Apify AI Code Sandbox vs DigitalOcean MicroVMs

Apify AI Code Sandbox bills memory only, at $0.20 per GiB-hour. DigitalOcean MicroVMs costs $0.022 per vCPU-hour. Apify AI Code Sandbox runs containers and has no session limit. DigitalOcean MicroVMs runs Firecracker microVMs.

Updated Oct 23, 2026

Apify AI Code Sandbox

Apify Actor that runs AI-generated code in an isolated container, with MCP, REST API and shell access.

Isolation: Container
Free tier: $5 of usage every month
Max session: No limit

Visit site Apify AI Code Sandbox profile

DigitalOcean MicroVMs

Lightweight virtual machines that run a container image in their own kernel and pause when idle.

Isolation: Firecracker microVM
Free tier: Not listed
Max session: Not listed

Visit site DigitalOcean MicroVMs profile

What is different

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

Field

Apify AI Code Sandbox

DigitalOcean MicroVMs

vCPU, per hour: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Included; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: $0.022
RAM, per GiB-hour: Apify AI Code Sandbox: $0.20; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: $0.0085
Storage: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Disk in the run is part of the compute price. The workspace backup goes to a key-value store at $1 per 1,000 GB-hours, plus reads and writes. Data transfer out $0.20 per GB; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: $0.05 per GiB per month, charged when running or paused. Checkpoints are charged until deleted.
Billing: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Memory only; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Per second
Idle stop: Apify AI Code Sandbox: After 15 minutes; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: After 5 minutes
Isolation: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Container; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Firecracker microVM

Full comparison

18 fields, at each provider's list price

Apify AI Code Sandboxapify.com/pricing

DigitalOcean MicroVMsdocs.digitalocean.com/products/microvms/details/pricingdocs.digitalocean.com

Pricing

vCPU, per hour: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Included; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: $0.022
RAM, per GiB-hour: Apify AI Code Sandbox: $0.20; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: $0.0085
Storage: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Disk in the run is part of the compute price. The workspace backup goes to a key-value store at $1 per 1,000 GB-hours, plus reads and writes. Data transfer out $0.20 per GB; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: $0.05 per GiB per month, charged when running or paused. Checkpoints are charged until deleted.
Free tier: Apify AI Code Sandbox: $5 of usage every month; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Not listed
Paid plan from: Apify AI Code Sandbox: $19 / month; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Not listed
Billing: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Memory only; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Per second

Limits

Max session: Apify AI Code Sandbox: No limit; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Not listed
Idle stop: Apify AI Code Sandbox: After 15 minutes; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: After 5 minutes
Largest sandbox: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Not listed; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: 16 vCPU · 32 GiB
Concurrent sandboxes: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Up to 256; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Not listed

Platform

Isolation: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Container; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Firecracker microVM
GPU: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Not listed; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Not listed
Snapshots: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Not listed; DigitalOcean MicroVMs:
Pause and resume: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Not listed; DigitalOcean MicroVMs:

Developer

SDKs: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Python, JavaScript / TypeScript; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Not listed
Integrations: Apify AI Code Sandbox: MCP, Claude Code; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Not listed

Trust

License: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Not listed; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Not listed
BYOC: Apify AI Code Sandbox: Not listed; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: Not listed

Hourly cost

One sandbox running for one hour

Size

Apify AI Code Sandbox

DigitalOcean MicroVMs

1 vCPU · 2 GiB: Apify AI Code Sandbox: $0.400; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: $0.039
2 vCPU · 4 GiB: Apify AI Code Sandbox: $0.800; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: $0.078
4 vCPU · 8 GiB: Apify AI Code Sandbox: $1.600; DigitalOcean MicroVMs: $0.156

Compute only, at list rates.

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Which one fits

Based on the fields above

Apify AI Code Sandbox fits when

You use MCP or Claude Code.
You want one rate for memory, with CPU included.
You need SOC 2 Type II and GDPR.

DigitalOcean MicroVMs fits when

You want each sandbox in its own microVM.
You want the lower list price: $0.078 against $0.800 an hour for 2 vCPU and 4 GiB.
You need snapshots.
You need pause and resume.

More comparisons

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Apify AI Code Sandbox

DigitalOcean MicroVMs

What is different

Full comparison

Pricing

Limits

Platform

Developer

Trust

Hourly cost

Which one fits

Apify AI Code Sandbox fits when

DigitalOcean MicroVMs fits when

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