Noco vs Gitpod
An honest comparison of Noco and Gitpod 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
Gitpod
- Best for
- Teams interested in AI agents (not a CDE anymore)
- Pricing
- Gitpod Flex is self-hosted; Ona pricing TBD
- Setup time
- Varies (self-managed)
- AI tool support
- Limited (product deprioritized)
- Preview URLs
- Not in Flex
What is Gitpod?
Gitpod was one of the original cloud development environment companies, pioneering the idea of ephemeral, git-based dev environments. After 6 years on Kubernetes, they moved to a VM-based architecture (Gitpod Flex), and in late 2025 announced a pivot to AI software engineering agents under the brand "Ona."
This pivot means Gitpod is no longer focused on being a cloud dev environment. Their CDE product (Gitpod Flex) is in maintenance mode while the team builds an AI agent product. If you're looking for a CDE, Gitpod is no longer actively investing in that category.
Strengths
- Pioneer in the cloud dev environment space
- Open-source heritage and community goodwill
- Gitpod Flex architecture (VMs) was technically interesting
- Strong brand recognition in the developer community
Limitations
- –Pivoted away from CDE — product is no longer their focus
- –Gitpod Classic (K8s) was sunset in 2024
- –Gitpod Flex is self-hosted only, limited support going forward
- –Team is focused on Ona (AI agents), not environment features
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 | Gitpod |
|---|---|---|
| Setup complexity | One command | Self-hosted VM setup (Flex) |
| Time to running app | ~60 seconds | Varies (self-managed) |
| IDE / editor lock-in | None — any editor, any AI tool | VS Code (primary) |
| AI tool support | Any (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, vim, etc.) | Limited (product deprioritized) |
| Preview URLs | Every branch, automatic TLS | Not in Flex |
| Git provider support | Any (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket |
| Self-hosted option | Yes (K8s) | Yes (Flex only) |
| Non-engineer accessibility | Designed for it | Not designed for it |
| File sync speed | < 50ms via Mutagen | N/A |
| Platform team required? | No | Yes (for Flex) |
Key differences
Active CDE product vs. pivoted company
Noco is actively building and investing in cloud dev environments. Gitpod has pivoted to AI agents (Ona). Their CDE product is in maintenance mode. When you choose a platform, you want the team to be focused on your use case.
Who cares: Anyone evaluating a long-term CDE investment. Product direction matters — you don't want to build on a platform the company is walking away from.
Managed service vs. self-hosted only
Gitpod Flex is self-hosted only — you manage the VMs, networking, and updates. Noco is a managed platform. Run one command, get an environment. No infrastructure to maintain.
Who cares: Teams without dedicated DevOps or platform engineering resources.
For everyone vs. for engineers
Even when Gitpod was actively a CDE, it was designed for software engineers. Noco is built for entire teams — designers, PMs, and founders coding with AI, alongside engineers.
Who cares: Organizations adopting AI-powered development across roles.
When to choose Gitpod
- You're interested in AI software engineering agents (Ona), not a CDE
- You already have Gitpod Flex deployed and it's working for your team
- You want to bet on Gitpod's future direction in AI agents
When to choose Noco
- You need an actively developed cloud dev environment
- You want a managed service, not self-hosted infrastructure
- You need preview URLs for every branch
- You want non-engineers to ship code with AI tools
Frequently asked questions
Is Gitpod still a cloud dev environment?
Partially. Gitpod Classic was sunset in 2024. Gitpod Flex is available as a self-hosted option, but the company has pivoted to building AI agents under the "Ona" brand. The CDE product is no longer their primary focus.
What happened to Gitpod?
After 6 years building cloud dev environments on Kubernetes, Gitpod rebuilt on VMs (Gitpod Flex), then pivoted in late 2025 to AI software engineering agents (Ona). The CDE product is effectively in maintenance mode.
Should I migrate from Gitpod to Noco?
If you need an actively developed CDE with preview URLs, AI tool support, and a team-first experience, Noco is a strong replacement. If you're interested in AI agents, you might want to evaluate Ona.
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.