exe.dev vs Deno Sandbox
exe.dev rents Linux VMs that keep running and keep their disk until you stop them, with root, systemd and Docker. Deno Sandbox gives code a small Firecracker microVM that starts in under 200 ms, can be locked to a list of hosts, and ends after at most 30 minutes.
The companies and products
exe.dev
exe.dev, made by Bold Software, Inc., rents Linux VMs for developers and AI agents that you reach over SSH and HTTPS.
You reserve a pool of vCPUs and memory, and your VMs share it; you can also start standalone VMs billed by the second. Each VM is KVM-isolated (they use Cloud Hypervisor), boots from a container image in about two seconds, and has root, systemd and Docker. It comes with Claude Code, Codex, Pi and exe.dev's own Shelley agent, and is aimed at developers who want a persistent dev box or a sandbox for their agents.
- Company
- Bold Software, Inc.
- Preinstalled agents
- claude, codex, pi and the Shelley web agent
Deno Sandbox
Deno Sandbox is part of Deno Deploy, the hosting platform from the company behind the Deno runtime, and runs untrusted or AI-generated code in Linux microVMs.
Each sandbox is a Firecracker microVM with 2 vCPU, up to 4 GB of memory and a 10 GB disk that is wiped when it ends, created from a TypeScript or Python SDK. Outbound traffic goes through a proxy that can enforce a host allowlist and swap placeholder secrets for real ones. It is built for short runs of agent or user code, and a sandbox can be promoted to a Deno Deploy app.
- Isolation
- Firecracker microVM per sandbox
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. “15th cheapest of 366” means 14 of the other 365 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 | exe.dev: price rank | Deno Sandbox: price rank | boat: price rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software factory 100 at once · 4 vCPU / 8 GB · 2,200 sessions of 8 h a month A software factory runs builds and Docker for hours, which exe.dev can do but Deno's 30-minute, 2 vCPU sandboxes cannot; boat ranks 3rd here with a desktop and snapshots on top. | 253rd of 367, with limits $3,701 a month | 290th of 367, with limits $5,665 a month | 3rd cheapest of 367 $634 a month |
| Always-on AI employees 50 machines 24/7 · 2 vCPU / 4 GB exe.dev ranks 15th because an always-on assistant fits its VMs fully, while a Deno sandbox ends after 30 minutes and wipes its disk. | 15th cheapest of 366 $3,833 a month | 287th of 366, with limits $5,803 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 Deno Sandbox ranks 141st, ahead of exe.dev at 235th, since it starts in under 200 ms and bills CPU only while code runs. | 235th of 345, with limits $175 a month | 141st of 345, with limits $329 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 Both cap how many sandboxes you can hand out at once: exe.dev Personal at 50 VMs, Deno Builder at 20 per region, while boat ranks 1st with token-protected URLs. | 257th of 361, with limits $1,226 a month | 148th of 361, with limits $1,863 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 | 265th of 360, with limits $5,250 a month | 122nd of 360, with limits $7,963 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 | 283rd of 364, with limits $1,050 a month | 296th of 364, with limits $1,563 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 CI jobs need Docker inside, which exe.dev documents and Deno does not; both rank far below boat, which ranks 4th. | 288th of 377, with limits $504 a month | 304th of 377, with limits $731 a month | 4th cheapest of 377 $86 a month |
| 24/7 dev boxes 1 machine 24/7 · 4 vCPU / 8 GB exe.dev ranks 25th and fits a 24/7 dev box fully with a disk that persists; Deno is not built for a machine that stays on, and boat ranks 18th. | 25th cheapest of 368 $35 a month | 179th of 368, with limits $200 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 Neither exe.dev nor Deno Sandbox has a desktop, so computer-use agents have no screen; boat streams a 60fps desktop with Chromium. | 240th of 369, with limits $1,055 a month | 280th of 369, with limits $1,583 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 | 130th of 367, with limits $530 a month | 284th of 367, with limits $783 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 | 124th of 346, with limits $278 a month | 286th of 346, with limits $573 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 | 166th of 338, with limits $5,490 a month | 247th of 338, with limits $11,923 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 exe.dev ranks 60th, well ahead of Deno at 251st, because its VMs have no lifetime cap; boat ranks 2nd. | 60th of 360, with limits $263 a month | 251st of 360, with limits $367 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 | Can't run it | Can't run it | 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 | exe.dev | Deno Sandbox | boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isolation | KVM VM with Cloud Hypervisor; you can't choose the kernel | Firecracker microVM with its own kernel | Full VM with its own kernel on dedicated AMD Ryzen 9 9950X hosts |
| Machine size | Pools of 2 to 16 vCPU on Personal shared by your VMs; memory up to 2 GiB per vCPU on standalone VMs | 2 vCPU fixed, 768 MB to 4 GB memory, 10 GB disk | 4 vCPU / 8 GB by default, up to 16 vCPU / 32 GB on the $100 plan and above |
| Session length | No cap; VMs run until you stop them | Up to 30 minutes; longer work can be promoted to a Deno Deploy app | No cap on paid plans; you set the time to live |
| Disk that persists | Whole disk kept and streamed to a second server; a stopped standalone VM keeps its disk | Root disk wiped when the sandbox ends; opt-in volumes of 300 MB to 20 GB, Chicago only | Whole disk kept, saved every minute and on stop; a stopped sandbox costs nothing |
