{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "droid-cli", "name": "Droid CLI", "vendor": "Factory", "vendorUrl": "https://factory.com", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Droid CLI is Factory's closed-source coding agent for the terminal. It runs interactively or headless through `droid exec`, connects MCP servers, runs multi-agent Missions, and can be driven by TypeScript and Python SDKs. A paid Factory plan is required.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/droid-cli", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/droid-cli.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/droid-cli.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/droid-cli.json", "repo": "https://github.com/Factory-AI/factory", "license": "Proprietary, under Factory's Terms and Conditions. The `droid` npm package is marked `UNLICENSED` and the public repository holds documentation only. The Python SDK is Apache-2.0", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "droid" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@factory/droid-sdk" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "droid-sdk" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "A Factory account is required. The interactive CLI signs in through a browser with OAuth, and the docs say stored tokens rotate every 30 days. Headless runs set `FACTORY_API_KEY` to a key starting `fk-` created on the API keys page in Factory settings. Organisations can use service accounts whose keys can be rotated and revoked through an API.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "Pro is $20 a month, Plus $100 and Max $200, each with the CLI, the Factory App and the SDK. Teams is $60 a month per team plus $40 a seat, and Business and Enterprise are by quote. Usage is capped by rolling 5-hour, 7-day and 30-day rate limits stated without numbers. Extra usage is prepaid credit from $10. No free tier or trial was found (checked 2026-10-09).", "priceSummary": "$20 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs index, the pricing pages or the terms (checked 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 49, "npmWeekly": 7766, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.factory.com/droid-cli/overview", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.factory.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client", "agent.multi-agent" ], "tags": [ "harness", "coding-agent", "cli", "closed-source", "mcp", "acp", "llms-txt", "sdk", "sandbox", "telemetry-default-on" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-08", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 59.1, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 560, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 13, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 72, "maintenance": 79, "payments": 10, "reliability": 49, "schema": 79, "security": 63, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-09" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "`droid exec` is read-only unless `--auto` raises the autonomy level, with command rules, an optional kernel-enforced sandbox, JSON output and documented exit codes. No free tier, status page or security.txt was found, the source is closed, and usage metrics go to Factory by default.", "bestFor": "Teams that want a terminal coding agent with tiered autonomy, command rules and an optional sandbox, and that will pay for a Factory plan.", "strengths": [ "`droid exec` is read-only by default. `--auto low`, `medium` or `high` opens edits and commands by risk tier, and a run that exceeds its level exits non-zero", "Optional OS sandbox using Seatbelt on macOS and bubblewrap with seccomp on Linux, with writes limited to the working directory and network limited to allowed domains", "Text, JSON and JSON-RPC output, exit codes 0, 1 and 2, session resume and fork, and tool lists that can be restricted per run", "llms.txt with a Markdown copy of every docs page, and a dated changelog with 62 entries between 11 July and 8 October 2026", "The install script verifies a SHA-256 checksum, and the `droid` npm package is published from GitHub Actions through a trusted publisher" ], "weaknesses": [ "No free tier or trial was found. Plans start at $20 a month and included usage is stated only as rolling rate limits without numbers", "The sandbox is off until `sandbox.enabled` is set, and `--skip-permissions-unsafe` skips every permission prompt", "Usage metrics go to Factory's collector by default. The pages read give no opt-out outside an airgapped deployment", "Closed source on a 0.x version line with near-daily releases. The public tracker had 33 open issues on 9 October 2026, most with no reply", "No status page and no security.txt were found. The trust centre is drawn by script and was not read", "The individual terms forbid using the service for benchmarking or competitive analysis, which matters before any probe is run" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set `FACTORY_API_KEY` (starts `fk-`) from the API keys page in Factory settings for headless runs. Interactive use signs in through a browser", "Start with `droid exec` and no flags for analysis. Add `--auto low` for edits and `--auto medium` for installs, tests and local commits", "Use `--output-format json` and read `is_error`, `num_turns` and `session_id`. Treat a non-zero exit code as failure", "Set `sandbox.enabled` to true before running on untrusted code. In `droid exec` a sandbox violation is denied without a prompt", "Pin the version in CI with `npm install -g droid@\u003cversion\u003e`, or set `FACTORY_DROID_AUTO_UPDATE_ENABLED=false` on standalone installs, which update themselves" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 59.