is one agent you approve step by stepFactory runs Droids from a desktop app, CLI, browser, IDE plugins and Slack, up to Missions across a fleet. ML.ai works in your editor and asks before every edit.
Factory, a fleet of Droids
How Factory.ai works
inside the editor you already use
general
Fix the failing checkout test
Read cart.ts and cart.test.ts
Traced the failure to line 41
Edit checkout/cart.ts?
1 line changed, diff open on the left
A Droid works at the autonomy level your org sets. ML.ai routes each step and stops for your approval before it edits.
Same request, both products
“Fix the failing test”
1Droid reads the repo
2Edits files
3Runs commands
ML.ai1Routes each step
Trace the failure Standard
Write the fix High
Check the diff High
2Asks before edit
terminal
A configurable agent across desktop, CLI, browser, IDEs, Slack and Teams. Four autonomy tiers run from read-only up to High, where a Droid can push to git and run Docker on its own.
composer
Standard StandardAn in-editor agent for VS Code and Cursor. Four scoped subagents read, plan and edit, and nothing writes to disk until you approve it.
Use this if
You want to delegate a well-defined task end-to-end and are willing to configure autonomy ceilings and blocklists to run it unattended, including at High autonomy where it can push to git on its own.
Use this if
You want every edit and command to require a look at the real diff before it happens, backed by a measured benchmark result, with no setting that removes that gate.
The same categories, compared row by row. Every line on both sides traces back to a real doc, pricing page, or published benchmark.
ML.aiFactory.ai
A configurable agent ("Droid") usable via desktop app, CLI, browser, JetBrains/VS Code/Vim, Slack, or Teams, with four autonomy tiers from read-only up to git push and Docker operations.
ML.ai
A VS Code/Cursor extension with four scoped subagents (general, explore, architect, planSubAgent), each with a different, fixed write scope.
Factory.ai
Configurable per org: Off (read-only), Low (edit + low-risk commands), Medium (reversible workspace changes, commits), or High (Docker, git push, gated by safety checks).
ML.ai
Every edit and command is held behind an Allow/Always/Deny gate; a native diff opens before you decide.
Auto-approve cannot widen what Plan mode restricts.
Factory.ai
Risk-tiered commands compared against your Autonomy Level; a separate blocklist is rejected outright at every level, with no approval prompt possible even at High.
ML.ai
Every shell command is lexed and classified by effect before running; a fixed list of absolute refusals (deletion outside the workspace, privilege escalation, fork bombs) holds regardless of mode or auto-approve setting.
Factory.ai
"Missions" decompose a large task into parallel tracks across a fleet of Droids; "Spec Mode" restricts a session to read-only and low-risk commands only, no edits, while a spec is being reviewed.
ML.ai
Background runs delegate a job to its own child session that survives closing the panel; finished output lands as a draft in the composer, never auto-sent.
Factory.ai
SWE-bench Lite: 31.67% pass@1, dated June 2024 in their own technical report, over two years stale.
No current SWE-bench Verified score is published; Terminal-Bench 58.75% is current (on Claude Opus 4.1).
ML.ai
Measured on the 1,344-task snapshot behind the Benchmarks page: 95.0% on SWE-bench Verified (tied for the top score of the four setups tested, 7.2 points above the baseline at 87.8%), 92.6% on SWE-bench Pro, and 78.8% mean accuracy across six core benchmarks.
Factory.ai
SOC 2 Type I (a point-in-time attestation, not the over-time Type II) and ISO 42001; GDPR and CCPA compliant, confirmed on their own security page.
ML.ai
SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR + CCPA, HIPAA on request, PCI DSS on dedicated capacity.
Factory.ai
Desktop app (Mac Apple Silicon/Intel, Windows x64/ARM64), CLI, browser, mobile, IDE plugins (VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, the full JetBrains family, Vim), Slack, Teams, Linear.
ML.ai
macOS Apple Silicon and Windows x64 only, inside VS Code or Cursor.
Factory.ai
Six tiers: Pro $20/mo, Plus $100/mo, Max $200/mo, Teams $60/mo team fee + $40/mo per seat (up to 10 seats), Business and Enterprise custom.
No confirmed free trial.
ML.ai
Five tiers, $0 (30-day trial) to custom Enterprise; usage-based completion fee only past the plan’s included execution credit.
ML.ai’s own limits sit right beside theirs, with the same weight.
SOC 2 Type I is a point-in-time attestation, not the over-time operating-effectiveness attestation (Type II) that some enterprise security teams specifically require.
Their most recent published SWE-bench figure is from June 2024, on an unspecified model backend.
No current SWE-bench Verified score is published; Factory’s own founders have said in interview they stopped running the benchmark because it’s Python-only and doesn’t reflect real enterprise work.
The original named-Droid lineup (Code/Review/Knowledge/Tutorial/Reliability Droid) was replaced within roughly a year by a different model (Missions, Spec Mode, custom droids), per the company’s own June 2026 "Factory 2.0" announcement.
Older indexed content may not reflect the current product.
No confirmed free trial on the public pricing page.
No, every edit and command in ML.ai goes through an Allow/Always/Deny gate by design, and there is no setting that removes that gate the way Factory’s High autonomy tier allows git push and Docker operations without a per-action approval.
On SWE-bench Verified, ML.ai scores 95.0% (7.2 points above the baseline setup) where Factory has no current score published; Factory’s most recent public SWE-bench figure is from June 2024, on an unspecified older model. On Terminal-Bench, Factory publishes 58.75% and ML.ai scored 66.7% in its own run. They come from different harnesses and task sets, so read that as indicative, not a head-to-head.
Not quite. Factory’s own security page states SOC 2 Type I, a point-in-time attestation. ML.ai’s published certification is SOC 2 Type II, which attests to controls operating effectively over a period of time.
today, or talk to us about what is nextTry ML.ai in the editor you use today and approve every change it makes.