| Snapshots and fork | No snapshots; cp copies a VM's disk and config into a new VM | Read-only snapshots of a volume that new sandboxes can boot from; no fork | Snapshots every minute, named snapshots as templates, fork of a running sandbox |
| Docker and nested virtualization | Root, systemd and Docker; nested virtualization on Enterprise only | Root access; Docker and nested virtualization not documented | Docker, systemd and /dev/kvm on every plan |
| Custom images | Boot from your own Docker image in about two seconds | Boot new sandboxes from a volume snapshot | Templates from named snapshots; no Dockerfile or OCI images |
| Desktop and browser | Headless; no desktop or screen streaming | No desktop; a VS Code editor in the browser and SSH | Linux desktop streamed at 60fps, Chromium, computer use and browser control |
| Coding agents | Claude Code, Codex, Pi and Shelley; only Shelley takes prompts through the API | A root image with Claude Code, run through the shell command API | Seven agents preinstalled, with one API to prompt, steer and stream events |
| Inbound traffic | HTTPS proxy for ports 3000 to 9999, one of them public; SSH; no raw TCP | HTTPS URL per exposed port, public without authentication; SSH | HTTPS URLs for up to 50 ports, token-protected by default; raw TCP |
| Outbound rules | Open internet, no provider-side allowlist | Host allowlist per sandbox, enforced by a proxy outside the VM | Open internet, no provider-side allowlist |
| Keeping API keys out | Integrations inject secrets at the network edge for any HTTP host | Placeholder secrets swapped for real ones on requests to approved hosts | Credentials proxy for model providers and any HTTPS API; switch to another account when credits run out |
| Start time | About two seconds from a container image | Under 200 ms | Boots a full VM |
| Regions | 9 regions in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia | Amsterdam and Chicago | EU only: Germany, Finland, France |
Every feature Battleships tracks (43)
| Feature | exe.dev | Deno Sandbox | boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full VM (own kernel) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Docker inside | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Nested virtualization | Yes | No | Yes |
| Root | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Systemd | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Desktop GUI | No | No | Yes |
| Browser | Yes | No | Yes |
| Computer-use API | No | No | Yes |
| SSH | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Persistent disk | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pause/resume | Yes | No | Yes |
| Automatic snapshots | No | No | Yes |
| Fork/clone | Yes | No | Yes |
| Live fork (no pause) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Memory fork | No | No | No |
| Custom image (Docker or snapshot) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ≥24 h sessions | Yes | No | Yes |
| Idle auto-stop | No | No | No |
| Wake on request | No | No | No |
| HTTPS preview URLs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Raw TCP inbound | No | No | Yes |
| Public IPv4 | No | No | No |
| Egress allowlist | No | Yes | No |
| Secret proxy | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Secret proxy for any API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preinstalled agents | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agent harness API | Yes | No | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | No | No |
| GPU | No | No | No |
| Windows | No | No | No |
| Arm64 | No | No | No |
| Self-hosting | No | No | No |
| BYOC | Yes | No | No |
| Open source | No | No | No |
| Scoped API keys | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Spend limits | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Usage per sandbox (API) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Audit logs | Not published | Not published | No |
| SSO | Yes | No | No |
| SOC 2 | No | Yes | No |
| HIPAA | No | Yes | No |
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zero data retention | Not published | Not published | Yes |
Performance
Neither exe.dev nor Deno Sandbox is in the hpc-sandbox-benchmarks run, so there is no comparable CPU measurement for either. boat did 26.69 runs per second on that Node.js build-and-test loop at 4 vCPU / 8 GB. Deno's fixed 2 vCPU shape could not run that 4 vCPU test as set up, and we don't guess how exe.dev would score.
Node.js build-and-test loop at 4 vCPU / 8 GB, higher is better. Measured with the open hpc-sandbox-benchmarks suite. exe.dev and Deno Sandbox have no published run in this suite yet, so there is no like-for-like number to compare.
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 | exe.dev, a month | Deno Sandbox, 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 | $35 · Personal | $53 · Pro · with limits | $20 · $20/mo |
| One agent that never stops 4 vCPU / 8 GB, 50 GB disk, running 24/7 all month | $35 · Personal | $200 · Builder · with limits | $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 | $1,848 · Personal | $2,779 · Builder · with limits | $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 | $530 · Personal · with limits | $783 · Builder · 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 | $1,050 · Personal · with limits | $1,563 · Builder · with limits | $2,000 · $2000/mo · with limits |
exe.dev: Pools are reserved capacity your VMs share, billed whether they are busy or idle: Personal runs $15 to $155 a month, and Work is a team fee plus extra capacity by the hour. Standalone VMs bill per second at $0.105 per 2 vCPU / 4 GiB per hour.
