CreateOS Sandbox vs Kernel
Kernel is the stronger pick for bursty browser agents: every browser gets its own unikernel VM, standby stops billing 5 s after the last client disconnects, and GPU rendering is available on higher plans. CreateOS Sandbox is the better fit when the agent needs a general Linux machine to run code, with egress allowlists and fork.
Pricing at a Glance
CreateOS rates verified 17 October 2026. Kernel 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
Kernel
Kernel charges $0.0000166667 per GB-second of browser memory with no charge for idle time or proxies, on plans from Free ($5/month credits) to Start-up at $200/month; GPU browsers are priced separately, as of 17 October 2026.
Where CreateOS Sandbox Fits Better
What CreateOS Sandbox brings to this matchup, with a plain note on where Kernel has the edge.
A general Linux machine: devbox:1 ships Python 3.12, Node.js 24, Go, Rust and Docker for agent-written code.
Egress allowlist by host, IP, CIDR or wildcard, enforced on the host outside the VM; Kernel publishes no outbound controls.
Fork a paused sandbox into many independent copies; Kernel publishes no fork feature.
Where Kernel is strong
Each browser runs in its own unikernel VM, creation is vendor-stated at about 30 ms p50, and standby stops billing 5 s after clients disconnect, which suits agents that browse in short bursts. GPU rendering is available for headful browsers on Start-Up and Enterprise.
Which to Pick
Pick CreateOS Sandbox if
- The agent needs a shell, package installs and long-running processes, not only a browser.
- You must restrict outbound traffic to named hosts or CIDRs.
- You want to fork a paused environment into parallel copies.
Pick Kernel if
- Your agents open many short browser sessions and you want idle time to cost nothing.
- You need GPU-accelerated headful browsers.
- You want to host the agent code next to the browsers on one platform.
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 | Kernel |
|---|---|---|
| What you get (browser vs full Linux machine) | Full Linux micro-VM; the desktop:1 image adds an XFCE desktop, Google Chrome and a computer-use API | Browser in a unikernel VM, plus app hosting for agent code |
| Isolation | Firecracker micro-VM with its own guest kernel, root filesystem and network identity | Unikernel VM per browser; VM runtime hypeman supports Cloud Hypervisor, Firecracker and QEMU |
| Session length | No lifetime cap; optional idle auto-pause from 60 s to 24 h, off by default | Timeout starts once in standby: default 60 s, max 72 hours |
| Run arbitrary code | Yes: exec, shell, files and managed processes; devbox:1 ships Python 3.12, Node.js 24, Go, Rust and Docker | Apps deployed for agent actions; general shell environment not published |
| Outbound network | Open with no rules; deny-by-default once any host, IP, CIDR or wildcard rule exists, enforced on the host outside the VM | Open web with proxies included; allowlist controls not published |
| Billing | Per second: $0.03616363/vCPU-hr, $0.01159025/GiB-hr, storage $0.0001584/GB-hr; no per-GB egress price, 50 GiB bandwidth budget per sandbox | $0.0000166667 per GB-second of browser memory, no idle or proxy charges, plus plan (Free $0 to Start-up $200/mo) |
| Pause and resume | Pause saves disk, memory and CPU state; vCPU stops billing, memory and storage still bill | Standby keeps browser state and stops cost 5 s after the last client disconnects; no standby with GPU |
| Interfaces | SDKs in TypeScript, Go, Python, Rust, C# and Java (all but TypeScript pre-1.0), CLI, MCP server, REST API | TypeScript and Python SDKs, Kernel CLI, MCP server, REST API, CDP and WebDriver BiDi |
Common Questions
Does Kernel bill while a browser is idle?
No. Kernel says browsers in standby stop accruing cost 5 seconds after the last client disconnects, and its pricing lists no charge for idle time. A paused CreateOS sandbox stops vCPU billing but still bills memory and storage.
Are Kernel browsers isolated in VMs like CreateOS sandboxes?
Yes, both use virtual machines. Kernel runs each browser in a unikernel VM on its hypeman runtime, which supports Cloud Hypervisor, Firecracker and QEMU. CreateOS runs each sandbox in a Firecracker micro-VM with its own guest kernel, root filesystem and network identity.
Can I get a GPU on Kernel or CreateOS?
Kernel offers GPU-accelerated rendering for headful browsers on Start-Up and Enterprise, priced separately, and GPU browsers cannot use standby. CreateOS Sandbox offers no GPU shapes, so pick Kernel when browser rendering needs a GPU.
Which regions do Kernel and CreateOS run in?
Kernel lists us-east, eu-west and ap-southeast, with region choice on Start-Up and Enterprise only. CreateOS Sandbox runs in two managed regions, eu and us, set with the region field when a sandbox is created.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026.
See CreateOS Sandbox for yourself
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