared visibility (15%)
- 7.0
- Human intervention (10%)
- 6.0
- Setup effort (8%)
- 7.0
- Price (7%)
- 6.5
- Multi-vendor agents: Single vendor: Factory's own Droids only, which the rubric scores 0.
What is Factory?
Factory, now at factory.com (factory.ai redirects), describes itself as "Agent-Native Software Development." Its agents, called Droids, "automate coding, testing, and deployment," and its marketing uses the phrase "autonomous software factory." Droids run on desktop, terminal, web and CLI. Factory also sells Droid Computers, "purpose-built hardware that runs your agents locally."
How does multi-agent work run in Factory?
Orchestrated. In Missions, "Mission Control manages execution across agents, tracking progress through your plan." That is a central-orchestrator model: a plan, a controller, and Droids executing steps. Its docs question whether running agents in parallel produces better results than sequential execution. Some users on Hacker News describe current execution as sequential. Model Routing lets Droids use multiple models.
Run your agents as a team
BAND for desktop lets your coding agents hand work to each other in shared rooms while you stay in the loop. Claude Code joins via BAND's plugin; Codex, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode are listed as integrations. Sessions stay on your machine (macOS or Linux).
What works in Factory, and what to watch out for?
What works
- A plan-first workflow with Mission Control tracking progress.
- Local and cloud execution, including dedicated local hardware.
- Honest documentation about the open parallel-versus-sequential question.
Watch-outs
- Factory's own agent only; we found nothing documenting third-party agents.
- Central orchestration rather than agent-to-agent handoff.
- Some users question what it adds over running Claude Code directly.
- Higher tiers are expensive relative to single-agent plans.
How much does Factory cost?
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Pro | $20/mo |
| Plus | $100/mo (about 5x usage) |
| Max | $200/mo (about 10x usage) |
| Teams | $60/mo per team + $40/mo per seat (up to 10 seats) |
| Business | Custom (up to 150 seats) |
| Enterprise | Custom |
What are the key facts about Factory?
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Execution | Local, cloud, Droid Computers |
| Agents | Factory Droids, multi-model |
| Coordination | Orchestrated Missions |
| Open source | No |
| Entry price | Pro $20/mo |
Who should use Factory?
Teams that want one vendor's plan-driven pipeline and are comfortable with a central orchestrator.
Who should look elsewhere
Teams that want to keep their existing agents and have them hand off peer to peer; read the software factory guide.
How does Factory compare?
Questions about Factory
Is Factory the same as a dark factory?
No. Factory markets an "autonomous software factory," but "dark factory" usually refers to StrongDM's and Dan Shapiro's no-human-review model. See our software factory guide.
Does Factory run Claude Code or Codex?
We found no documentation that it hosts third-party agent CLIs; it uses its own Droids with model routing.
Does Factory run agents in parallel?
Missions coordinate multiple agents through Mission Control, but its docs question whether running agents in parallel produces better results than sequential execution.