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 72, "maintenance": 79, "payments": 10, "reliability": 49, "schema": 79, "security": 63, "transparency": 55 }, "provenanceScore": 72 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://app.factory.ai/cli | sh # or: npm install -g droid", "headless": { "command": "droid exec --auto low --output-format json \"$TASK\"", "env": { "FACTORY_API_KEY": "fk-..." } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/droid-cli" }, "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Pro plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 20, "note": "rolling rate limits, numbers not published" }, { "item": "Plus plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 100, "note": "about 5 times Pro usage" }, { "item": "Max plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 200, "note": "about 10 times Pro usage" }, { "item": "Teams seat", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 40, "note": "plus $60 a month per team, up to 10 seats" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "The San Francisco AI Factory, Inc.", "domain": "factory.com", "domainRegistered": "1999-03-09", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://factory.com/legal/terms-individual", "privacy": "https://factory.com/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://docs.factory.com/changelog/release-notes", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "The Terms and Conditions for Individual Plans (last updated 14 July 2026) name The San Francisco AI Factory, Inc., a Delaware corporation in San Francisco. The privacy policy (last updated 20 August 2026) names the same company.", "RDAP (Verisign) gives factory.com a registration date of 1999-03-09, long before the company.", "The CLI installs from app.factory.ai and downloads.factory.ai and signs in to app.factory.ai, a second domain of the vendor's.", "factory.com/.well-known/security.txt answered 404 on 9 October 2026.", "No status page is linked from the home page, the docs support page or the other pages read. factory.com/sla states a 99 per cent availability target.", "The terms linked are those for individual plans. Organisation plans are sold under separate orders, which we did not read." ], "score": 72 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/droid-cli.json", "live": { "slug": "droid-cli", "versions": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@factory/droid-sdk", "version": "0.9.1", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T16:50:37.734856262Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "droid", "version": "0.237.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T16:50:36.904664611Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "droid-sdk", "version": "0.5.0", "released": "2026-09-24", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T16:50:39.131992485Z" } ], "githubStars": 49, "npmWeekly": 7766, "pypiWeekly": 8371, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.factory.com/changelog/release-notes", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:37:19.435901865Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "79ac0e23f836" }, { "url": "https://factory.com/privacy-policy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:39:19.155213369Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "5ef46e9f3c4f" }, { "url": "https://factory.com/legal/terms-individual", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:39:16.902019177Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "ebfbb9d9f0ab" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T18:39:19.155213369Z" } }, "answer": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Droid CLI's 59.1 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "earendil-pi", "name": "Pi", "vendor": "Earendil", "vendorUrl": "https://pi.dev", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Pi is an open-source terminal coding agent from Earendil, run on the owner's machine with any of 15 or more model providers. It has interactive, print, JSON and RPC modes, a TypeScript SDK and a built-in MCP client.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/earendil-pi.json", "repo": "https://github.com/earendil-works/pi", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No Pi account needed. Model providers are connected with `/login` (a subscription or an API key, stored in `~/.pi/agent/auth.json`) or with environment variables such as `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`. MCP servers take headers, bearer tokens from the environment or OAuth, with tokens kept in `~/.pi/agent/mcp-auth.json`. Radius, the optional hosted gateway, needs its own sign-in or `RADIUS_API_KEY`.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free and MIT, with no paid edition of the harness. The owner pays the model provider. Radius, Earendil's optional hosted gateway, is an early alpha sold by prepaid credits, and no public price list was found (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the repository or the docs (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 113417, "npmWeekly": 5201697, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://pi.dev/docs/latest", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "free", "no-card", "typescript", "mcp", "json-output", "rpc", "no-sandbox" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-07", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 68.4, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 216, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 7, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 76, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 60, "reliability": 75, "schema": 84, "security": 61, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": -4, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-06-08. GHSA-jfgx-wxx8-mp94 (CVE-2026-54328, high). Temporary extension installs used predictable paths under the system temp directory, so another local user on a shared Linux host could plant extension code that Pi then loaded. Fixed in 0.78.1. Fixed, published and four months old, -2. https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/security/advisories/GHSA-jfgx-wxx8-mp94", "2026-06-08. GHSA-mqxh-6gq7-558m (CVE-2026-54325, medium). Before 0.79.0 Pi loaded a repository's `.pi` settings and extensions without asking, so starting it in a cloned repository could run that repository's code. Fixed in 0.79.0 with project trust. Fixed and published, -2. https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/security/advisories/GHSA-mqxh-6gq7-558m", "2026-06-08. GHSA-7v5m-pr3q-6453 (CVE-2026-54326, low, XSS in HTML session exports) and GHSA-r95r-rj6r-c39x (CVE-2026-54327, low, a race in `auth.json` permissions). Both fixed in 0.78.1. Recorded without a deduction. https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/security/advisories" ], "verdict": "Four default tools, a JSONL event stream, an RPC mode and MCP tools kept out of the model's declarations by default keep context small and scripting simple. Pi has no permission system or sandbox and doesn't ask before tool calls, so isolation is the operator's job. Version 1.0.0 is dated 1 October 2026.", "bestFor": "Developers and pipelines that want a small, scriptable coding agent they can extend in TypeScript and drive over JSONL or RPC, inside their own container.", "strengths": [ "Four default tools (read, bash, edit, write), with MCP tools reachable