E2B vs Daytona
E2B gives every sandbox its own Firecracker microVM that can pause with its memory and wake on the next request. Daytona starts each sandbox as a container by default and sells Linux VMs, Windows and GPUs as extra classes.
The companies and products
E2B
E2B calls itself the AI agent cloud: an API that gives each agent session its own isolated Linux machine.
Every E2B sandbox is a Firecracker microVM that boots from a snapshot, so it starts fast and can be paused and resumed with its memory. You build custom sandboxes from templates based on a Docker image, and drive them from Python or JavaScript SDKs. It is built for teams that run many short code, data or agent jobs, and its runtime is open source.
- Isolation
- Firecracker microVM per sandbox
- Bring your own cloud
- Enterprise data plane in your AWS, GCP or Azure account
- Compliance
- SOC 2 Type II; HIPAA BAA on request
- Machine size
- 1 to 8 vCPU and 1 to 8 GiB RAM, CPU only
Daytona
Daytona is a cloud for running AI-generated code: you create sandboxes from code through its API and SDKs.
By default a Daytona sandbox is a Linux container with its own namespaces and reserved vCPU, memory and disk. You can also pick a Linux VM class (pause, fork, memory snapshots, /dev/kvm), a Windows VM class, or a GPU class with Nvidia and AMD cards. It is built for teams that run agent code, code interpreters and evals through Python, TypeScript, Ruby, Go or Java SDKs.
- Founded
- 2023
Which use cases each one fits
For each use case, Battleships prices every sandbox provider on the same workload and sorts them from the cheapest monthly bill up. “16th cheapest of 367” means 15 of the other 366 providers run that workload, with every feature it needs, for less. “With limits” means the provider runs it but misses something, so it is listed after every full match. Open a use case for its whole ranking and what each provider misses.
| Use case and its workload | E2B: price rank | Daytona: price rank | boat: price rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software factory 100 at once · 4 vCPU / 8 GB · 2,200 sessions of 8 h a month | 16th cheapest of 367 $4,143 a month | 15th cheapest of 367 $4,111 a month | 3rd cheapest of 367 $634 a month |
| Always-on AI employees 50 machines 24/7 · 2 vCPU / 4 GB An assistant that runs all month hits E2B's 24-hour session cap, while Daytona and boat keep it running. | 51st of 366, with limits $5,348 a month | 24th cheapest of 366 $6,104 a month | 5th cheapest of 366 $657 a month |
| Code interpreter bursts 100 at once · 1 vCPU / 2 GB · 200,000 sessions of 1 min a month Both fit short code runs; Daytona comes to $271 a month against $421 on E2B, while boat's start limits make big bursts a compromise. | 37th cheapest of 345 $421 a month | 25th cheapest of 345 $271 a month | 186th of 345, with limits $2,000 a month |
| Sandboxes for your users 300 at once · 2 vCPU / 4 GB · 30,000 sessions of 23 min a month E2B fits 300 sandboxes for your users on Pro+, but 600 vCPU is more than Daytona's Tier 4 pool allows; boat ranks first. | 23rd cheapest of 361 $2,354 a month | 154th of 361, with limits $2,000 a month | Cheapest of 361 $209 a month |
| RL rollouts 1,000 at once · 2 vCPU / 4 GB · 1,000,000 sessions of 3 min a month E2B ranks 2nd here: its memory forks and high start rate suit many short rollouts, while Daytona's vCPU pool makes this a compromise. | 2nd cheapest of 360 $9,384 a month | 130th of 360, with limits $8,261 a month | 34th of 360, with limits $2,000 a month |
| Agent evals 250 at once · 4 vCPU / 8 GB · 15,000 sessions of 20 min a month | 78th cheapest of 364 $1,975 a month | 189th of 364, with limits $2,000 a month | 10th cheapest of 364 $200 a month |
| CI runners 40 at once · 8 vCPU / 16 GB · 6,000 sessions of 12 min a month Both are a compromise for CI: E2B has no nested virtualization and Daytona caps a sandbox at 4 vCPU by default; boat has 8 vCPU and /dev/kvm from the $20 plan. | 337th of 377, with limits $1,429 a month | 308th of 377, with limits $805 a month | 4th cheapest of 377 $86 a month |
| 24/7 dev boxes 1 machine 24/7 · 4 vCPU / 8 GB A dev box that runs all month needs no session cap and a public address; E2B has the cap, Daytona has no raw TCP or public IP, and boat has both. | 192nd of 368, with limits $358 a month | 183rd of 368, with limits $245 a month | 18th cheapest of 368 $26 a month |
