AI Agent & Code-Execution Sandboxes
Data last verified 2026-07-26
Compare at a glance
| Sandbox | Isolation | Cold start | $/vCPU-hr | GPU | Session | MCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaxel | microVM | No | Persistent (hibernation) | Yes | ||
| Cloudflare Sandbox SDK | V8 isolate + container | No | 30min execution cap | Yes | ||
| Daytona | Docker container | Yes | Persistent (lifecycle-managed) | Yes | ||
| E2B | Firecracker microVM | No | Up to 24h | n/a | ||
| Northflank | Kata / gVisor microVM (selectable) | Yes | Unlimited | n/a | ||
| Fly.io Machines | microVM | Yes | Persistent | Yes | ||
| Vercel Sandbox | Firecracker microVM | No | 45min (Hobby) / 24h (Pro) | n/a | ||
| Runloop | microVM | No | Configurable | Yes | ||
| CodeSandbox SDK | Firecracker microVM | No | Configurable | n/a | ||
| Modal | gVisor | Yes | Configurable | n/a | ||
| Beam | Container | n/a | n/a | Yes | Configurable | n/a |
| Freestyle | Hardware-virtualized VM | n/a | No | Persistent VMs (paid plans) | n/a | |
| Fly.io Sprites | Firecracker microVM | n/a | No | Persistent (pauses when idle) | n/a | |
| Together Code Interpreter | Managed isolated sandbox | n/a | n/a | No | 60-minute reusable sessions | n/a |
| Deno Sandbox | V8 isolate | n/a | No | n/a | n/a | |
| Blacksmith Sandboxes | Full VM | n/a | n/a | No | n/a | n/a |
| AWS Fargate | Firecracker microVM | n/a | No | Long-running tasks | n/a |
Figures are vendor-published approximations as of the verified date. Tap a name for sources.
All ai sandboxes
Blaxel
AI code-execution sandboxBlaxel is an idle-cost-optimized sandbox that resumes from hibernation in ~25ms with memory and processes intact, and charges $0 for compute on standby.
Cloudflare Sandbox SDK
AI code-execution sandboxCloudflare Sandbox SDK runs code on Cloudflare Containers + Durable Objects, blending V8 isolates (~50ms) with containers, bundled into the Workers Paid plan.
Daytona
AI code-execution sandboxDaytona is an open-source, container-isolated sandbox for AI agents with ~90ms creation, persistent stateful workspaces, mid-execution snapshots and optional H100 GPUs.
E2B
AI code-execution sandboxE2B is a Firecracker-microVM sandbox that gives AI agents a secure, ~150ms-cold-start environment to run generated code, with pause/resume and filesystem snapshots.
Northflank
AI code-execution sandboxNorthflank runs sandboxes with selectable Kata/gVisor microVM isolation, unlimited session duration, any OCI image and BYOC deployment, at the lowest published vCPU rate in the category.
Fly.io Machines
AI code-execution sandboxFly.io Machines are fast-booting microVMs with a persistent ext4 filesystem, ~300ms checkpoints, zero idle cost and a native MCP endpoint.
Vercel Sandbox
AI code-execution sandboxVercel Sandbox is a Firecracker-based, JavaScript/TypeScript-native sandbox that is persistent by default, billed on active CPU plus a per-creation fee.
Runloop
AI code-execution sandboxRunloop provides enterprise "devbox" infrastructure for coding agents: SOC 2, 10K+ parallel instances, git-style disk snapshots with branching, and built-in SWE-bench evaluation.
CodeSandbox SDK
AI code-execution sandboxCodeSandbox SDK (now Together Code Sandbox) runs Firecracker microVMs with a git-versioned filesystem, ~500ms resume and sub-second forking, tuned for web-dev agents.
Modal
AI code-execution sandboxModal is a Python-first serverless compute platform whose Sandboxes offer gVisor isolation, sub-second cold start and, uniquely, GPUs (T4 through B200) inside the sandbox.
Beam
AI code-execution sandboxBeam is a serverless sandbox and GPU platform with sub-second cold starts, per-second billing and no subscription floor, notable for offering GPUs inside the sandbox (H100 at $1.74/hr).
Freestyle
AI code-execution sandboxFreestyle gives AI agents hardware-virtualized Linux VMs with built-in Git, real persistent state and per-second billing at $0.04/vCPU-hr.
Fly.io Sprites
AI code-execution sandboxFly.io Sprites are stateful sandbox environments on Firecracker microVMs, with a persistent ext4 filesystem and roughly 300ms checkpoint/restore, that pause to zero cost when idle.
Together Code Interpreter
AI code-execution sandboxTogether Code Interpreter is a session-based API that runs LLM-generated Python in an isolated sandbox, billed at a flat $0.03 per 60-minute session.
Deno Sandbox
AI code-execution sandboxDeno Sandbox is a V8-isolate sandbox, part of Deno Deploy, for running untrusted or LLM-generated JavaScript and TypeScript, billed on CPU time rather than wall-clock.
Blacksmith Sandboxes
AI code-execution sandboxBlacksmith Sandboxes (beta) are full VMs for coding agents that mirror a CI environment: they run Docker, system packages and services, boot from managed environment snapshots, and target the fastest single-core CPU for build- and test-heavy agent work.
AWS Fargate
AI code-execution sandboxAWS Fargate is serverless container compute for ECS and EKS that runs each task in a Firecracker microVM, a general-purpose primitive teams use to isolate untrusted or agent-generated code, priced at $0.04048 per vCPU-hour and $0.004445 per GB-hour (Linux/x86, US East).
FAQ
What is an AI agent sandbox?
An AI agent sandbox is an isolated compute environment (usually a microVM or container) where an AI agent can execute generated code securely, without risking the host. Key attributes are cold-start time, isolation strength, pricing, persistence and GPU support.
Which AI sandbox has the fastest cold start?
Among tracked providers, V8-isolate and hibernation-based options are fastest (Cloudflare isolates ~50ms, Blaxel resume ~25ms), while Firecracker microVMs like E2B land around 150ms. Full container/microVM cold starts range up to a few seconds.
Which AI sandboxes support GPUs?
Modal, Daytona, Northflank and Fly.io offer GPU access inside or alongside the sandbox; Modal is the standout for GPU-in-sandbox workloads.
What moved in the sandbox world, every Friday.
Pricing changes, new entrants, benchmark refreshes and one sharp take from Eve Harper. Read by engineers choosing where their agents and apps run. No fluff. Read the archive.