Apify AI Code Sandbox vs InstaVM

Apify AI Code Sandbox bills memory only, at $0.20 per GiB-hour. InstaVM costs $0.0504 per vCPU-hour. Apify AI Code Sandbox runs containers and has no session limit. InstaVM runs Firecracker microVMs.

Updated

Apify AI Code Sandbox

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

InstaVM

Isolation
Firecracker microVM
Free tier
$50 credit
Max session
Not listed

What is different

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

Apify AI Code Sandbox
InstaVM
vCPU, per hour
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Included
InstaVM: $0.0504
RAM, per GiB-hour
Apify AI Code Sandbox: $0.20
InstaVM: $0.0162
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
InstaVM: $0.0002 per GiB-hour after 10 free GiB
Free tier
Apify AI Code Sandbox: $5 of usage every month
InstaVM: $50 credit
Paid plan from
Apify AI Code Sandbox: $19 / month
InstaVM: $100 / month
Billing
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Memory only
InstaVM: Per second
Concurrent sandboxes
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Up to 256
InstaVM: Up to 100
Isolation
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Container
InstaVM: Firecracker microVM
SDKs
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Python, JavaScript / TypeScript
InstaVM: Python, TypeScript
Integrations
Apify AI Code Sandbox: MCP, Claude Code
InstaVM: Claude Code, OpenAI Agents SDK

Full comparison

18 fields, at each provider's list price

Pricing

vCPU, per hour
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Included
InstaVM: $0.0504
RAM, per GiB-hour
Apify AI Code Sandbox: $0.20
InstaVM: $0.0162
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
InstaVM: $0.0002 per GiB-hour after 10 free GiB
Free tier
Apify AI Code Sandbox: $5 of usage every month
InstaVM: $50 credit
Paid plan from
Apify AI Code Sandbox: $19 / month
InstaVM: $100 / month
Billing
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Memory only
InstaVM: Per second

Limits

Max session
Apify AI Code Sandbox: No limit
InstaVM: Not listed
Idle stop
Apify AI Code Sandbox: After 15 minutes
InstaVM: Not listed
Largest sandbox
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Not listed
InstaVM: Not listed
Concurrent sandboxes
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Up to 256
InstaVM: Up to 100

Platform

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

Developer

SDKs
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Python, JavaScript / TypeScript
InstaVM: Python, TypeScript
Integrations
Apify AI Code Sandbox: MCP, Claude Code
InstaVM: Claude Code, OpenAI Agents SDK

Trust

License
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Not listed
InstaVM: Not listed
BYOC
Apify AI Code Sandbox: Not listed
InstaVM: Not listed

Hourly cost

One sandbox running for one hour

Apify AI Code Sandbox
InstaVM
1 vCPU · 2 GiB
Apify AI Code Sandbox: $0.400
InstaVM: $0.083
2 vCPU · 4 GiB
Apify AI Code Sandbox: $0.800
InstaVM: $0.166
4 vCPU · 8 GiB
Apify AI Code Sandbox: $1.600
InstaVM: $0.331

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.
  • You want one rate for memory, with CPU included.
  • You need GDPR.

InstaVM fits when

  • You want each sandbox in its own microVM.
  • You use the OpenAI Agents SDK.
  • You want the lower list price: $0.166 against $0.800 an hour for 2 vCPU and 4 GiB.
  • You want the larger free credit: $50 against $5.

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