| Computer-use agents 50 at once · 4 vCPU / 8 GB · 20,000 sessions of 15 min a month All three have a Linux desktop; Daytona adds Windows, and boat streams its desktop at 60fps for embedding in your app. | 32nd cheapest of 369 $1,342 a month | 26th cheapest of 369 $1,198 a month | 6th cheapest of 369 $200 a month |
| Browser-use agents 50 at once · 2 vCPU / 4 GB · 30,000 sessions of 10 min a month | 100th of 367, with limits $746 a month | 93rd of 367, with limits $598 a month | 7th cheapest of 367 $200 a month |
| Scraping & bots (startup scale) 50 at once · 1 vCPU / 2 GB · 100,000 sessions of 3 min a month | 57th cheapest of 346 $554 a month | 38th cheapest of 346 $404 a month | 6th cheapest of 346 $90 a month |
| Mass scraping & bots (undetectable) 1,000 at once · 1 vCPU / 2 GB · 3,000,000 sessions of 2 min a month | 227th of 338, with limits $9,223 a month | 202nd of 338, with limits $8,073 a month | 71st of 338, with limits $1,800 a month |
| Parallel red teaming 200 at once · 2 vCPU / 4 GB · 5,000 sessions of 30 min a month | 11th cheapest of 360 $1,043 a month | 12th cheapest of 360 $2,000 a month | 2nd cheapest of 360 $200 a month |
| GPU eval jobs 10 at once · 8 vCPU / 32 GB · 500 sessions of 30 min a month Only Daytona fits: it rents Nvidia and AMD GPUs by the hour, and E2B and boat are CPU only. | Can't run it | 20th cheapest of 98 $1,190 a month | Can't run it |
| macOS agents 5 at once · 4 vCPU / 8 GB · 1,000 sessions of 20 min a month | Can't run it | Can't run it | Can't run it |
Key features
| Feature | E2B | Daytona | boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isolation | Firecracker microVM with its own kernel for every sandbox | Container by default; Linux VM and Windows VM classes have their own kernel | Full VM with its own kernel for every sandbox, on dedicated AMD Ryzen 9 9950X hosts |
| CPU speed (Node.js build-and-test, 4 vCPU / 8 GB) | 12.61 runs/s | 21.52 runs/s on the Linux VM class; the default container class reported no result | 26.69 runs/s |
| Biggest machine | 8 vCPU / 8 GiB self-serve, more on request | 4 vCPU / 8 GB per sandbox by default, more on request | 16 vCPU / 32 GB on the $100 plan and above |
| Session length and stops | 1 hour on Hobby, 24 hours on Pro; pausing resets the clock | No session cap; the disk is kept and billed while stopped | No cap on paid plans; disk saved every minute, and a stopped sandbox costs nothing |
| Pause, resume and fork with memory | Every sandbox pauses with memory, resumes in about a second, and forks up to 20 copies per call | Linux VM and Windows classes pause and fork with memory; containers cannot | Fork a running sandbox with its disk; resume boots the machine again |
| Docker and nested virtualization | Docker inside the sandbox; nested virtualization not supported | Docker in all classes; /dev/kvm only on Linux VMs, once KVM is turned on for your organization | Docker, root, systemd and /dev/kvm on every machine |
| Desktop and computer use | Linux desktop for computer use | VNC desktop and a computer-use API on Linux and Windows | 60fps desktop with Chromium, computer use and an embeddable stream |
| Reaching the sandbox | HTTPS URL per port, public unless you turn on a token; no dedicated IP | HTTPS preview URLs, token-protected or public; SSH; no raw TCP or public IP | HTTPS URLs for up to 50 ports, token-protected by default; raw TCP; dedicated IPv4 or IPv6 |
| Outbound internet | Open internet, with allow and deny lists by IP, CIDR or domain | Tier 1 and 2 reach only package registries, git hosts and AI APIs; open internet and allowlists from Tier 3 | Open internet on every plan; no provider-side allowlist |
| Keeping keys out of the sandbox | Secrets injected into outbound HTTPS headers (private beta) | Secrets proxy swaps placeholders in HTTPS headers for allowed hosts | Credentials proxy for model providers and any HTTPS API; switch a credential to another account when credits run out |
| Coding agents | Templates and guides, run through the command API | Guides install agents and run them through process exec | Seven agents preinstalled, driven from outside with a prompt, steer and events API |
| GPUs | None, CPU only | Nvidia and AMD GPUs, on demand or preemptible | None |
| Windows | No Windows sandboxes | Windows VM sandboxes in three sizes | No Windows guests; Wine for Windows apps |
| Regions and self-hosting | US by default, EU and APAC on Pro; open-source runtime and bring your own cloud on Enterprise | US and EU, plus dedicated regions and your own machines; public repository no longer updated | EU only (Germany, Finland, France) |
Every feature Battleships tracks (43)
