CreateOS Sandbox vs Linode (Akamai Cloud Computing)
Linode is the stronger choice for a durable Linux server or GPU box you manage end to end at a flat, predictable price. CreateOS Sandbox is the stronger choice when code creates environments on demand: a micro-VM per task, billed per second, paused with memory or forked. On Linode, isolation, networking and cleanup for each environment are yours to build.
Linode is now sold as Akamai Cloud Computing; linode.com pricing pages redirect to akamai.com.
Pricing at a Glance
CreateOS rates verified 17 October 2026. Linode (Akamai Cloud Computing) 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
Linode (Akamai Cloud Computing)
Akamai lists the Nanode 1 GB (1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB, 1 TB transfer) at $5.00/month or $0.0075/hour, with egress overage at $0.005 per GB, as of 17 October 2026.
Where CreateOS Sandbox Fits Better
What CreateOS Sandbox brings to this matchup, with a plain note on where Linode (Akamai Cloud Computing) has the edge.
Per-second charges on CreateOS; Linode bills hourly up to a monthly cap.
Memory-state pause and fork, where a Linode backup restores only a disk-level copy to a new Linode, without memory or running processes.
A paused CreateOS sandbox stops vCPU billing; Akamai's docs say charges accrue on Linode services even when powered off.
Where Linode (Akamai Cloud Computing) is strong
Simple, predictable VM pricing with a monthly cap, a cheap $0.005/GB egress overage, and shapes from a $5 Nanode to 256-vCPU dedicated machines, plus several NVIDIA GPU types.
Which to Pick
Pick CreateOS Sandbox if
- Each agent task should get a clean, isolated machine that disappears afterwards.
- You want to keep a task's memory state while it waits and resume later.
- You want an egress allowlist by hostname without attaching a separate firewall.
Pick Linode (Akamai Cloud Computing) if
- You want an always-on server for a web app, database or game server at a fixed monthly price.
- You need a very large machine, up to 256 vCPUs and 512 GB RAM.
- You need GPUs such as RTX 4000 Ada or RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell.
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 | Linode (Akamai Cloud Computing) |
|---|---|---|
| Isolation | Firecracker micro-VM with its own guest kernel | Full VM (KVM-based) |
| Create and destroy by API | Yes: REST API, CLI, MCP server and SDKs for TypeScript, Go, Python, Rust, C# and Java (all but TypeScript pre-1.0) | Yes: REST API v4, linode-cli, Terraform provider, API client libraries |
| Memory snapshot (pause and resume) | Yes: disk, memory and CPU state saved; vCPU stops billing, memory and storage still bill | Not documented; paid Backups add-on takes disk snapshots |
| Fork | Yes: fork a paused sandbox into many independent sandboxes | No live fork; a backup restores to a new Linode as a disk-level copy |
| Outbound network controls | Open with no rules; deny-by-default once any host, IP, CIDR or wildcard rule exists, enforced on the host outside the VM | With a Cloud Firewall: outbound Accept, inbound Drop by default, rules by port and IP. Without one: not stated |
| Billing granularity | Per second while running: $0.03616363/vCPU-hr, $0.01159025/GiB-hr, storage $0.0001584/GB-hr | Hourly, capped at the monthly price (G8 dedicated and GPU plans hourly only) |
| Largest size | 8 vCPU / 16 GB on Enterprise; 8 vCPU / 8 GB on Pro | G8 Dedicated 512x256: 256 vCPUs, 512 GB RAM |
| GPU | None; no GPU shapes | Yes: RTX 4000 Ada, RTX 6000, RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, HGX B300 (contact sales) |
Common Questions
Is Linode the same thing as Akamai Cloud Computing?
Yes. Linode is now Akamai's cloud computing service, and linode.com/pricing redirects to akamai.com/cloud/pricing. Akamai's ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate is scoped to cloud computing services, also known as Linode (vendor-stated).
Does a powered-off Linode still cost money?
Yes. Akamai's billing docs state charges accrue for any service on the account even when it is powered off. A paused CreateOS sandbox stops vCPU charges, though its memory and storage still bill until you resume or destroy it.
How does Linode's egress pricing compare with CreateOS?
Linode charges $0.005 per GB over the transfer bundled with older plans, and G8 dedicated and GPU plans bundle none. CreateOS has no per-GB egress fee; each sandbox has a 50 GiB outbound budget by default and needs a credit recharge after that.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026.
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): billing model, trial credit, transfer bundling
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): plan prices, max shape, egress overage
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): GPU types and price
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): firewall default policies
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): persistence, backups, restore to new Linode
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): compliance
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): compliance
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): regions
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): distributed regions
- Akamai Cloud (Linode): hourly billing, monthly cap, powered-off billing
- CreateOS Sandbox pricing
- CreateOS pause, resume and fork
- CreateOS Sandbox limits
See CreateOS Sandbox for yourself
Book a demo, or explore the Sandbox and its pricing.