CreateOS Sandbox vs Amazon WorkSpaces
Amazon WorkSpaces is the right tool for giving employees a persistent, secure cloud desktop inside an AWS account, including GPU bundles. CreateOS Sandbox is the right tool when an agent, not a person, needs a desktop or shell for one task: the desktop:1 image has XFCE, Chrome and a computer-use API, and the sandbox is created and destroyed by API. WorkSpaces are provisioned per user; sandboxes per task.
Pricing at a Glance
CreateOS rates verified 17 October 2026. Amazon WorkSpaces pricing as published on 17 October 2026. Rates billed per GB rather than per GiB, or as bundled sizes, are quoted as published rather than converted.
CreateOS Sandbox
- Compute
- $0.0362 /vCPU-hr
- Memory
- $0.0116 /GiB-hr
Amazon WorkSpaces
In Oregon, a Windows Standard WorkSpace is $44 per month, Windows Value $25 per month, and an Ubuntu Power AutoStop bundle $7.25/month plus $0.66/hour; WorkSpaces Pools are closed to new customers, as of 17 October 2026.
Where CreateOS Sandbox Fits Better
What CreateOS Sandbox brings to this matchup, with a plain note on where Amazon WorkSpaces has the edge.
A computer-use API on the desktop:1 image, built for an agent to drive XFCE and Chrome.
Per-second billing on a sandbox that exists only for one task, against monthly or AutoStop desktop pricing.
Fork a paused desktop into many copies; WorkSpaces offers custom images and bundles, not live forks.
Where Amazon WorkSpaces is strong
Persistent, full desktops, including NVIDIA GPU bundles, managed inside an AWS account with the identity, network and audit controls enterprises already use.
Which to Pick
Pick CreateOS Sandbox if
- An agent drives the desktop through an API
- Each task needs a fresh desktop or shell for minutes, not months
- You want to fork one prepared desktop into parallel runs
Pick Amazon WorkSpaces if
- You give people a persistent Windows or Linux desktop
- You need GPU desktops such as the NVIDIA L4 bundles
- You want desktops inside your own AWS VPC and identity setup
Head-to-Head Comparison
Every dimension side by side, checked on 17 October 2026 against each vendor's own docs and pricing pages. "Not published" means we could not find it on the vendor's pages, not that the feature is missing.
| Dimension | CreateOS Sandbox | Amazon WorkSpaces |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | API-created sandboxes for agents, including a desktop image with a computer-use API | Persistent cloud desktops for employees and contractors |
| Isolation | Firecracker micro-VM with its own guest kernel | Full VM; each WorkSpace is a dedicated virtual desktop |
| Trigger model | API, SDK, CLI or MCP call, on demand | Provisioned per user through the console or AWS API (CreateWorkspaces) |
| Session length | No cap; optional idle auto-pause from 60 s to 24 h, off by default | No lifetime limit; AutoStop desktops stop after a configured idle period |
| Pause and resume | Yes. Saves disk, memory and CPU state; vCPU stops billing while paused, memory and storage still bill | AutoStop stops an idle desktop and keeps its disks; memory snapshot not published |
| Outbound network | Open with no rules; deny-by-default once any rule exists (host, IP, CIDR, wildcard), enforced on the host outside the VM | Not published on the pricing page; runs in your VPC with standard AWS networking controls |
| Billing | Per second: $0.03616363/vCPU-hr, $0.01159025/GiB-hr, storage $0.0001584/GB-hr; no egress fees (50 GiB bandwidth budget per sandbox by default) | Monthly per desktop, or AutoStop (low monthly fee plus hourly) |
Common Questions
Does Amazon WorkSpaces offer GPU desktops?
Yes. WorkSpaces has Graphics bundles on G4dn, G6, Gr6, G6f and G7, including NVIDIA L4, with the largest listed at 64 vCPU / 256 GiB, though AWS sources differ on that memory figure. CreateOS offers no GPU shapes.
What happens to a WorkSpace when it sits idle?
With AutoStop, the desktop stops after a configured idle period and keeps its disks, and you pay a low monthly fee plus hourly use. A paused CreateOS sandbox keeps disk, memory and CPU state; vCPU billing stops, while memory and storage keep billing.
Is there a free tier for WorkSpaces and CreateOS?
WorkSpaces offers up to two Standard AutoStop WorkSpaces for 40 combined hours a month for up to three months. CreateOS has a Free plan with 500 credits, one concurrent sandbox up to 1 vCPU / 1 GB, and no card required.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026.
See CreateOS Sandbox for yourself
Book a demo, or explore the Sandbox and its pricing.