| Feature | E2B | Daytona | boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full VM (own kernel) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Docker inside | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nested virtualization | No | Yes | Yes |
| Root | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Systemd | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Desktop GUI | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Computer-use API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSH | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Persistent disk | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pause/resume | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic snapshots | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fork/clone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live fork (no pause) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Memory fork | Yes | Yes | No |
| Custom image (Docker or snapshot) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ≥24 h sessions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Idle auto-stop | Yes | Yes | No |
| Wake on request | Yes | No | No |
| HTTPS preview URLs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Raw TCP inbound | No | No | Yes |
| Public IPv4 | No | No | No |
| Egress allowlist | Yes | Yes | No |
| Secret proxy | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Secret proxy for any API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preinstalled agents | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agent harness API | No | No | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | Yes | No |
| GPU | No | Yes | No |
| Windows | No | Yes | No |
| Arm64 | No | No | No |
| Self-hosting | Yes | No | No |
| BYOC | Yes | Yes | No |
| Open source | Yes | No | No |
| Scoped API keys | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Spend limits | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Usage per sandbox (API) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Audit logs | Not published | Yes | No |
| SSO | No | Yes | No |
| SOC 2 | Yes | Yes | No |
| HIPAA | Yes | Yes | No |
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zero data retention | Not published | Not published | Yes |
Performance
In StarSling's public run of 2026-09-29 at 4 vCPU / 8 GB, boat did 26.69 Node.js build-and-test runs per second, Daytona's Linux VM class did 21.52 and E2B did 12.61. So Daytona's VM class did about 1.7 times the work of E2B, and boat about twice the work of E2B. Daytona's default container class reported no result, so there is no number for the class most Daytona sandboxes use.
Node.js build-and-test loop at 4 vCPU / 8 GB, higher is better. Measured with the open hpc-sandbox-benchmarks suite. Daytona measured on: Linux VM sandbox (same rates; KVM / nested virt per-org feature).
Pricing in five scenarios
Each bill is priced from the providers' public price lists by the open Battleships engine, with the cheapest plan that runs the scenario.
| Scenario | E2B, a month | Daytona, a month | boat, a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| One coding agent, workdays 4 vCPU / 8 GB, 50 GB disk, 8 hours a day, 22 days a month, files kept between days | $202 · Pro | $56 · Tier 3 ($500 top-up) | $20 · $20/mo |
| One agent that never stops 4 vCPU / 8 GB, 50 GB disk, running 24/7 all month | $368 · Pro · with limits | $245 · Tier 3 ($500 top-up) | $26 · $20/mo |
| 50 agents in parallel 50 machines of 4 vCPU / 8 GB at once, 8-hour sessions, 1,100 sessions a month, Docker inside | $2,773 · Pro | $2,682 · Tier 3 ($500 top-up) | $317 · $20/mo × 3 seats |
| Sandboxes for your users 2 vCPU / 4 GB, 30,000 sessions of 10 minutes a month, up to 300 at once | $1,395 · Pro+ (600 concurrent) | $2,000 · Tier 4 ($2,000 top-up every 30 days) · with limits | $200 · $100/mo × 2 seats |
| 1,000 short jobs at once 2 vCPU / 4 GB, 1,000 at once, 3 minutes each, 200,000 jobs a month | $2,797 · Pro++ (1,100 concurrent) | $2,000 · Tier 4 ($2,000 top-up every 30 days) · with limits | $2,000 · $2000/mo · with limits |
E2B: E2B bills per second for the vCPU and RAM you set, idle time included, until you pause or kill the sandbox. Pro costs $150 a month for higher limits, with no usage credit.
Daytona: Daytona bills per second for the vCPU, memory and disk you reserve from a prepaid wallet, and keeps billing the disk while a sandbox is stopped. Open internet needs a $500 top-up (Tier 3), and the biggest pool needs $2,000 every 30 days (Tier 4).
