Best Gitpod Alternatives (2026)
Looking for an alternative to Gitpod? Here's why teams are exploring other options and which cloud dev environments are the best fit.
Why people look for alternatives
- –Gitpod pivoted to AI agents (Ona) — CDE product is deprioritized
- –Gitpod Classic was sunset in 2024
- –Gitpod Flex is self-hosted only with limited support
- –Unclear product roadmap for CDE features going forward
Noco
Cloud dev environments for your entire team — not just engineers. One command gives anyone a live, running copy of your app with a preview URL. Works with any AI coding tool, any git provider.
Setup
One command
Time to running
~60 seconds
Preview URLs
Every branch, automatic TLS
Other alternatives
GitHub Codespaces
GitHub Codespaces is GitHub's built-in cloud development environment. It spins up a VS Code instance backed by an Azure VM, pre-configured from a devcontainer.json in your repo. For teams already all-in on GitHub and VS Code, it's a seamless experience — one click from a repo to a running environment.
Coder
Coder is the enterprise standard for self-hosted cloud development environments. It uses Terraform templates to provision workspaces on any infrastructure — Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, Azure, or bare metal. Fortune 500 companies like Discord, Palantir, and Goldman Sachs use Coder to give developers consistent, secure environments.
DevPod
DevPod is an open-source, client-only tool for creating cloud dev environments. It runs entirely on your local machine and uses provider plugins to spin up environments on any infrastructure — Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, Azure. There's no server component, no account to create, and no vendor lock-in.
Daytona
Daytona started as a cloud development environment with impressive sub-90ms container startup times and an SDK-first approach. In 2025, they pivoted to focus on AI code execution sandboxes — lightweight containers for running AI-generated code safely, rather than full development environments.
Full comparison
| Feature | Noco | Gitpod | Codespaces | Coder | DevPod | Daytona |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup complexity | One command | Self-hosted VM setup (Flex) | devcontainer.json required | Terraform templates required | CLI install + provider config | SDK integration or CLI |
| Time to running app | ~60 seconds | Varies (self-managed) | 2–5 minutes | 5–15 minutes (depends on template) | 3–10 minutes | < 90ms (sandbox) |
| IDE / editor lock-in | None — any editor, any AI tool | VS Code (primary) | VS Code (primary), JetBrains (beta) | None — any IDE via SSH or web | None — any IDE | N/A (SDK-first) |
| AI tool support | Any (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, vim, etc.) | Limited (product deprioritized) | Copilot (native), others limited | Any (via SSH tunnel) | Any (via SSH) | Built for AI agents, not human AI-assisted coding |
| Preview URLs | Every branch, automatic TLS | Not in Flex | Manual port forwarding only | Not built-in | Not available | Not available |
| Git provider support | Any (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket | GitHub only | Any | Any | Any |
| Self-hosted option | Yes (K8s) | Yes (Flex only) | No | Yes (primary model) | Client-only (no server) | Yes |
| Non-engineer accessibility | Designed for it | Not designed for it | Not designed for it | Not designed for it | CLI expertise required | Not applicable (SDK-first) |
| File sync speed | < 50ms via Mutagen | N/A | N/A (remote editor) | N/A (remote SSH) | N/A (remote SSH) | N/A |
| Platform team required? | No | Yes (for Flex) | No, but devcontainer expertise helps | Yes | No, but technical users only | Developer/SDK knowledge required |
How to choose
If you need non-engineers to ship code with AI
Choose Noco. It's the only CDE designed for designers, PMs, and founders — not just engineers.
If you need enterprise security and full infrastructure control
Choose Coder. SOC 2 compliance, Terraform templates, runs on any infrastructure.
If you're all-in on GitHub + VS Code + Copilot
Choose Codespaces. Deep GitHub integration, zero setup for that specific stack.
If you want free, open-source, and zero vendor lock-in
Choose DevPod. Client-only, no server, no account, no cost.
Try Noco for your team.
One command. Live preview URL. Works with any AI coding tool.
No spam. We'll reach out to schedule onboarding.