CreateOS Sandbox vs Namespace
Choose Namespace when you want fast CI runners, Docker builds and macOS or Windows machines on one account with a mature egress policy engine. Choose CreateOS Sandbox when agent sessions run for days, need to pause with their memory intact, or need to fork into parallel copies.
Pricing at a Glance
CreateOS rates verified 17 October 2026. Namespace 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
Namespace
- Compute
- $0.0600 /vCPU-hr
- Memory
- See below
Namespace Linux compute is $0.001 per minute prepaid for 1 vCPU / 2 GB ($0.0015 overage), scaling linearly, with 15-second rounding and a 1-minute minimum, and Devbox minutes at $0.004 each, as of 17 October 2026.
Where CreateOS Sandbox Fits Better
What CreateOS Sandbox brings to this matchup, with a plain note on where Namespace has the edge.
No session cap: a sandbox runs until you stop it, where Namespace instances stop at 3, 5 or up to 24 hours by plan.
Pause captures memory and CPU state, and fork turns one paused sandbox into many; Namespace documents neither.
Python, Rust, C# and Java SDKs (pre-1.0) next to TypeScript and Go; Namespace ships TypeScript and Go.
Where Namespace is strong
Namespace runs mature, fast CI and build infrastructure across Linux, macOS and Windows, with a real domain-level egress engine (allowlists, secret injection, block or advisory mode, logs) and SOC 2 Type II (vendor-stated). Shapes reach 64 vCPU / 512 GB.
Which to Pick
Pick CreateOS Sandbox if
- Agent sessions run longer than your Namespace plan's instance cap.
- You want to snapshot a running environment with its memory and resume or fork it later.
- Your agent code is written in Python, Rust, C# or Java.
Pick Namespace if
- You want faster GitHub Actions runners and remote Docker builds on the same account as your Devboxes.
- You need macOS or Windows machines.
- You want egress logs, deep packet inspection or secret injection at the network layer.
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 | Namespace |
|---|---|---|
| Isolation | Firecracker micro-VM with its own guest kernel | Not published; docs say customer environments are fully isolated |
| What persists | Disk stays until you destroy the sandbox; pause also saves memory and CPU state | Devbox files survive stop and start; persistent volumes with snapshots; no memory snapshot documented |
| Create by API | Yes: REST API, six SDKs (TypeScript, Go, Python, Rust, C#, Java), CLI and MCP server | Yes: public API, TypeScript and Go SDKs, nsc and devbox CLIs |
| 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 | Egress policies with ALLOW and INJECT rules, BLOCK or ADVISORY mode, managed rulesets and logs; default with no policy not stated |
| Largest size | 8 vCPU / 16 GB on Enterprise; 8 / 8 on Pro, 4 / 4 on Beginner, 1 / 1 on Free | 64 vCPU / 512 GB Linux shape; more than 64 GB needs special access |
| Billing | Per second: $0.03616363 per vCPU-hour, $0.01159025 per GiB-hour, storage $0.0001584 per GB-hour | Per minute, 15-second rounding, 1-minute minimum; $0.001/min for 1 vCPU / 2 GB prepaid |
| Self-host | Enterprise only, onboarded by our team | Not published (hosted; federation with your cloud documented) |
| Built for | Sandboxes created by API for agent and untrusted code | CI runners, Docker builds and Devboxes for people and coding agents |
Common Questions
How long can a Namespace instance run?
Namespace caps instance duration at 3 hours on Developer, 5 hours on Team and up to 24 hours on Business or Enterprise, and Devboxes shut down after 15 idle minutes by default. CreateOS sandboxes have no lifetime cap; idle auto-pause is optional and off by default.
Does Namespace egress control compare to CreateOS egress rules?
Namespace's egress engine is richer: it adds secret injection, advisory mode, managed rulesets, deep packet inspection and egress logs. CreateOS offers an allowlist by host, IP, CIDR or wildcard that switches a sandbox to deny-by-default and is enforced on the host outside the VM.
Can Namespace pause a Devbox with its memory like CreateOS?
Namespace documents Devbox files surviving stop and start, plus volume snapshots, but no memory snapshot. CreateOS pause stores disk, the full RAM image and CPU registers, so running processes continue after resume, and you can fork the paused sandbox into new copies.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026.
See CreateOS Sandbox for yourself
Book a demo, or explore the Sandbox and its pricing.