Microsoft Dev Box vs PaizaCloud Cloud IDE

Microsoft Dev Box provides developers self-service access to ready-to-code cloud workstations. Organizations can configure environments using YAML image definitions, custom Azure Compute Gallery images, or Azure Marketplace images. Developers can manage multiple boxes through a portal for separate projects, workloads, or tasks. Administrators can use autostop schedules and hibernation to control costs, and each provisioned box automatically enrolls in Microsoft Intune. Identity uses Microsoft Entra ID, with optional on-premises Active Directory Domain Services support; disks are encrypted by default with a platform-managed key. Network choices include Microsoft-hosted connections and customer-managed Azure networks. Users can connect with Windows App on listed desktop and mobile systems or through a browser. Windows Subsystem for Linux is supported for Linux development scenarios. Dev Box is in maintenance mode, with no additional features planned, and Microsoft recommends Windows 365 for virtualized developer environments. The service fully retires at 17:00 UTC on September 18, 2028; its closing-down period begins at 16:00 UTC on September 14, 2026. It requires work or school accounts, not personal accounts or guest access through Microsoft Entra B2B collaboration.

PaizaCloud Cloud IDE is a browser-based development environment with an editor, web server, database server and terminal in a cloud workspace. The maker says a new Linux development server starts in about three seconds. The browser interface includes file management, a file editor, terminal and an in-browser browser; users can install or create additional apps. Listed environments include LAMP, PHP, Ruby on Rails, JSP, Django, Node.js, Laravel, Go, Express, MEAN stack, Jupyter Notebook and Git. Users can share a server workspace and connect over SSH. The cloud environment runs Linux (Ubuntu 18.04), and recommended client systems include Windows 8.1 or later, Mac OS X 10.13 or later, iOS 12 or later and Android 8 or later. The free plan includes one server, up to 24 hours of server lifetime and up to four continuous running hours while the browser is open. Publishing public web applications is unavailable on FREE and LITE, but available on BASIC, which costs $19.80 a month. LITE costs $9.80 a month.