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Sandboxer vs microsandbox

microsandbox is an Apache-2.0 library and CLI that runs OCI images in libkrun microVMs on your own Linux (KVM), macOS or Windows machine, with fork and full-state snapshots. A hosted microsandbox cloud exists but is not priced in the pages read. Pick microsandbox to embed sandboxes in your own software; pick Sandboxer for a managed service with HTTPS URLs and coding agents.

Checked against microsandbox's public docs on October 24, 2026. Sources are linked in the table and listed below.

At a glance

Sandboxer and microsandbox compared
CapabilitySandboxermicrosandbox
IsolationmicroVM
Cloud Hypervisor, its own kernel
microVM (libkrun)
Hardware-level isolation; runs on KVM (Linux), Apple Silicon (macOS), WHP (Windows).
Full Linux with root
Ubuntu 24.04, sudo, systemd
Docker inside
Preinstalled
partial
Runs OCI images; a guide runs dockerd inside a sandbox using flat root disks, which are local-only and not yet on microsandbox cloud.
Nested virtualization (/dev/kvm)
Pause and resume with memory
Running processes come back
Full snapshots save disk, memory and running processes; restore resumes execution.
Fork a sandbox
Copy-on-write disk copy that boots fresh
Restore a full snapshot with copy-on-write memory (--cow-mem, formerly --forked); full snapshots are limited on microsandbox cloud.
HTTPS URL per port
Private with a token, or public
No HTTPS URL per port found in the pages read.
Longest sessionNo limit on paid plans
Auto-stop is up to 30 days or off
BillingPer second, flat rate per size
Stopped sandboxes are free
free locally; cloud pricing not published
Hosted microsandbox cloud exists.
GPUs
Self-host or open source
Apache-2.0, local-first, no setup server or daemon; project is beta.
RegionsUS East (Virginia) and EU Central (Finland)

= not documented publicly.

Where microsandbox is strong

  • Free and open source (Apache-2.0), embeddable with TypeScript, Rust, Python, Go and Ruby SDKs.
  • Guest boot under 100 ms on an M1 Mac, per the README.
  • Full snapshots capture memory and processes, and fork shares memory copy-on-write.
  • Runs on your own hardware, including Apple Silicon and Windows, with no daemon.

Where Sandboxer differs

  • microsandbox is a library you run yourself; Sandboxer is a hosted service with API, CLI and plans.
  • microsandbox is beta software with expected breaking changes; Sandboxer is early access without an SLA.
  • The microsandbox pages read do not document an HTTPS URL per port; Sandboxer gives any port an HTTPS URL.
  • microsandbox's Docker-in-sandbox guide is local-only and snapshots are limited on its cloud; Sandboxer provides Docker and stop/resume on its hosted service.

Pick microsandbox if

  • You want to embed sandboxes in your own app or run them on your laptop or servers for free.
  • You need memory-preserving fork or snapshots under your own control.
  • You need macOS or Windows hosts to run sandboxes.

Pick Sandboxer if

  • You want a managed service so you do not operate hosts.
  • You need public HTTPS URLs per port and SSH into the machine.
  • You want coding agents preinstalled and a prompt API.

Sources

Products change. If something here is out of date, email hello@sandboxer.com and we'll fix it. microsandbox is a trademark of its owner. Sandboxer is an independent product and is not affiliated with microsandbox.

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