Best sandboxes for browser and computer-use agents in 2026, ranked
Updated October 24, 2026 .md
Short answer: For agents that must drive a whole desktop, we rank Sandboxer first: a Linux VM with an XFCE desktop and Chrome, computer-use tools for its built-in agents, and a live stream you can watch. Pick E2B or Daytona for desktop SDKs (Daytona and Orgo for Windows), and Browserbase, Kernel or Anchor when the agent only needs a browser.
Published by Sandboxer, and we're on this list. We ranked by the criteria below and say where others are the better choice. Every fact about another platform comes from its own docs or pricing page, checked on the date shown; follow each name for the full comparison and sources.
Two kinds of tools#
- Desktop sandboxes: a whole computer with a screen, mouse and keyboard. The agent can use any app, not just websites: an Electron app, a terminal, a file manager, a browser.
- Cloud browser services: a hosted browser built for web automation, usually with session replay, proxies, managed logins and many concurrent sessions at a low per-hour price. There's no general-purpose machine behind it.
If your agent only browses websites, a browser service is usually the better and cheaper fit. If it needs to run software, install things, or move between apps, you need a desktop sandbox.
How to compare them#
- A full desktop: a graphical session with a real browser, and room for other apps.
- Computer-use tools: screenshots, mouse and keyboard actions the agent can call.
- Watch and take over: a live view a person can open.
- Session survives a pause: the signed-in browser and open apps are still there after a pause.
- Session length: no short cap.
- Price you can predict.
We apply the criteria in this order; later ones break ties. Browser-only services rank after desktop sandboxes on criterion 1, even though they're the better choice for pure web automation.
Comparison table#
| # | Platform | Isolation | Resume keeps running processes | Docker / full Linux | Nested KVM | 4 vCPU / 8 GB, per hour | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandboxer | microVM (Cloud Hypervisor, its own kernel) | Yes | Yes | Yes | $0.036 | 2026-10-24 |
| 2 | E2B | microVM | Yes | Partly | No | $0.33 | 2026-10-15 |
| 3 | Daytona | container or VM | Partly | Partly | Partly | $0.33 | 2026-10-15 |
| 4 | Orgo | Not documented | Partly | Not documented | Not documented | — | 2026-10-24 |
| 5 | Coasty | Coasty-hosted VM (technology not stated) | Partly | Not documented | Not documented | — | 2026-10-24 |
| 6 | Novita Agent Sandbox | Not documented | Yes | Not documented | Not documented | $0.23 | 2026-10-24 |
| 7 | Kernel (onkernel) | browser instance | Partly | No | No | — | 2026-10-24 |
| 8 | Browserbase | browser instance | Not documented | No | No | — | 2026-10-24 |
| 9 | Anchor Browser | browser instance | Not documented | No | No | — | 2026-10-24 |
| 10 | Browser Use (cloud) | browser instance | Not documented | No | Not documented | — | 2026-10-24 |
| 11 | Steel | browser instance | Not documented | No | No | — | 2026-10-24 |
| 12 | Hyperbrowser | browser instance | Not documented | No | No | — | 2026-10-24 |
The table compares machine features. For browser services most of them don't apply, so read their entries for what they do well. "Not documented" means the platform's public docs don't say. Prices are list prices for one 4 vCPU, 8 GB machine-hour; a dash means the platform doesn't sell that size by the hour or doesn't publish a price for it (browser services price per browser hour or by credits).
The tools, ranked#
1. Sandboxer#
At a glance (source: our docs and pricing): isolation: microVM (Cloud Hypervisor, its own kernel) · resume keeps processes: Yes · longest session: No limit on paid plans · price: $0.036/hour.
Best for: computer-use agents that need a whole machine. Every running sandbox has an XFCE desktop with Google Chrome at 1920×1080 that you open in a browser tab (sbx desktop), or stream only Chrome (sbx browser) with separate signed-in profiles. Its built-in agents get computer tools (screenshot, move, click, type, scroll) that act on that screen, and you can record it. Stopping saves memory, so the signed-in browser and open apps come back on resume.
Where others win: the desktop streams over VNC today (WebRTC is coming); there are no Windows desktops; and for pure web automation, browser services offer session replay, proxies and much cheaper browser hours.