through codemode scripts and not declared to the model by default", "`--mode json` streams JSONL events and `--mode rpc` takes JSONL commands, both documented record by record, with a Python client example", "Built-in MCP client for stdio and streamable HTTP servers with OAuth, per-tool exposure settings and a conformance job in CI", "Project trust stops a repository's `.pi` settings, extensions and MCP servers loading until approved, and non-interactive modes skip them by default", "npm releases carry SLSA provenance from GitHub Actions trusted publishing, and the installer pins transitive dependencies" ], "weaknesses": [ "No permission system or sandbox. Tool calls run with the user's rights and without an approval prompt", "An anonymous install and update ping to pi.dev and a latest-version request are on by default", "Four advisories published on 8 June 2026, one rated high and one medium, all fixed by 0.79.0", "No privacy policy for pi.dev or the CLI found, and pi.dev has no security.txt", "Eight of the last 15 CI runs on main failed on 7 and 8 October 2026, and a breaking provider rename shipped in patch release 1.0.3" ], "agentNotes": [ "Run Pi inside a container or VM for unattended work. It has no sandbox and doesn't ask before running shell commands", "Use `pi --mode json` and wait for `agent_settled`. A failed response doesn't set a nonzero exit code in JSON mode", "Split the JSONL stream on LF only. Node's `readline` also splits on U+2028 and U+2029, which are valid inside JSON strings", "Pass `--no-approve` or `--approve` in scripts to make the project trust decision explicit", "Set `PI_TELEMETRY=0` and `PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK=1`, or `PI_OFFLINE=1`, to stop the default requests to pi.dev" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 68.4 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 76, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 60, "reliability": 75, "schema": 84, "security": 61, "transparency": 64 }, "provenanceScore": 63 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://pi.dev/install.sh | sh # or: npm install -g --ignore-scripts @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent", "headless": { "command": "pi --mode json --no-session --no-approve \"$TASK\"", "env": { "PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK": "1", "PI_TELEMETRY": "0" } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/earendil-pi" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Earendil Inc.", "domain": "pi.dev", "domainRegistered": "2024-01-30", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://pi.dev/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The pi.dev and earendil.com footers read Earendil Inc. The Radius alpha terms of 1 September 2026 name Earendil Works Co., and the README calls the company Earendil Works.", "We found no terms or privacy page for pi.dev or the CLI. pi.dev/terms, pi.dev/privacy and earendil.com/privacy return 404. Terms exist only for Radius, at radius.earendil.com/terms.", "pi.dev/.well-known/security.txt and earendil.com/.well-known/security.txt return 404. SECURITY.md gives security@earendil.com and GitHub private reporting.", "RDAP for pi.dev gives a registration date of 2024-01-30 with Cloudflare as registrar. The README says the domain was donated by exe.dev.", "The repository moved from badlogic/pi-mono to earendil-works/pi, and the npm package from @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent to @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent at 0.74.0, per the advisories." ], "score": 63 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi.json", "live": { "slug": "earendil-pi", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "earendil-works/pi", "version": "v1.1.0", "released": "2026-10-07", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T16:51:07.705277591Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent", "version": "1.1.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T16:51:07.425253003Z" } ], "githubStars": 113781, "npmWeekly": 4389174, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://pi.dev/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T15:39:32.429871892Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://pi.dev/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:43:15.652942819Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "82f9cb8bddf7" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T18:43:15.652942819Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "Agent harness", "b": "Agent harness", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Factory", "b": "Earendil", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary, under Factory's Terms and Conditions. The `droid` npm package is marked `UNLICENSED` and the public repository holds documentation only. The Python SDK is Apache-2.0", "b": "MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-08", "b": "2026-10-07", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-07-14", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-08-20", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "49 stars, 7.8k npm/wk", "b": "113k stars, 5.2M npm/wk", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Droid CLI's 59.1 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Droid CLI or Pi?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for Droid CLI. Pi is open source (MIT).", "question": "Are Droid CLI and Pi open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": [ "No incidents deducted, where Pi loses 4 points for them" ], "goodFor": "Teams that want a terminal coding agent with tiered autonomy, command rules and an optional sandbox, and that will pay for a Factory plan.", "slug": "droid-cli", "watchFor": "No free tier or trial was found. Plans start at $20 a month and included usage is stated only as rolling rate limits without numbers" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 75 against 49", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 84 against 79", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 10", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 87 against 79" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Free to start without a card", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "Developers and pipelines that want a small, scriptable coding agent they can extend in TypeScript and drive over JSONL or RPC, inside their own container.", "slug": "earendil-pi", "watchFor": "No permission system or sandbox. Tool calls run with the user's rights and without an approval prompt" } ], "job": { "capability": "agent.harness", "name": "Agent harnesses" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-droid-cli.json", "title": "Aider vs Droid CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-droid-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Aider vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-droid-cli.json", "title": "Amp vs Droid CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-droid-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Amp vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-droid-cli.