AI code-execution sandbox

Freestyle

Freestyle gives AI agents hardware-virtualized Linux VMs with built-in Git, real persistent state and per-second billing at $0.04/vCPU-hr.

Last verified 2026-08-09

Freestyle (YC-backed) provides full hardware-virtualized Linux VMs plus a Git service for AI coding agents, so an agent gets a real computer it can install to, run dev servers on and keep running. VMs can be persistent and snapshotted on paid plans. Pricing is usage-based at $0.04032/vCPU-hr and $0.0129/GiB-hr, with a free tier of 20 vCPU-hours per day.

Key specs

IsolationHardware-virtualized VM
Price / vCPU-hr$0.04
Pricing modelPer-second usage + plan
GPUNo
Session limitPersistent VMs (paid plans)
PersistencePersistent VMs and snapshots (paid plans)
Languagesany (real Linux VM)
MCP supportn/a
DeploymentManaged cloud
Free tier20 vCPU-hrs/day, 10 concurrent VMs (free forever)
vCPU$0.04032/vCPU-hr
Memory$0.0129/GiB-hr
Free tier20 vCPU-hrs/day

Strengths

  • Full hardware-virtualized Linux VM per agent
  • Built-in Git service
  • Low $0.04/vCPU-hr rate
  • Generous always-free tier

Trade-offs

  • Full-VM boot is slower than microVM peers
  • Persistent VMs and snapshots need a paid plan
  • No GPU

Best for: Coding agents that need a real, long-lived Linux computer with Git rather than an ephemeral runner.

How Freestyle works

Freestyle gives an agent a full hardware-virtualized Linux VM rather than an ephemeral runner, paired with a built-in Git service. The agent can install packages, start a dev server, keep a terminal open and leave the machine running, and on paid plans the VM and its snapshots persist between sessions. Because it is a real VM, anything that runs on Linux runs here, with no language restriction. The trade-off for that fidelity is boot time: a full VM comes up slower than a microVM or an isolate.

Pricing in practice & watch-outs

Pricing is usage-based at $0.04032 per vCPU-hour and $0.0129 per GiB-hour, with an always-free tier of 20 vCPU-hours a day and up to 10 concurrent VMs, which is generous for prototyping. The Hobby plan is $50/month plus usage and unlocks persistent VMs, persistent snapshots and custom sizing; the free tier does not include persistence. Per-VM ceilings apply (up to 32 vCPUs and 64 GB memory on Pro). There is no GPU option, so accelerated work has to run elsewhere.

Head-to-head

Alternatives to Freestyle

See the full Freestyle alternatives comparison →

Sources: Freestyle pricing ↗ · Freestyle VMs ↗

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