Anthropic Code Execution vs Shellbox

Anthropic Code Execution costs $0.05 per vCPU-hour and Shellbox costs $0.01 per vCPU-hour. Anthropic Code Execution runs containers. Shellbox runs Firecracker microVMs and has no session limit.

Updated Oct 23, 2026

Anthropic Code Execution

Sandboxed Python and bash containers that Claude runs through the Anthropic API.

Isolation: Container
Free tier: 1,550 free hours per month
Max session: Not listed

Visit site Anthropic Code Execution profile

Shellbox

Linux microVMs for developers and AI agents, made and controlled over SSH.

Isolation: Firecracker microVM
Free tier: Not listed
Max session: No limit

Visit site Shellbox profile

What is different

3 fields differ. The rest are the same or not listed.

Field

Anthropic Code Execution

Shellbox

vCPU, per hour: Anthropic Code Execution: $0.05; Shellbox: $0.01
Largest sandbox: Anthropic Code Execution: 1 vCPU · 5 GiB; Shellbox: 16 vCPU · 32 GiB
Isolation: Anthropic Code Execution: Container; Shellbox: Firecracker microVM

Full comparison

18 fields, at each provider's list price

Anthropic Code Executionplatform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/pricingplatform.claude.com

Shellboxshellbox.dev/#pricingshellbox.dev

Pricing

vCPU, per hour: Anthropic Code Execution: $0.05; Shellbox: $0.01
RAM, per GiB-hour: Anthropic Code Execution: Included; Shellbox: Included
Storage: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox: A stopped box costs $0.50 per x1 slot per month
Free tier: Anthropic Code Execution: 1,550 free hours per month; Shellbox: Not listed
Paid plan from: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox: Pay as you go
Billing: Anthropic Code Execution: Bundled machine time; Shellbox: Bundled machine time

Limits

Max session: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox: No limit
Idle stop: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox: After 2 minutes
Largest sandbox: Anthropic Code Execution: 1 vCPU · 5 GiB; Shellbox: 16 vCPU · 32 GiB
Concurrent sandboxes: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox: Up to 16

Platform

Isolation: Anthropic Code Execution: Container; Shellbox: Firecracker microVM
GPU: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox: Not listed
Snapshots: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox:
Pause and resume: Anthropic Code Execution:; Shellbox:

Developer

SDKs: Anthropic Code Execution: Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, Ruby; Shellbox: Not listed
Integrations: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox: Claude Code

Trust

License: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox: Not listed
BYOC: Anthropic Code Execution: Not listed; Shellbox: Not listed

Hourly cost

One sandbox running for one hour

Size

Anthropic Code Execution

Shellbox

1 vCPU · 2 GiB: Anthropic Code Execution: $0.050; Shellbox: $0.010
2 vCPU · 4 GiB: Anthropic Code Execution: $0.100; Shellbox: $0.020
4 vCPU · 8 GiB: Anthropic Code Execution: $0.200; Shellbox: $0.040

Compute only, at list rates.

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Which one fits

Based on the fields above

Anthropic Code Execution fits when

You need SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.

Shellbox fits when

You want each sandbox in its own microVM.
You use Claude Code.
You want the lower list price: $0.020 against $0.100 an hour for 2 vCPU and 4 GiB.
You need snapshots.

More comparisons

See all comparisons

Anthropic Code Execution

Shellbox

What is different

Full comparison

Pricing

Limits

Platform

Developer

Trust

Hourly cost

Which one fits

Anthropic Code Execution fits when

Shellbox fits when

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