Freedom251 › Development Environment Managers
PortBay
What PortBay is
PortBay combines a local development environment with a task board for dispatching AI coding agents. Cards can be assigned to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or Antigravity, and each card can have its own Git worktree so agents can work on the same repository in parallel. PortBay provides local project runtimes, trusted HTTPS on .test domains, per-project MySQL and PostgreSQL databases, and Mailpit email capture. Community includes public Cloudflare and SSH tunnels. Pro adds persistent SSH options such as keep-alive, auto-reconnect, reverse tunnels, SOCKS proxy, and multi-hop. PortBay says source code, project files, board cards, and agent comments stay on the user's machine and are not uploaded. Agent sandboxing is on by default and denies access to credential stores and .env files outside the assigned project. Community is free, with limits including up to six projects, two sandboxed runs, 10 MB in task attachments, and one Mac. Pro costs $10 a month for the first 100 licences while the subscription remains active, then $24 a month, and includes a 7-day free trial. PortBay supports macOS and Linux; Windows is on the roadmap. It is described as a single-developer tool without a team plan or admin console.
Who it suits
PortBay suits individual developers who want local project runtimes and a task board for dispatching coding agents. Its lack of a team plan and admin console makes it a poor fit for organizations needing centralized administration.
What it does well
- Dispatches several named coding agents from task cards.
- Separate Git worktrees support parallel repository work.
- Provides per-project MySQL and PostgreSQL databases.
- Community includes Cloudflare and SSH tunnels.
- Agent sandboxing is on by default.
What to know first
- Community is limited to six projects and two sandboxed runs.
- No team plan or admin console.
- Windows is on the roadmap, not currently listed as supported.
- Pro costs $10 a month initially, then $24 a month.
Limits
The free Community plan allows up to 6 projects, 2 sandboxed runs, 10 MB of task attachments, and 1 Mac. Pro is $10 a month for the first 100 licences while the subscription stays active, then $24 a month; it includes a 7-day free trial.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Community | Fully functional forever; not a trial · Up to 6 projects (3 without an account) · 2 sandboxed runs · 10 MB task attachments · 1 Mac | Free |
| Pro | Monthly; page says the first 100 licences are $10/month and hold that rate while the subscription stays active; after those, $24/month · Unlimited projects and sandboxed runs · 250 MB task attachments · 2 Macs · custom domain suffix and stable custom tunnel hostname · encrypted sync · priority support | $10 a month |
| Agent Solo | $168/year; renews at $228/year · 1 site · in-editor agent · 25,000 credits per month | $168 a year |
| Plugin Agency | $199/year · 25 sites · everything in Studio · activation dashboard · bulk deactivation | $199 a year |
| Agent Studio | $288/year; renews at $348/year · 5 sites · shared pool of 75,000 credits per month | $288 a year |
| Plugin Unlimited | $399/year · Unlimited sites · everything in Agency | $399 a year |
| Agent Agency | $444/year; renews at $540/year · Unlimited sites · 350,000 credits per month · priority agent support | $444 a year |
| Plugin Solo | $59/year · 1 site · visual editor · Forms with spam verification · signed updates | $59 a year |
The first 8 of 10 plans, as portbay.app lists them, read 7 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word. Every plan
Getting started
- Visit the PortBay website.
- Choose Community or start Pro's 7-day free trial.
- Install the macOS build for Apple Silicon or a Linux desktop package.
- Create local project runtimes and assign supported agents to task cards.
Verdict
PortBay brings agent dispatch, worktrees, and local development services into a single-developer workflow. Its free Community plan has usage limits, while Pro adds persistent SSH options and a 7-day trial; teams needing centralized controls should look elsewhere.
Questions
Does PortBay have a free plan?
Yes. Community is free and described as fully functional forever, not a trial. It allows up to 6 projects, 2 sandboxed runs, 10 MB task attachments, and 1 Mac.
How much does PortBay Pro cost?
The first 100 licences are $10 a month while the subscription stays active; after those, the price is 24 USD per month. Pro includes a 7-day free trial and can be cancelled anytime, remaining active through the paid period.
Which operating systems does PortBay support?
PortBay supports macOS and Linux. Its documentation says Windows is on the roadmap.
Which coding agents can PortBay dispatch?
PortBay lists Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Antigravity as agents it can dispatch from task cards.
Does PortBay upload source code?
PortBay says it does not upload source code. Project files, the task board, cards, and agent comments stay on the machine.
Is PortBay designed for teams?
PortBay describes itself as a single-developer tool. It has no team plan, admin console, SSO, SAML, SCIM, roles, or central policy server.
Facts from PortBay's own pages
- Agent integrations
- The product lists Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Antigravity as agents it can dispatch from cards. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Agent sandbox
- The security page says agent sandboxing is on by default and denies access to credential stores and .env files outside the assigned project. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Agent task board
- The shared task board dispatches agents assigned to cards and keeps task cards, comments, and project work on the user's Mac. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Compliance
- PortBay states that it does not currently hold SOC 2 or ISO certification and has no team plan or admin console. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Development environment
- PortBay provides local project runtimes, trusted HTTPS on .test domains, per-project MySQL and PostgreSQL databases, and Mailpit email capture. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The security page describes PortBay as a single-developer tool and says it has no team plan, SSO, SAML, SCIM, roles, or central policy server. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Local code and data
- PortBay says it does not upload source code and that project files, the task board, cards, and agent comments stay on the machine. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Parallel work
- Each task card can receive its own Git worktree so multiple agents can work on the same repository at once. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Platform availability
- The documentation says macOS builds for Apple Silicon are available, Linux desktop packages are in active support, and Windows is on the roadmap. · docs.portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Product
- PortBay describes itself as a local development environment for running apps on a Mac and dispatching AI coding agents from a task board. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- Pro includes priority support, and the plugin Studio licence includes priority email support. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Sync encryption
- For Pro registry sync, PortBay says project registry data is encrypted on-device with AES-256-GCM, while clarifying that the sync is not end-to-end encrypted. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Trial and cancellation
- Pro has a 7-day free trial, can be cancelled anytime, and remains active through the paid period. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
- Tunnels and SSH
- The Community plan includes public Cloudflare tunnels and SSH tunnels; Pro adds persistent SSH options such as keep-alive, auto-reconnect, reverse tunnels, SOCKS proxy, and multi-hop. · portbay.app, 7 Oct 2026
Where PortBay stands on Freedom251
- Development Environment Managers#38 of 50
- Development Environment Management Tools#20 of 26