Noco vs DevPod
An honest comparison of Noco and DevPod for cloud development environments. Who each tool is best for, where they differ, and when to choose which.
At a glance
Noco
- Best for
- Teams where designers, PMs, and founders ship code alongside engineers using AI tools
- Pricing
- Free during early access
- Setup time
- ~60 seconds
- AI tool support
- Any (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, vim, etc.)
- Preview URLs
- Every branch, automatic TLS
DevPod
- Best for
- Individual developers who want open-source, vendor-free cloud environments
- Pricing
- Free and open source
- Setup time
- 3–10 minutes
- AI tool support
- Any (via SSH)
- Preview URLs
- Not available
What is 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.
DevPod's philosophy is radical simplicity on the client side. The tradeoff is that it's a developer tool through and through — you need to understand provider configuration, devcontainers, and CLI usage. There's no team management, no preview URLs, and no web dashboard.
Strengths
- Completely free and open source
- No server — runs entirely on your machine
- Works with any infrastructure provider via plugins
- Zero vendor lock-in
Limitations
- –No team features — no shared dashboards, no org management
- –No preview URLs or branch-based environments
- –Requires CLI expertise and provider configuration
- –No managed service option — you manage everything
What is 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.
Noco gives every branch a live preview URL. Designers, PMs, and founders use AI coding tools to build features on the real codebase, then submit PRs that reviewers can click and use — not just read diffs.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Noco | DevPod |
|---|---|---|
| Setup complexity | One command | CLI install + provider config |
| Time to running app | ~60 seconds | 3–10 minutes |
| IDE / editor lock-in | None — any editor, any AI tool | None — any IDE |
| AI tool support | Any (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, vim, etc.) | Any (via SSH) |
| Preview URLs | Every branch, automatic TLS | Not available |
| Git provider support | Any (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) | Any |
| Self-hosted option | Yes (K8s) | Client-only (no server) |
| Non-engineer accessibility | Designed for it | CLI expertise required |
| File sync speed | < 50ms via Mutagen | N/A (remote SSH) |
| Platform team required? | No | No, but technical users only |
Key differences
Managed team platform vs. individual developer tool
DevPod is a single-player tool. There's no team management, no shared environment state, no admin dashboard. Noco is a team platform — organizations, members, shared configs, preview URLs visible to everyone.
Who cares: Teams of 3+ people who need shared visibility into environments and branches.
Preview URLs vs. nothing
DevPod doesn't generate preview URLs. Your running environment is only accessible to you via SSH. Noco gives every branch a live URL that anyone — teammates, reviewers, stakeholders — can visit.
Who cares: Teams where non-developers need to see and interact with running features.
One command vs. provider configuration
DevPod requires configuring a provider plugin (Docker, AWS, K8s) before you can create environments. Noco requires one command: noco up. The infrastructure is managed.
Who cares: Non-engineers who want to start coding with AI immediately, without learning about cloud providers.
When to choose DevPod
- You're an individual developer who wants free, open-source environments
- You want zero vendor lock-in and full control over your infrastructure
- You don't need team features, preview URLs, or a web dashboard
- You're comfortable configuring providers and using the CLI
When to choose Noco
- You need a team platform with shared environments and preview URLs
- You want non-engineers to use cloud environments without CLI expertise
- You need a managed service — no infrastructure to configure or maintain
- You want every branch to have a live, shareable URL
Frequently asked questions
Is DevPod really free?
Yes. DevPod is fully open source and free. You only pay for the underlying infrastructure (e.g., AWS EC2 instances). Noco is also free during early access.
Can my team use DevPod together?
DevPod is a single-user tool with no built-in team features. Each person manages their own environments independently. Noco is built as a team platform with org management and shared visibility.
Does DevPod require a server?
No. DevPod is entirely client-side — it runs on your local machine. This is great for simplicity but means there's no central management, no dashboard, and no shared state.
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.