CreateOS Sandbox vs WarpBuild
WarpBuild is a strong pick for GitHub Actions users who want cheaper runners, very large Docker builders, reusable VM snapshots or runners inside their own cloud account. CreateOS Sandbox is for agents that call an API for a machine, keep it as long as they need and fork it from a paused state. WarpBuild snapshots expire after 15 days; a paused CreateOS sandbox stays until you destroy it.
Pricing at a Glance
CreateOS rates verified 17 October 2026. WarpBuild 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
WarpBuild
- Compute
- $0.1200 /vCPU-hr
- Memory
- See below
WarpBuild Linux x86-64 runners cost $0.004/min (2 vCPU/8 GB) to $0.064/min (32 vCPU/128 GB), Docker builders $0.06 to $0.88/min, and BYOC $0.002/min; snapshot restore is $0.04 per job, as of 17 October 2026.
Where CreateOS Sandbox Fits Better
What CreateOS Sandbox brings to this matchup, with a plain note on where WarpBuild has the edge.
A sandbox API you can call from any agent; WarpBuild runners are reachable only as GitHub Actions jobs.
Paused state has no 15-day expiry, and you can fork from it directly.
A lower published vCPU rate: $0.03616363 per vCPU-hour against WarpBuild's $0.12 on Linux x86-64, with memory billed separately on CreateOS.
Where WarpBuild is strong
VM snapshots for CI: a prepared runner state can be reused across runs, and BYOC runs runners in your own AWS, GCP or Azure account for $0.002 per minute.
Which to Pick
Pick CreateOS Sandbox if
- Your agent needs a machine outside GitHub Actions
- Saved state must last longer than 15 days
- You need inbound HTTPS to the running machine
Pick WarpBuild if
- You want cheaper GitHub Actions runners or Docker builders up to 192 vCPU
- You want runners inside your own AWS, GCP or Azure account
- You want to reuse a warmed runner snapshot across CI runs
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 | WarpBuild |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | API-created sandboxes for agent-written and untrusted code | Faster, cheaper GitHub Actions runners and Docker builders |
| Isolation | Firecracker micro-VM with its own guest kernel | Ephemeral VMs with VM-level isolation (vendor-stated) |
| Trigger model | API, SDK, CLI or MCP call, on demand | GitHub Actions runs-on labels |
| Session length | No cap; optional idle auto-pause from 60 s to 24 h, off by default | Not published; follows GitHub Actions job limits |
| Pause and resume | Yes. Saves disk, memory and CPU state; vCPU stops billing while paused, memory and storage still bill | Snapshot runners: snapshot a VM mid-workflow and reuse it; deleted after 15 days (WarpBuild Cloud Ubuntu only) |
| 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; Tailscale networking add-on free |
| 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 minute by runner size; BYOC flat $0.002/min |
Common Questions
How long do WarpBuild snapshots last?
Fifteen days. WarpBuild deletes snapshots after 15 days, snapshot runners are for WarpBuild Cloud Ubuntu only, storage costs $0.025 per hour per snapshot and restore $0.04 per job. A paused CreateOS sandbox stays until you destroy it, with memory and storage billed meanwhile.
Can WarpBuild runners run in my own cloud?
Yes. WarpBuild BYOC runs runners in your AWS, GCP or Azure account for $0.002 per minute. CreateOS BYOC is for Enterprise customers only and is set up by the CreateOS team as part of self-hosting.
Can I SSH into a WarpBuild runner?
WarpBuild's Action-debugger offers SSH into running workflows; runners otherwise take no inbound traffic. CreateOS sandboxes provide API-authenticated shell and tunnels, an SSH gateway for attached keys and an opt-in public HTTPS URL.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026.
See CreateOS Sandbox for yourself
Book a demo, or explore the Sandbox and its pricing.