# The free session vs a pad

> The free session and the pad run the same terminal. The difference is what happens when you leave.

Part of the reachpad docs: https://reachpad.dev/docs. Rendered page: https://reachpad.dev/docs/free-session-vs-pad.

## What each is

- A free session is a coding session in your browser: one session, ready in seconds, no card required. Your files are kept between visits. It ships Claude Code, Codex and Kimi.
- A pad is a dedicated machine, $19 per pad per month: multiple always-on workspaces, every agent preinstalled (adds OpenCode), several agents running side by side.

## Sleep is the difference

A free session sleeps when you step away and resumes where you left off. That is right for a session you open and close, and wrong for a three-hour refactor you want to run unattended. A pad stays up through the run whether or not anyone is watching.

> Note: Rule of thumb: if you close the laptop expecting the agent to be further along when you come back, you want a pad.

## Moving from a session to a pad

Start a pad from [pricing](https://reachpad.dev/pricing). Billing is monthly with no lock-in; cancelling is covered in [plans, billing and cancelling](https://reachpad.dev/docs/billing).