2. E2B#
At a glance (source: E2B docs, checked 2026-10-15): isolation: microVM · resume keeps processes: Yes · longest session: see comparison · price: $0.33/hour · full comparison and sources.
Best for: building your own computer-use agent with an open-source desktop SDK, with VNC streaming, on Firecracker microVMs whose pause keeps memory.
Where it's weaker for this use: sessions are capped per plan.
3. Daytona#
At a glance (source: Daytona docs, checked 2026-10-15): isolation: container or VM · resume keeps processes: Partly · longest session: see comparison · price: $0.33/hour · full comparison and sources.
Best for: computer use on Linux and Windows through Daytona's computer-use API, with SDKs in several languages.
Where it's weaker for this use: memory-saving stop depends on the sandbox class.
4. Orgo#
At a glance (source: Orgo docs, checked 2026-10-24): isolation: Not documented · resume keeps processes: Partly · longest session: no limit stated · price: No 4 vCPU / 8 GB list price · full comparison and sources.
Best for: desktops built for agents: Linux and Windows computers with a browser, reachable over HTTP and VNC, driven by API, CLI, SDKs or a hosted MCP server.
Where it's weaker for this use: its docs don't state the isolation type, and memory-preserving pause is only partly documented.
5. Coasty#
At a glance (source: Coasty docs, checked 2026-10-24): isolation: Coasty-hosted VM (technology not stated) · resume keeps processes: Partly · longest session: TTL 5 min to 7 days, or none · price: No 4 vCPU / 8 GB list price · full comparison and sources.
Best for: a computer-use agent as an API: give it a goal and it works on managed Linux or Windows machines, or on your own enrolled device.
Where it's weaker for this use: the VM technology isn't named, and memory-preserving pause is only partly documented.
6. Novita Agent Sandbox#
At a glance (source: Novita Agent Sandbox docs, checked 2026-10-24): isolation: Not documented · resume keeps processes: Yes · longest session: 1 h on free tier, 24 h on paid · price: $0.23/hour · full comparison and sources.
Best for: pay-as-you-go sandboxes where browser use and desktop computer use (with VNC viewing) are listed as supported workloads, with pause that keeps memory.
Where it's weaker for this use: its docs list computer use as a workload but don't describe a desktop or computer-use API, and sessions are capped (1 hour on the free tier, 24 hours on paid).
7. Kernel#
At a glance (source: Kernel (onkernel) docs, checked 2026-10-24): isolation: browser instance · resume keeps processes: Partly · longest session: Not documented · price: No 4 vCPU / 8 GB list price · full comparison and sources.
Best for: browsers billed per second, with standby between actions and no charge for idle browsers in pools, plus headful and GPU-accelerated options.
Where it's weaker for this use: browser only.
8. Browserbase#
At a glance (source: Browserbase docs, checked 2026-10-24): isolation: browser instance · resume keeps processes: Not documented · longest session: 15 min on Free; other plans not listed · price: No 4 vCPU / 8 GB list price · full comparison and sources.
Best for: web agents. The Stagehand SDK (act, extract, observe), session logs, live view and replay of each step, and regions in the US, EU and UK.
Where it's weaker for this use: it's a browser, not a desktop, and the free plan caps sessions at 15 minutes.
9. Anchor Browser#
At a glance (source: Anchor Browser docs, checked 2026-10-24): isolation: browser instance · resume keeps processes: Not documented · longest session: Not documented · price: No 4 vCPU / 8 GB list price · full comparison and sources.
Best for: agents that log into sites: managed authentication including MFA identities, persistent profiles and volumes, and natural-language tasks.
Where it's weaker for this use: browser only.
10. Browser Use (cloud)#
At a glance (source: Browser Use (cloud) docs, checked 2026-10-24): isolation: browser instance · resume keeps processes: Not documented · longest session: Not documented · price: No 4 vCPU / 8 GB list price · full comparison and sources.
Best for: the lowest listed browser-hour rate, pay-as-you-go credits that don't expire, and concurrency from 10 up to 1,000 sessions.
Where it's weaker for this use: browser only.