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Droid CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-droid-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-droid-cli.json", "title": "Cline vs Droid CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-droid-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Cline vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-droid-cli.json", "title": "Cursor CLI vs Droid CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-droid-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Cursor CLI vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-droid-cli.json", "title": "Devin vs Droid CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-droid-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Devin vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-github-copilot-cli.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs GitHub Copilot CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-github-copilot-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-goose.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs goose", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-goose" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs Kilo Code CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-opencode.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openhands.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-qwen-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Pi vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-github-copilot-cli.json", "title": "Pi vs GitHub Copilot CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-github-copilot-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-goose.json", "title": "Pi vs goose", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-goose" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kilo-code-cli.json", "title": "Pi vs Kilo Code CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kilo-code-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Pi vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Pi vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-opencode.json", "title": "Pi vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openhands.json", "title": "Pi vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "Pi vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "Pi vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-qwen-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-paperclip.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs Paperclip", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-paperclip" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 26, "droid-cli": 49, "earendil-pi": 75, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 5, "droid-cli": 79, "earendil-pi": 84, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 4, "droid-cli": 72, "earendil-pi": 76, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 2, "droid-cli": 63, "earendil-pi": 61, "edge": "droid-cli", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 50, "droid-cli": 10, "earendil-pi": 60, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 8, "droid-cli": 79, "earendil-pi": 87, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 0, "droid-cli": 64, "earendil-pi": 64, "edge": "", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Droid CLI's 59.1 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harnesses.", "verdicts": { "droid-cli": "`droid exec` is read-only unless `--auto` raises the autonomy level, with command rules, an optional kernel-enforced sandbox, JSON output and documented exit codes. No free tier, status page or security.txt was found, the source is closed, and usage metrics go to Factory by default.", "earendil-pi": "Four default tools, a JSONL event stream, an RPC mode and MCP tools kept out of the model's declarations by default keep context small and scripting simple. Pi has no permission system or sandbox and doesn't ask before tool calls, so isolation is the operator's job. Version 1.0.0 is dated 1 October 2026." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-earendil-pi", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-earendil-pi.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-earendil-pi.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-earendil-pi.min.md" }, "markdown": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Droid CLI's 59.1 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harnesses.\n\n- Droid CLI: grade C, 59.1/100, rank #560 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/droid-cli.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/droid-cli.json\n- Pi: grade B, 68.4/100, rank #216 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/earendil-pi.json\n- Best agent harnesses and coding agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.md\n- All 167 harnesses comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-harnesses/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Droid CLI (C)\n\nGood for: Teams that want a terminal coding agent with tiered autonomy, command rules and an optional sandbox, and that will pay for a Factory plan.\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No incidents deducted, where Pi loses 4 points for them\n\nWatch for: No free tier or trial was found. Plans start at $20 a month and included usage is stated only as rolling rate limits without numbers\n\n### Pi (B)\n\nGood for: Developers and pipelines that want a small, scriptable coding agent they can extend in TypeScript and drive over JSONL or RPC, inside their own container.