InstaVM vs ix

InstaVM costs $0.0504 per vCPU-hour and ix costs $0.0288 per vCPU-hour. InstaVM runs Firecracker microVMs. ix runs full VMs.

Updated

InstaVM

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

ix

Isolation
Full VM
Free tier
Not listed
Max session
Not listed

What is different

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

InstaVM
ix
vCPU, per hour
InstaVM: $0.0504
ix: $0.0288
RAM, per GiB-hour
InstaVM: $0.0162
ix: $0.0108
Storage
InstaVM: $0.0002 per GiB-hour after 10 free GiB
ix: $0.101 per GiB-month stored
Paid plan from
InstaVM: $100 / month
ix: Pay as you go
Billing
InstaVM: Per second
ix: Active CPU time only
Isolation
InstaVM: Firecracker microVM
ix: Full VM
SDKs
InstaVM: Python, TypeScript
ix: Python, TypeScript, Rust

Full comparison

18 fields, at each provider's list price

Pricing

vCPU, per hour
InstaVM: $0.0504
ix: $0.0288
RAM, per GiB-hour
InstaVM: $0.0162
ix: $0.0108
Storage
InstaVM: $0.0002 per GiB-hour after 10 free GiB
ix: $0.101 per GiB-month stored
Free tier
InstaVM: $50 credit
ix: Not listed
Paid plan from
InstaVM: $100 / month
ix: Pay as you go
Billing
InstaVM: Per second
ix: Active CPU time only

Limits

Max session
InstaVM: Not listed
ix: Not listed
Idle stop
InstaVM: Not listed
ix: Not listed
Largest sandbox
InstaVM: Not listed
ix: 100 vCPU · 256 GiB
Concurrent sandboxes
InstaVM: Up to 100
ix: Up to 100

Platform

Isolation
InstaVM: Firecracker microVM
ix: Full VM
GPU
InstaVM: Not listed
ix: Not listed
Snapshots
InstaVM:
ix:
Pause and resume
InstaVM:
ix: Not listed

Developer

SDKs
InstaVM: Python, TypeScript
ix: Python, TypeScript, Rust
Integrations
InstaVM: Not listed
ix: MCP

Trust

License
InstaVM: Not listed
ix: Not listed
BYOC
InstaVM: Not listed
ix: Not listed

Hourly cost

One sandbox running for one hour

InstaVM
ix
1 vCPU · 2 GiB
InstaVM: $0.083
ix: $0.050
2 vCPU · 4 GiB
InstaVM: $0.166
ix: $0.101
4 vCPU · 8 GiB
InstaVM: $0.331
ix: $0.202

Compute only, at list rates.

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Which one fits

Based on the fields above

InstaVM fits when

  • You want each sandbox in its own microVM.
  • You need pause and resume.
  • You need a desktop in the sandbox.
  • You need SOC 2 Type II.

ix fits when

  • You want to pay only for usage, with no plan fee.
  • You want each sandbox to be a full VM.
  • You use MCP.
  • You want the lower list price: $0.101 against $0.166 an hour for 2 vCPU and 4 GiB.

More comparisons

See all comparisons

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