Daytona: Plans start at $20 a month, and the whole fee is usage credit spent per second while a sandbox runs. A stopped sandbox costs nothing and keeps its disk.
Limits in those scenarios
E2B caps a session at 24 hours on Pro, which is why it does not fit the agent that never stops. Daytona limits the total vCPU running at once, up to 500 vCPU on Tier 4, so 300 sandboxes for your users (600 vCPU) and 1,000 short jobs at once do not fit without a custom limit, while E2B fits both on Pro+ and Pro++. Daytona also reaches only a short list of hosts below Tier 3. boat fits every scenario except the 1,000-job burst, where its daily start limit falls short.
| Scenario | E2B | Daytona | boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| One coding agent, workdays |
|
| None that bite |
| One agent that never stops |
|
| None that bite |
| 50 agents in parallel |
|
| None that bite |
| Sandboxes for your users |
|
| None that bite |
| 1,000 short jobs at once |
|
|
|
Which one should you use?
Use E2B when
you run many short jobs that pause between requests and wake fast, or need the US or APAC, or an open runtime you can host yourself.
- Memory pause and wake on request. For jobs that sleep between requests: any E2B sandbox pauses with its memory and comes back in about a second.
- A microVM for every sandbox. For untrusted code: every E2B sandbox has its own kernel, while Daytona's default class is a container.
- Open runtime and more regions. For teams that want control: the runtime is Apache-2.0, and it runs in the US, EU and APAC.
Use Daytona when
your agents need GPUs, Windows desktops, sandboxes that run for days, or your own machines.
- Faster CPU in the same test. For build-heavy agents: Daytona's Linux VM class did 21.52 runs per second, about 1.7 times as fast as E2B.
- GPUs and Windows. For model evals or Windows desktops: Daytona rents Nvidia and AMD GPUs and runs Windows VM sandboxes.
- No session cap. For agents that run for days: a Daytona sandbox has no 24-hour limit, so you do not have to pause and resume it.
Where boat fits
If your agents do long, real work like installs, builds, tests, Docker and emulators, look at boat. Every sandbox is a full VM with /dev/kvm, it ran the CPU test faster than both, and it has no session cap. Pick E2B or Daytona instead if you need memory pause, GPUs, Windows or a US region.
A full VM with /dev/kvm every time
E2B has no nested virtualization, so Android emulators and VMs cannot start. Daytona's default is a container sharing the host kernel; you get /dev/kvm only by picking the Linux VM class and having KVM turned on.
Faster builds that never get cut off
boat did 26.69 runs per second, against 21.52 for Daytona's VM class and 12.61 for E2B, so agents wait less. E2B also stops a session at 24 hours on Pro, so your code has to pause and resume it.
Agents and keys handled from outside
On both you install the agent yourself and run it as a process, and keep secrets only in request headers. boat drives seven preinstalled agents from outside and proxies any HTTPS API, switching accounts when credits run out.
Use boat when your agents do real work for hours: installs, builds, tests, Docker and emulators on a fast full VM with a desktop, hosting and coding agents built in. Compare it one to one: boat vs E2B and boat vs Daytona.
Questions people ask
Is E2B cheaper than Daytona?
In most of our scenarios Daytona costs less: one coding agent on workdays comes to $56 on Daytona against $202 on E2B, and 50 agents in parallel to $2,682 against $2,773. For 300 sandboxes for your users, E2B fits at $1,395 while Daytona's Tier 4 pool is too small. boat comes to $20, $317 and $200 a month in those three.
Which is faster, E2B or Daytona?
On the StarSling CPU test at 4 vCPU / 8 GB, Daytona's Linux VM class did 21.52 runs per second and E2B did 12.61. Daytona's default containers reported no result. boat did 26.69 in the same run.
Are E2B and Daytona sandboxes VMs or containers?
Every E2B sandbox is a Firecracker microVM with its own kernel. A Daytona sandbox is a container by default, with Linux VM and Windows VM classes on top. Every boat sandbox is a full VM.
Can E2B or Daytona run Docker and Android emulators?
Both run Docker. E2B does not support nested virtualization, so emulators cannot start; Daytona gives /dev/kvm only on its Linux VM class, once KVM is turned on for your organization. boat has /dev/kvm on every machine.
Can a sandbox run for days on E2B or Daytona?
On E2B a session stops after 24 hours on Pro and 1 hour on Hobby, though pausing resets the clock. Daytona has no session cap, so one agent all month fits at $245. boat has no cap on paid plans and came to $26 a month.
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