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microsandboxvsE2B

E2B and microsandbox are the closest things to direct competitors in the agent-runtime space, both open source, both microVM-based. The split is on hosting model, control surface, and pricing. Here's the honest version.

microsandbox
local + cloud
E2B
Cloud agent sandboxes
Hosting model
Local-first · cloud beta soon
Cloud-hosted · BYOC for enterprise
Isolation
microVM (libkrun)
microVM (Firecracker)
Host platform
macOS · Linux · WSL
Linux-only (Firecracker requirement)
Runs offline
Yes, fully local
No, requires their cloud
Daemon required
None, embeds as a library
Cloud service over HTTP
OCI image support
Any registry, pull at runtime
Custom templates, cloud-built
Secrets
TLS-bound substitution, real keys never enter guest
Env vars or sandbox metadata, guest sees the value
Network policy
Programmable allowlist · DNS pinning
Internet on by default · allowlists per template
Native SDKs
Rust · TypeScript · Python · CLI (Go, Terraform next)
Python · JavaScript
Pricing
Free locally · cloud beta TBA
Hobby free + usage · Pro $150/mo + usage
Latency
Local · sub-ms
Network round-trip to their region
License
Local: Apache 2.0 · Cloud: TBA
Open core · cloud platform proprietary
Pick E2B

Pick E2B if you want a managed cloud, today.

  • You don't want to think about local execution, every sandbox lives on their cloud.
  • Your team ships in Python or JavaScript and wants the most established SDKs.
  • You're comfortable with per-second billing and round-trips to their region.
  • BYOC into your own AWS/GCP/Azure account is enough isolation for you.
Pick microsandbox

Pick microsandbox if you want control, locally and later in the cloud.

  • You want to develop on a laptop and ship the same sandbox to CI and (soon) the cloud, same code, same config.
  • Real keys can never enter the guest, secrets get TLS-bound substitution at the network layer.
  • You want a programmable allowlist and DNS pinning, not just template-level rules.
  • Daemon-free embedding means no runtime ops, no separate service to manage.
  • Local execution = $0 to run thousands of sandboxes during development.
Closed beta

Cloud and on-prem, almost here.

Drop your email and we'll invite you in as the beta opens up.

Want to talk first? Schedule a call