Frontend developers switch for faster performance. Gain: WebContainers boot instantly in browser, offline capability, no cloud container lag. Trade-off: No real-time collaboration (URL sharing only), but speed difference is significant for solo work.

Teams switch for full-stack development and deeper GitHub integration. Gain: Full VS Code experience, backend language support, direct repo integration, enterprise security. Trade-off: More setup, less instant than CodeSandbox sandboxes.

Developers switch for backend support and AI features. Gain: Multi-language support including Python/Java, AI agent for code generation, instant deployment. Trade-off: Credit-based pricing can be unpredictable, but broader language support.

Professional teams switch for production-grade cloud dev environments. Gain: Full Linux containers, any language/framework, self-hosting option, better for serious development. Trade-off: More complex than quick sandbox creation.

Designers and simple demos switch for simplicity. Gain: Simpler interface, better for HTML/CSS experiments, strong design community. Trade-off: Less powerful for full React/Vue apps, but perfect for quick visual experiments.