Deno Sandbox: Sandboxes need Pro at $20 a month or Builder at $200 a month; the fee is not credit but includes allowances shared with Deno Deploy apps. Past those, CPU costs $0.10 per hour of active CPU time and memory $0.025 per GiB-hour for the whole life of the sandbox.
Deno Sandbox: Plans start at $20 a month and the whole fee is usage credit. You pay per second while a sandbox runs, and a stopped sandbox costs nothing and keeps its disk.
Limits in those scenarios
Deno Sandbox fits none of the five scenarios as written: sandboxes end after 30 minutes, are fixed at 2 vCPU / 4 GiB, and Builder allows 20 at once per region. exe.dev fits the workday agent, the always-on agent and the 50-agent fleet, but its Personal plan stops at 50 VMs at once, short of 300 user sandboxes or 1,000 short jobs. boat fits four of the five; at 1,000 jobs at once its start-rate limits mean it queues too.
| Scenario | exe.dev | Deno Sandbox | boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| One coding agent, workdays |
|
| None that bite |
| One agent that never stops |
|
| None that bite |
| 50 agents in parallel | None that bite |
| None that bite |
| Sandboxes for your users |
|
| None that bite |
| 1,000 short jobs at once |
|
|
|
Which one should you use?
Use exe.dev when
you want a persistent Linux VM with Docker that stays up for days, near users outside Europe, booted from your own Docker image.
- A VM that stays up. For dev boxes and long agent runs: exe.dev VMs have no lifetime cap and keep their whole disk.
- Regions around the world. Useful if your users are far from Europe: exe.dev runs in nine regions across the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.
- Your own Docker image and team controls. exe.dev boots VMs from your own Docker image, and its Work plan covers a whole team with SSO and roles.
Use Deno Sandbox when
you run short pieces of untrusted code that must start in milliseconds and reach only the hosts you allow, especially if you already use Deno Deploy.
- Fast starts, active-CPU billing. Good for short bursts of code: a sandbox starts in under 200 ms and CPU bills only while code runs.
- Locked-down outbound traffic. Useful for untrusted code: each sandbox can be limited to a list of hosts, enforced by a proxy outside the VM.
- A path to Deno Deploy. Fits teams already on Deno Deploy: a sandbox can be promoted to a Deploy app and bills on the same meters.
Where boat fits
If your agents work for hours, run Docker, or need a screen, exe.dev gets you part of the way and Deno Sandbox is built for something shorter. boat gives each agent a full VM that stays, with its disk saved every minute, a 60fps desktop, and one API to drive agents inside from outside.
State saved every minute
Agents sometimes wreck an install. exe.dev has no snapshots to roll back to, and a Deno sandbox wipes its root disk when it ends, so you rebuild by hand or keep data on a Chicago-only volume.
A screen agents can use
Computer-use and browser agents work by looking at a screen. exe.dev VMs are headless and Deno only offers an editor and SSH, so on both you set up and stream a desktop yourself.
Drive agents inside from outside
On exe.dev only Shelley takes prompts through the API, and on Deno you run Claude Code through shell commands, so you script and parse sessions yourself with no clean way to steer a task.
Use boat when your agents do real work for hours: builds, tests, Docker, a desktop and a browser, with state saved every minute and one API to drive agents inside from outside. Compare it one to one: boat vs exe.dev and boat vs Deno Sandbox.
Questions people ask
Is exe.dev cheaper than Deno Sandbox?
In our scenario table, yes, in all five workloads. One coding agent on workdays comes to $35 a month on exe.dev against $53 on Deno Pro, and Deno does not fit that workload because of its 30-minute cap. boat comes to $20 a month for the same agent.
Which is faster, exe.dev or Deno Sandbox?
Neither has a comparable CPU benchmark, so we can't say which computes faster. Deno says a sandbox starts in under 200 ms, while exe.dev boots a VM from a container image in about two seconds.
Can exe.dev and Deno Sandbox run Docker?
exe.dev VMs come with root, systemd and Docker. Deno's docs give root access but do not say Docker works inside a sandbox. boat runs Docker and systemd and exposes /dev/kvm on every plan.
How long can a sandbox run on each?
exe.dev VMs run until you stop them, with no documented cap. A Deno sandbox lives up to 30 minutes, and longer work has to be re-created or promoted to a Deno Deploy app. boat has no cap on paid plans.
Do they keep files between runs?
exe.dev keeps each VM's whole disk, but has no snapshots to roll back to. Deno wipes the root disk when a sandbox ends unless you mount a volume, available only in Chicago. boat keeps the whole disk and saves it every minute.
Is boat SOC 2 compliant?
SOC 2 is in progress. We're open about where we stand: live status at status.ascii.dev and our data retention policy at docs.boat.dev/data-retention.
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