CreateOS Sandbox vs Perplexity Sandbox (SPACE)
CreateOS Sandbox is an isolated, benchmarked runtime priced at the E2B/Daytona reference rate. Perplexity Sandbox (SPACE): SPACE is the Firecracker-based runtime behind Perplexity Computer; developers reach it as a Python and bash sandbox tool inside the Agent API, with a standalone Sandbox API on the roadmap.
Pricing at a Glance
Compute and memory rates, verified June 2026. On total cost, CreateOS Sandbox adds no egress fees and pause to zero with your state kept.
CreateOS Sandbox
Best total cost- Compute
- $0.0504 /vCPU-hr
- Memory
- $0.0162 /GiB-hr
Perplexity Sandbox (SPACE)
- Compute
- Usage-based
- Memory
- Usage-based
Why Teams Choose CreateOS Sandbox
What CreateOS Sandbox does that Perplexity Sandbox (SPACE) does not, with an honest note on where Perplexity Sandbox (SPACE) still has the edge.
A sandbox you call directly: REST, TypeScript, Go and Python SDKs, a CLI and an MCP server. Perplexity's sandbox is a tool the model decides to invoke inside an Agent API request; the standalone Sandbox API is listed as upcoming on their roadmap (September 2026).
Any root filesystem, including a full desktop with Chrome and a computer-use API. Perplexity's developer-facing sandbox runs Python and bash in a Linux container.
Deny-by-default egress once a rule exists, enforced in the host kernel outside the VM. Perplexity's sandbox tool docs state the container has network access; no allowlist is documented.
Pause, resume and fork exposed as API calls on a running microVM, plus private sandbox-to-sandbox networks and S3-backed disks. Perplexity describes pause, resume and branching for sessions inside its own products.
Self-host the control plane and storage in your VPC or on-prem. SPACE runs inside Perplexity.
Where Perplexity Sandbox (SPACE) is strong
Scale proven in production (Perplexity reports millions of sandbox creations in launch week and 100% of Computer sessions on SPACE), self-reported 60 ms median and 89 ms p90 creation inside their infrastructure, credentials injected at the network layer so secrets never enter the sandbox, and a flat $0.03 per 20-minute session that is simple to budget for short jobs.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Every dimension side by side. Rates verified June 2026; isolation, egress defaults, concurrency, session length, timeout behaviour, SDKs and preinstalled packages verified 7 September 2026 against each vendor's own docs and pricing pages.
| Dimension | CreateOS Sandbox | Perplexity Sandbox (SPACE) |
|---|---|---|
| Isolation | Firecracker micro-VM, own guest kernel | Firecracker microVM internally (SPACE); developer-facing sandbox tool documented as an isolated Linux container |
| How you call it | REST, TypeScript/Go/Python SDKs, CLI, MCP | Tool inside Agent API requests; the model decides when to run code; standalone Sandbox API upcoming |
| Runtimes | Any image: Alpine, Debian, Ubuntu, devbox, desktop with Chrome; bring a Dockerfile | Python and bash |
| Pricing | $0.0504/vCPU-hr + $0.0162/GiB-hr, per second; 1 vCPU / 1 GB for 20 min ≈ $0.022 | $0.03 per session (≤ 20-minute billing window) + tokens; $0.0025 per search from inside the sandbox |
| Egress control | Kernel-level allowlist; deny-by-default with any rule | Container has network access; no allowlist documented |
| Pause / resume / fork | API calls on a running sandbox; fork copies diverged state | Sessions pause, resume and branch inside Perplexity products; Sandbox API roadmap lists pause/resume |
| Computer use | desktop:1 image + Computer API (screenshot, mouse, keyboard, noVNC) | Perplexity Computer is a product, not an API surface for your agents |
| Self-host | Control plane + BYOS3 in your VPC or on-prem | Runs inside Perplexity |
| Creation latency | 0.18 s median TTI, 100% success, ComputeSDK burst benchmark 11 Sep 2026 (rank 2 of 29); 31 ms to 2.3 s spawn_ms observed over the public API | 60 ms median, 89 ms p90, self-reported, measured inside Perplexity; not on any third-party benchmark |
Common Questions
Is Perplexity's Sandbox API a CreateOS Sandbox alternative?
Not yet as a direct call. As of September 2026 Perplexity's sandbox is a tool the model invokes inside an Agent API request, running Python and bash in a container for $0.03 per 20-minute session; the standalone Sandbox API is on their roadmap. CreateOS Sandbox is a microVM you create, exec into, pause, fork and destroy yourself over REST, SDKs, CLI or MCP, with any image.
Is SPACE faster than CreateOS Sandbox?
Perplexity reports 60 ms median and 89 ms p90 sandbox creation, measured inside its own infrastructure and not exposed to developers as a raw create call. CreateOS measured 0.18 s median time-to-interactive at 100% success on ComputeSDK's public burst benchmark on 11 September 2026, and 31 ms to 2.3 s spawn_ms over the public API depending on warm pool. The two numbers are not the same measurement; SPACE is not on any third-party benchmark we can cite.
Which is cheaper?
For a short job they are close: Perplexity charges $0.03 per session up to 20 minutes plus model tokens; a 1 vCPU / 1 GB CreateOS sandbox for 20 minutes is about $0.022 with no token charge, billed per second, and pausing stops compute billing. For long-running or larger sandboxes CreateOS bills only the seconds and resources used.
See CreateOS Sandbox for yourself
Book a demo, or explore the Sandbox and its pricing.