E2B vs Beam

E2B and Beam are closely matched on cold start and headline price. The decision comes down to isolation, session limits and ecosystem. Below: every spec that moves the decision, verified 2026-07-26.

	E2B	BEBeam
Isolation	Firecracker microVM	Container
Cold start	150ms	n/a
Price / vCPU-hr	$0.05	n/a
GPU	No	H100 $1.74/hr, A100 80GB $1.30/hr, RTX 4090 $0.42/hr
Session limit	Up to 24h	Configurable
Persistence	Pause/resume with memory state, snapshots	Ephemeral sandboxes; volume storage
MCP support	n/a	n/a
Free tier	$100 one-time credit (Hobby)	$30/mo free credits, no subscription floor
Best for	Teams that want the cleanest SDK and strong microVM isolation for agent code execution.	Agents that need GPUs inside the sandbox, or spiky usage a subscription floor would penalize.

The verdict

Choose E2B for teams that want the cleanest SDK and strong microVM isolation for agent code execution. Choose Beam for agents that need GPUs inside the sandbox, or spiky usage a subscription floor would penalize.

Headline rates rarely equal your bill. Idle time, session length, creation fees and GPU minutes dominate. Model your actual workload in the cost calculator.

FAQ

E2B vs Beam: which is better?

It depends on your priority. E2B is best for teams that want the cleanest SDK and strong microVM isolation for agent code execution. Beam is best for agents that need GPUs inside the sandbox, or spiky usage a subscription floor would penalize.

Is E2B or Beam cheaper?

Pricing models differ; see each provider's page for current rates.

Still choosing between E2B and Beam?

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