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Sandboxer vs StarSling

StarSling replaces ubuntu-latest in GitHub Actions with single-use hardware-isolated microVM runners (4 vCPU / 16 GB Linux at $0.008 per minute), and adds agents that open PRs to speed up workflows. It is a CI product, not a development environment. Pick StarSling for GitHub Actions runners; pick Sandboxer for interactive or long-running agent VMs.

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

At a glance

Sandboxer and StarSling compared
CapabilitySandboxerStarSling
IsolationmicroVM
Cloud Hypervisor, its own kernel
microVM (single-use, per job)
Full Linux with root
Ubuntu 24.04, sudo, systemd
Docker inside
Preinstalled
Nested virtualization (/dev/kvm)
Pause and resume with memory
Running processes come back
Runners are destroyed after the job.
Fork a sandbox
Copy-on-write disk copy that boots fresh
HTTPS URL per port
Private with a token, or public
Not applicable to CI runners.
Longest sessionNo limit on paid plans
Auto-stop is up to 30 days or off
per job
BillingPer second, flat rate per size
Stopped sandboxes are free
per minute ($0.004 to $0.128/min by runner size; $0.008/min for 4 vCPU / 16 GB Linux)
Queue time not billed.
GPUs
Self-host or open source
RegionsUS East (Virginia) and EU Central (Finland)

= not documented publicly.

Where StarSling is strong

  • Drop-in for ubuntu-latest in GitHub Actions.
  • Single-use microVM per job.
  • Usage-based with queue time unbilled and unlimited concurrency.
  • 2,000 free minutes in the first month.

Where Sandboxer differs

  • StarSling runs CI jobs, Sandboxer runs persistent VMs.
  • Runners are destroyed after each job; Sandboxer stop keeps state.
  • StarSling's page describes CI job runners, not interactive use; Sandboxer adds SSH, any-port HTTPS URLs and a coding-agent prompt API.

Pick StarSling if

  • You want to speed up and cheapen GitHub Actions.
  • You want agents that optimise CI workflows.

Pick Sandboxer if

  • You need a full Ubuntu 24.04 VM with root, systemd, Docker and nested KVM, with agents like Claude Code and Codex preinstalled.
  • You want stop to save memory and disk and resume to bring processes back, with stopped sandboxes costing nothing.
  • You want a REST API, CLI, TypeScript and Python SDKs, and an MCP server on per-second billing.

Sources

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 If something here is out of date, email hello@sandboxer.com and we'll fix it.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

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