11. Steel#
At a glance (source: Steel docs, checked 2026-10-24): isolation: browser instance · resume keeps processes: Not documented · longest session: 15 min Launch, 1 h Scale, 24 h Enterprise · price: No 4 vCPU / 8 GB list price · full comparison and sources.
Best for: an open-source browser API you can self-host, or cheap hosted browser hours with free starter credit.
Where it's weaker for this use: browser only, and hosted sessions are capped by plan.
12. Hyperbrowser#
At a glance (source: Hyperbrowser docs, checked 2026-10-24): isolation: browser instance · resume keeps processes: Not documented · longest session: Not documented · price: No 4 vCPU / 8 GB list price · full comparison and sources.
Best for: many cheap concurrent browser sessions on a low-cost monthly plan, with a free tier.
Where it's weaker for this use: browser only, billed in credits.
What it costs#
Desktop sandboxes bill like machines: Sandboxer's default size (4 vCPU, 8 GB) is $0.036/hour, billed per second, and nothing while stopped. Browser services bill per browser hour or by credits, often much lower per session-hour, plus proxy bandwidth where used. For pure web automation at scale, a browser service usually costs less; for agents that need a whole desktop, compare machine-hours.
How we tested#
We read each platform's own docs and pricing pages, recorded what they state with a date, and had a second reviewer check each claim against its source. We didn't benchmark other platforms. Sandboxer's desktop features are from our desktop docs; our create and resume timings, measured by us on 2026-10-24, are in results and conditions.
Which should you choose?#
- The agent needs a whole Linux desktop and to keep its session across pauses: Sandboxer.
- You're building your own computer-use agent on an open-source SDK: E2B.
- Windows desktops: Daytona, Orgo or Coasty.
- A computer-use agent as a service: Coasty.
- Web automation only: Browserbase (replay and Stagehand), Kernel (per-second standby), Anchor (logins and MFA), Steel (self-host), Browser Use (lowest browser-hour rate), Hyperbrowser (cheap monthly concurrency).
FAQ#
What is a computer-use agent?#
An AI agent that operates a computer the way a person does: it takes screenshots, then moves the mouse, clicks and types. It needs a screen to work on, which is what a desktop sandbox provides.
Do I need a full desktop or just a cloud browser?#
If the agent only uses websites, a cloud browser is enough and usually cheaper. If it needs other apps, files, a terminal or installs, use a desktop sandbox.
Which sandboxes offer Windows desktops?#
Daytona, Orgo and Coasty list Windows. Sandboxer's desktops are Linux only.
Can I watch what the agent does?#
Yes on most of these. Sandboxer streams the desktop to a browser tab and can record the screen; E2B, Daytona and Orgo offer VNC; Browserbase has live view and session replay.
Does the agent stay signed in between sessions?#
On Sandboxer, stopping saves memory, so the browser and its sessions are still open after resume, and sbx browser --profile keeps separate Chrome profiles. Anchor Browser offers persistent profiles and managed logins.
Related#
More guides
For running AI-written code we rank Sandboxer, Freestyle and E2B first: each gives code its own VM with an API or SDK and can pause with memory. Pick Daytona for Windows or GPUs, Modal or Northflank for GPUs at scale, E2B or Northflank to run in your own cloud, and Vercel Sandbox if your app lives on Vercel.
For coding agents we rank Sandboxer first: a full Ubuntu VM with Claude Code and Codex preinstalled, Docker, and stop-and-resume that keeps the agent's session in memory. Freestyle and Amp Orbs also keep memory across pauses. Pick E2B for prebuilt agent templates on open source, Docker Sandboxes for free local runs, and Codespaces if you live in GitHub.
The best Daytona alternatives depend on why you're switching. For a full Linux microVM on every sandbox with memory-saving stop and Docker, we rank Sandboxer first. E2B suits open source and self-hosting, Modal massive short-job fleets, Northflank bring-your-own-cloud with GPUs, and Vercel Sandbox apps on Vercel.
If you're leaving E2B for longer sessions or a fuller machine, we rank Sandboxer first, then Freestyle: both give each sandbox a full Linux VM that keeps memory across pauses, with Docker and no short session cap. Pick Daytona for Windows or GPUs, Northflank for bring-your-own-cloud, and stay on E2B if you need open source.