Skip to content
sandboxer
Start free trial
Compare · Cloud browsers

Sandboxer vs Steel

Steel is a browser API for AI agents, available as an open-source self-hostable project and a hosted cloud. Sandboxer is a different category: each sandbox is a full Ubuntu VM with root, Docker and nested KVM, not a browser instance. Pick Steel for browser agents, especially if you want to self-host; pick Sandboxer for full VMs.

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

At a glance

Sandboxer and Steel compared
CapabilitySandboxerSteel
IsolationmicroVM
Cloud Hypervisor, its own kernel
browser instance
Full Linux with root
Ubuntu 24.04, sudo, systemd
Not offered; the product is a remote browser driven over CDP/API, not a general machine
Docker inside
Preinstalled
Not offered; the product is a remote browser driven over CDP/API, not a general machine
Nested virtualization (/dev/kvm)
Not offered; the product is a remote browser driven over CDP/API, not a general machine
Pause and resume with memory
Running processes come back
Fork a sandbox
Copy-on-write disk copy that boots fresh
No VM fork; browser sessions only
HTTPS URL per port
Private with a token, or public
Not offered; the product is a remote browser driven over CDP/API, not a general machine
Longest sessionNo limit on paid plans
Auto-stop is up to 30 days or off
15 min Launch, 1 h Scale, 24 h Enterprise
BillingPer second, flat rate per size
Stopped sandboxes are free
per browser hour plus usage
$0.10/h Launch, $0.08/h Scale; proxy $10 or $6/GB; plans $0/$250
GPUs
No GPU machines described; browser sessions only
Self-host or open source
Steel Browser is open source and can be self-hosted
RegionsUS East (Virginia) and EU Central (Finland)

= not documented publicly.

Where Steel is strong

  • Open-source Steel Browser can be self-hosted.
  • Hosted browser hour from $0.08 to $0.10.
  • $30 free credit on Launch with no card needed.
  • HIPAA-ready BAA on Scale; SLAs on Enterprise.

Where Sandboxer differs

  • Steel provides browsers, not VMs with root, Docker or KVM.
  • Hosted sessions are capped (15 min, 1 h, 24 h by plan); Sandboxer paid plans have no limit.
  • Sandboxer is not open source or self-hostable.

Pick Steel if

  • You want to self-host an open-source browser API.
  • You need cheap hosted browser hours with free starter credit.
  • You need a BAA or enterprise SLAs for browser automation.

Pick Sandboxer if

  • You need a full Ubuntu 24.04 VM with root, systemd, Docker and nested KVM rather than a browser only.
  • You want stop/resume that brings running processes back, and sandboxes that cost nothing while stopped.
  • You want coding agents (Claude Code, Codex and others) preinstalled and any port exposed as an HTTPS URL.

Sources

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

Other comparisons

Sandboxer vs E2B

Firecracker microVMs with memory-preserving pause and fork, and an open-source stack.

Compare
Sandboxer vs Daytona

Many sandbox classes, from containers to VMs, Windows and GPUs.

Compare
Sandboxer vs Modal

Massive scale and GPUs for short-lived sandboxes, gVisor by default.

Compare
Sandboxer vs Vercel Sandbox

Firecracker microVMs billed on active CPU, inside the Vercel platform.

Compare
All 201 comparisons