CreateOS Sandbox vs Bitrise
Bitrise is the clear pick for iOS and Android teams that need Apple-silicon macOS builds, code signing and release tooling. CreateOS Sandbox is the pick for running general agent code on Linux, started by an API call and kept alive as long as the session needs. CreateOS images are Linux only, so mobile builds belong on Bitrise.
Pricing at a Glance
CreateOS rates verified 17 October 2026. Bitrise 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
Bitrise
Bitrise Hobby is free with 300 credits/month, Starter starts at $89/month and Pro at $200/month (annual); machines cost $0.0022/min (Linux 2 vCPU/8 GB) to $0.0528/min (Linux 48 vCPU/192 GB) and $0.0072 to $0.0293/min on macOS, as of 17 October 2026.
Where CreateOS Sandbox Fits Better
What CreateOS Sandbox brings to this matchup, with a plain note on where Bitrise has the edge.
Created on demand by API, with a shell, file transfer and tunnels; Bitrise publishes no API for ad-hoc isolated environments.
No session cap, where Bitrise builds stop at 90 minutes to 4 hours by plan.
Pause and resume with memory intact. Bitrise keeps nothing between builds except the Build Cache.
Where Bitrise is strong
Purpose-built for mobile. Apple-silicon macOS machines, code signing management, release management and CodePush come in one service.
Which to Pick
Pick CreateOS Sandbox if
- Your agent runs general Linux code, not mobile builds
- Tasks need to run longer than 4 hours
- You need inbound access to the running environment
Pick Bitrise if
- You ship iOS or Android apps and need macOS builds
- You want code signing and store release handled for you
- You want hosted GitHub Actions runners from the same vendor
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 | Bitrise |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | On-demand execution of agent and untrusted code | Building, testing, signing and releasing mobile apps |
| Isolation | Firecracker micro-VM with its own guest kernel | VM per build (vendor-stated); hypervisor not published |
| Trigger model | API, SDK, CLI or MCP call, on demand | Workflow runs defined in bitrise.yml; REST API |
| Session length | No cap; optional idle auto-pause from 60 s to 24 h, off by default | 90 min (Hobby), 210 min (Starter, Pro), up to 4 hours (Enterprise) |
| Pause and resume | Yes. Saves disk, memory and CPU state; vCPU stops billing while paused, memory and storage still bill | No pause or resume; only the Build Cache persists between builds |
| 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 |
| 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 plan plus per-minute machine rates |
Common Questions
Does Bitrise offer remote development environments?
Yes. Bitrise sells Remote Dev Environments from $18 per month, run as separate VMs with monthly minute allowances. CreateOS sandboxes bill per second instead, with no monthly minute allowance, and can pause when nobody is using them.
What is the largest Bitrise machine?
On Linux, the 7XL with 48 vCPU / 192 GB at $0.0528 per minute; on macOS, the M4 Pro X Large with 14 CPU / 54 GB. The largest CreateOS sandbox is 8 vCPU / 16 GB on Enterprise.
Can I run Bitrise builds on my own machines?
Yes. Bitrise Runners can be self-hosted, and Bitrise on AWS keeps code in your AWS account. CreateOS self-hosting and BYOC are Enterprise-only and are set up by the CreateOS team rather than installed by you.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026.
See CreateOS Sandbox for yourself
Book a demo, or explore the Sandbox and its pricing.