CreateOS Sandbox vs Azure Container Apps Sandboxes
This is a close matchup: both products run agent code in microVMs that can suspend with memory and clone from a snapshot. Pick Azure Container Apps Sandboxes if you must stay inside Azure with Entra ID, VNet integration and Azure volumes, and can accept a preview service. Pick CreateOS Sandbox if you work outside Azure, need SDKs beyond Python, or want a lower vCPU rate.
Microsoft labels Container Apps Sandboxes as preview on its Learn overview page.
Pricing at a Glance
CreateOS rates verified 17 October 2026. Azure Container Apps Sandboxes 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
Lower compute rate- Compute
- $0.0362 /vCPU-hr
- Memory
- $0.0116 /GiB-hr
Azure Container Apps Sandboxes
- Compute
- $0.0864 /vCPU-hr
- Memory
- $0.0108 /GiB-hr
Sandboxes follow Container Apps Consumption per-second pricing; in East US that is $0.000024 per active vCPU-second and $0.000003 per GiB-second, with no CPU or memory charge while stopped, as of 17 October 2026.
Where CreateOS Sandbox Fits Better
What CreateOS Sandbox brings to this matchup, with a plain note on where Azure Container Apps Sandboxes has the edge.
A lower vCPU rate, $0.03616363 per vCPU-hour against $0.0864 for the Consumption active meter Microsoft says Sandboxes follow; memory rates are close.
SDKs in TypeScript, Go, Python, Rust, C# and Java plus CLI and MCP, where Azure lists a Python SDK, REST and CLI.
Published regions, eu and us, chosen at create time; Microsoft has not published a supported region list for Sandboxes.
Where Azure Container Apps Sandboxes is strong
Memory-and-disk snapshots with create-from-snapshot cloning, sub-second starts from warm pools (vendor-stated), and native Entra ID, VNet and Azure volume integration for teams that must stay inside Azure.
Which to Pick
Pick CreateOS Sandbox if
- You build in TypeScript, Go, Rust, C# or Java, not only Python
- You want a cheaper vCPU-hour for long-running agent sessions
- You need a desktop image with Chrome and a computer-use API
Pick Azure Container Apps Sandboxes if
- Your platform must stay inside Azure under Entra ID governance
- You want stopped sandboxes to cost nothing for CPU and memory
- You need sandboxes up to 16 cores / 32 GiB, or Azure Blob and Data Disk volumes
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 | Azure Container Apps Sandboxes |
|---|---|---|
| Isolation | Firecracker micro-VM with its own guest kernel | microVM: isolated, lightweight VMs with their own CPU, memory, disk and network boundary |
| Pause and resume | Yes: disk, memory and CPU state saved; vCPU stops billing, memory and storage still bill | Yes: memory mode (memory and disk) or disk mode; auto-suspend after idle, auto-delete after set days; no CPU or memory charge while stopped |
| Fork | Yes, from a paused sandbox; each child gets its own id, IP and bandwidth ledger | Yes: new sandboxes from a snapshot of a running sandbox; CPU, memory and disk fixed to the snapshot |
| Outbound network default | Open with no rules; deny-by-default once any host, IP, CIDR or wildcard rule exists, enforced on the host outside the VM | Default not published; domain allow/deny rules, CIDR rules and VNet integration |
| Inbound access | Closed by default; opt-in public HTTPS URL, plus API-authenticated shell and port tunnels | Port exposure and ingress policies through the data plane; Entra ID accounts required |
| Largest size | 8 vCPU / 16 GB on Enterprise; 8 / 8 on Pro | 3XL tier: 16 cores, 32 GiB memory, 320 GiB disk |
| Concurrency | 1 / 5 / 20 / 30 concurrent sandboxes on Free / Beginner / Pro / Enterprise; paused sandboxes count | Bursts to thousands of concurrent sandboxes (vendor-stated); no numeric quota published |
| Session length | No cap; optional idle auto-pause from 60 s to 24 h, off by default | No maximum published; governed by auto-suspend and auto-delete policies |
| Billing | Per second while running: $0.03616363 per vCPU-hour, $0.01159025 per GiB-hour | Per second at Consumption rates: $0.000024 per active vCPU-second, $0.000003 per GiB-second (East US) |
| SDKs and interfaces | TypeScript, Go, Python, Rust, C#, Java (all but TypeScript pre-1.0), CLI, REST and an MCP server with create, exec and destroy tools | Python SDK, REST data-plane API, Container Apps CLI and Sandboxes portal |
Common Questions
Is Azure Container Apps Sandboxes generally available?
No. Microsoft's Learn overview page labels it preview, and an early-access GitHub doc still calls it Early Access. Microsoft has not published a supported region list or an egress default for it, so check both before you build on it.
Can Azure Container Apps Sandboxes clone a running sandbox?
Yes. Azure creates new sandboxes from a snapshot of a running sandbox, with CPU, memory and disk fixed to the snapshot's values. CreateOS forks only from a paused sandbox; the source stays paused and each child gets its own id, IP and bandwidth ledger.
Which costs less to keep paused, Azure Container Apps Sandboxes or CreateOS?
Azure, on its published terms. Microsoft says there is no CPU or memory charge while a sandbox is stopped. A paused CreateOS sandbox stops vCPU billing but still bills memory and storage, and it counts toward the plan's concurrency cap.
How large can an Azure Container Apps sandbox get compared with CreateOS?
Azure's 3XL tier gives 16 cores, 32 GiB of memory and 320 GiB of disk. CreateOS goes to 8 vCPU / 16 GB on Enterprise and 8 vCPU / 8 GB on Pro, with a 60 GiB disk maximum on Enterprise.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026.
See CreateOS Sandbox for yourself
Book a demo, or explore the Sandbox and its pricing.