CreateOS Sandbox vs Codemagic
Codemagic is the better fit for mobile teams, Flutter especially, that want macOS builds, code signing and store publishing with little setup, or a fixed yearly price. CreateOS Sandbox is the better fit for running general code from an agent on Linux, on demand and for as long as needed. The two rarely compete for the same job.
Pricing at a Glance
CreateOS rates verified 17 October 2026. Codemagic 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
Codemagic
Codemagic pay as you go costs $0.095/min on Mac mini M2, $0.114/min on M4 and $0.045/min on Linux and Windows after 500 free minutes; fixed-price plans run $3,990 to $9,000 per year with unlimited minutes, as of 17 October 2026.
Where CreateOS Sandbox Fits Better
What CreateOS Sandbox brings to this matchup, with a plain note on where Codemagic has the edge.
An API for interactive environments: REST, SDKs, a CLI and MCP. Codemagic publishes no API for ad-hoc environments.
Up to 20 concurrent sandboxes on Pro and 30 on Enterprise, against Codemagic's 1 to 3 by default.
No 120-minute build ceiling; a sandbox stays up until you end it.
Where Codemagic is strong
Mobile-first defaults. Flutter and React Native support, code signing and store publishing work with little setup, and a fixed-price plan removes per-minute billing.
Which to Pick
Pick CreateOS Sandbox if
- Your agent runs Linux code that is not a mobile build
- You need more than three environments at once
- Runs last longer than two hours
Pick Codemagic if
- You ship Flutter or React Native apps to the App Store and Google Play
- You want unlimited build minutes for a fixed yearly price
- You need Mac mini M2 or M4 build machines
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 | Codemagic |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | API-created sandboxes for agent-written and untrusted code | Building, testing, signing and publishing mobile apps |
| Isolation | Firecracker micro-VM with its own guest kernel | Not published on the pages consulted |
| Trigger model | API, SDK, CLI or MCP call, on demand | codemagic.yaml workflows or the Workflow Editor; REST API |
| Session length | No cap; optional idle auto-pause from 60 s to 24 h, off by default | 120 minutes max (Free, Pay as you go, Fixed price); custom on Enterprise |
| Pause and resume | Yes. Saves disk, memory and CPU state; vCPU stops billing while paused, memory and storage still bill | Not published; nothing persists between builds except configured caching |
| 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; dedicated network on Enterprise |
| 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) | Per build-minute, or a fixed annual price with unlimited minutes |
Common Questions
How many builds can Codemagic run at once?
One on Free, one on pay as you go with up to three through $49-per-month add-ons, three on fixed price, and custom on Enterprise. CreateOS allows 1, 5, 20 or 30 concurrent sandboxes depending on plan.
Does Codemagic have a flat-price option?
Yes. Fixed-price plans cost $3,990 a year on Mac mini M2, $5,400 on M4 and $9,000 on M4 Max, with unlimited minutes and three concurrent builds. CreateOS has no flat compute price; it bills sandbox compute per second at the same rates on every plan.
Can Codemagic preview a mobile app for reviewers?
Yes. Codemagic's Mobile App Preview streams apps for review, while builds take no inbound connections. CreateOS sandboxes can expose an opt-in public HTTPS URL, which suits web previews from a running Linux machine rather than mobile apps.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026.
See CreateOS Sandbox for yourself
Book a demo, or explore the Sandbox and its pricing.