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 75 against 49\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 84 against 79\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 10\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 87 against 79\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Free to start without a card\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: No permission system or sandbox. Tool calls run with the user's rights and without an approval prompt\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Droid CLI | Pi | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 49 | 75 | Pi +26 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 79 | 84 | Pi +5 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 72 | 76 | Pi +4 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 63 | 61 | Droid CLI +2 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 10 | 60 | Pi +50 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 79 | 87 | Pi +8 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 64 | even |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -4 | |\n| **Total** | | **59.1 · C** | **68.4 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Droid CLI | Pi |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | Factory | Earendil |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | None |\n| Pricing | Paid | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Proprietary, under Factory's Terms and Conditions. The `droid` npm package is marked `UNLICENSED` and the public repository holds documentation only. The Python SDK is Apache-2.0 | MIT |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-07 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-07-14 | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-20 | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | |\n| Popularity | 49 stars, 7.8k npm/wk | 113k stars, 5.2M npm/wk |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Droid CLI.** `droid exec` is read-only unless `--auto` raises the autonomy level, with command rules, an optional kernel-enforced sandbox, JSON output and documented exit codes. No free tier, status page or security.txt was found, the source is closed, and usage metrics go to Factory by default.\n\n**Pi.** Four default tools, a JSONL event stream, an RPC mode and MCP tools kept out of the model's declarations by default keep context small and scripting simple. Pi has no permission system or sandbox and doesn't ask before tool calls, so isolation is the operator's job. Version 1.0.0 is dated 1 October 2026.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Droid CLI\n\n1. Set `FACTORY_API_KEY` (starts `fk-`) from the API keys page in Factory settings for headless runs. Interactive use signs in through a browser\n2. Start with `droid exec` and no flags for analysis. Add `--auto low` for edits and `--auto medium` for installs, tests and local commits\n3. Use `--output-format json` and read `is_error`, `num_turns` and `session_id`. Treat a non-zero exit code as failure\n4. Set `sandbox.enabled` to true before running on untrusted code. In `droid exec` a sandbox violation is denied without a prompt\n5. Pin the version in CI with `npm install -g droid@\u003cversion\u003e`, or set `FACTORY_DROID_AUTO_UPDATE_ENABLED=false` on standalone installs, which update themselves\n\n### Pi\n\n1. Run Pi inside a container or VM for unattended work. It has no sandbox and doesn't ask before running shell commands\n2. Use `pi --mode json` and wait for `agent_settled`. A failed response doesn't set a nonzero exit code in JSON mode\n3. Split the JSONL stream on LF only. Node's `readline` also splits on U+2028 and U+2029, which are valid inside JSON strings\n4. Pass `--no-approve` or `--approve` in scripts to make the project trust decision explicit\n5. Set `PI_TELEMETRY=0` and `PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK=1`, or `PI_OFFLINE=1`, to stop the default requests to pi.dev\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Droid CLI or Pi?\n\nPi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Droid CLI's 59.1 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Are Droid CLI and Pi open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for Droid CLI. Pi is open source (MIT).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-earendil-pi.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-earendil-pi.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"droid-cli\", \"b\": \"earendil-pi\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare droid-cli earendil-pi`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/droid-cli.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/earendil-pi.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Droid CLI or Pi\n\n- [Aider vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-droid-cli.md)\n- [Aider vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Amp vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-droid-cli.md)\n- [Amp vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-droid-cli.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Cline vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-droid-cli.md)\n- [Cline vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-droid-cli.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Devin vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-droid-cli.md)\n- [Devin vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-goose.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs Kilo Code CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-qwen-code.md)\n- [Pi vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Pi vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Pi vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-goose.md)\n- [Pi vs Kilo Code CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kilo-code-cli.md)\n- [Pi vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Pi vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Pi vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Pi vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Pi vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [Pi vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-qwen-code.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-paperclip.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-10", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Droid CLI vs Pi", "url": "" } ], "description": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) to Droid CLI's 59.1 (C) for agent harnesses. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Droid CLI C 59.1", "Pi B 68.4", "scores" ], "h1": "Droid CLI vs Pi", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-droid-cli-vs-earendil-pi.png", "path": "/compare/droid-cli-vs-earendil-pi", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Droid CLI vs Pi for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-earendil-pi" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2500, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }