Key takeaways
- Factory Droid has no free plan or free trial on its pricing page; individual plans start at $20 a month for Pro.
- Droid Core, an open-weight model pool with its own Rate Limits, and a bring-your-own-key allowance are free on paid plans.
- UsageAtlas, a free and open-source desktop app, shows Factory's Standard and Core windows and resets alongside other coding tools.
Is Factory Droid free? Not as a plan: Factory's pricing page starts at $20 a month for Pro and lists no free tier or trial. What you do get for free, once you pay, is Droid Core, a fallback pool of open-weight models, plus an allowance of bring-your-own-key usage, and the tool for watching all of it, UsageAtlas, costs nothing either.
That is the short version for the timeline. The longer one is worth two minutes, because "free" shows up in three different places in Factory's docs and none of them means a free account.
What costs money
Every Factory plan is paid. Individuals pick Pro at $20 a month, Plus at $100 or Max at $200. Teams costs $60 a month per team plus $40 per seat, and Business and Enterprise go through sales. These prices were checked on Factory's pricing page in October 2026.
On the individual plans, the subscription buys Standard Usage, measured in Standard Credits and capped by three rolling windows of 5 hours, 7 days and 30 days. A request needs headroom in all three.
The three things that are free
| What | What it means | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Droid Core | Open-weight models with their own Rate Limits | Only Core models, and it has limits too |
| BYOK allowance | Use your own provider API keys | Free only up to an allowance, then charged per plan |
| Built-in usage views | /limits, /stats and Settings > Usage |
Factory-only, one tool at a time |
Droid Core
When the Standard pool is used up, you can switch to Droid Core from /limits in the CLI. Factory's docs say enabling it costs nothing extra. It restricts you to the Core model list, which you can see in Settings > Models and which changes as new models ship. Factory even suggests running Missions on Core where you can, since it stretches the plan further.
Bring your own keys
All individual plans include an allowance of free BYOK usage, so you can point Droid at your own model provider. Past that allowance, BYOK usage is charged according to your plan. Your provider still bills you for its tokens.
Extra Usage is not free, but it does not expire
Extra Usage is prepaid credit in dollars for staying on standard models after a limit. It does not expire and rolls over, which plan usage does not.
Seeing where you stand for free
Factory's own /limits shows your account. If you also run Claude Code, Codex or Cursor, UsageAtlas is the better pick: a free, open-source desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, with no account needed for local tracking. Connect a Factory API key and it shows the Standard and Core windows separately, any extra balance and resets when Factory reports them. It does not pull Droid's per-session token stats; those stay in /stats.
So, is it free?
No. Droid needs a paid plan. If you want a coding agent at no cost at all, Factory is the wrong place to look, and an open-source agent with your own keys may suit you better. If you already pay, Droid Core and the BYOK allowance are the free parts worth knowing about.
Questions
Is there a Factory Droid free trial?
Factory's pricing page did not list a free trial when checked in October 2026.
Does Droid Core have a usage limit?
Yes. It has its own Rate Limits, separate from Standard Usage.
Is UsageAtlas really free?
Yes. It is free and open source, and an optional free account saves your history.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Factory Droid free trial?
Factory's pricing page did not list a free trial when checked in October 2026.
Does Droid Core have a usage limit?
Yes. It has its own Rate Limits, separate from Standard Usage.
Is UsageAtlas really free?
Yes. It is free and open source, and an optional free account saves your history.
Sources
- PricingFactory
- Individual PlansFactory
- Custom Models (BYOK)Factory
- How to track Factory Droid usageUsageAtlas
