Morph Cloud vs OpenAI Containers
Morph Cloud rents you full Linux VMs with root and Docker that you can pause, snapshot and branch with their memory. OpenAI Containers are short-lived boxes inside OpenAI's model API where the model runs code, then the box expires after 20 minutes without use.
The companies and products
Morph Cloud
Morph Cloud sells full virtual machines for AI agents that can be snapshotted, branched and restored with their memory, which it calls Infinibranch.
You get MorphVM instances as low-level building blocks and Devboxes as ready workspaces on top of them, with SSH, preview URLs and a tmux API for running coding agents you install yourself. Everything is billed in MCUs, where one MCU is 1 vCPU, 4 GB of RAM or 16 GB of disk for an hour. It is built for teams that fan agents out from one saved state, and it also sells managed GitHub Actions runners and a shared filesystem.
- Regions
- Not published
OpenAI Containers
OpenAI Containers are the sandboxes OpenAI runs for its own model tools: Code Interpreter, Hosted Shell and the Agents API's hosted sandbox.
This is a different kind of product from boat: a tool inside OpenAI's model API, not a machine you rent. You create a container through the API or let a Responses call make one, and the model runs Python or shell commands in it on a fixed Debian 12 image without sudo, until it expires after 20 minutes without use. It is built for apps that already call OpenAI models and want them to run code, read files and make charts without running any servers.
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 345” means 15 of the other 344 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 | Morph Cloud: price rank | OpenAI Containers: price rank | boat: price rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software factory 100 at once · 4 vCPU / 8 GB · 2,200 sessions of 8 h a month A coding agent that needs Docker, root and a repo kept for days fits on Morph and on boat, but not in an OpenAI container that has no sudo and expires after 20 idle minutes. | 198th of 367, with limits $2,288 a month | 356th of 367, with limits $17,371 a month | 3rd cheapest of 367 $634 a month |
| Always-on AI employees 50 machines 24/7 · 2 vCPU / 4 GB An assistant that lives on its machine all month needs a disk that survives, which Morph and boat give and an OpenAI container does not. | 235th of 366, with limits $3,014 a month | 341st of 366, with limits $13,140 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 This is the one job OpenAI Containers are built for, since the model runs code in the same API call, though Morph also fits well because a paused VM costs almost nothing and wakes on the next request. | 16th cheapest of 345 $154 a month | 194th of 345, with limits $6,000 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 Morph can pause each user's machine and wake it on the next request, boat gives each user HTTPS on up to 50 ports and raw TCP, and an OpenAI container has no inbound access at all. | 12th cheapest of 361 $905 a month | 361st of 361, with limits $3,780 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 Morph's memory branching suits rollouts that all start from the same running state; OpenAI containers have no fork or snapshot. | 86th of 360, with limits $4,847 a month | 191st of 360, with limits $30,000 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 | 38th cheapest of 364 $675 a month | 360th of 364, with limits $5,760 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 Morph sells managed GitHub Actions runners and boat runs your own runner with Docker, while OpenAI containers document no Docker or root and start with no internet. | 39th cheapest of 377 $355 a month | 345th of 377, with limits $1,728 a month | 4th cheapest of 377 $86 a month |
| 24/7 dev boxes 1 machine 24/7 · 4 vCPU / 8 GB A dev box you SSH into and keep all month works on Morph and boat; OpenAI containers have no SSH and no persistent disk. | 85th cheapest of 368 $116 a month | 362nd of 368, with limits $1,051 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 boat ships a 60fps desktop with Chromium and a computer use API, OpenAI has a hosted browser inside the Agents API beta, and on Morph you install the desktop agent yourself. | 182nd of 369, with limits $595 a month | 351st of 369, with limits $5,280 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 | 214th of 367, with limits $250 a month | 328th of 367, with limits $1,440 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 | 239th of 346, with limits $234 a month | 328th of 346, with limits $1,755 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 | 154th of 338, with limits $4,750 a month | 311th of 338, with limits $35,100 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 | 214th of 360, with limits $228 a month | 308th of 360, with limits $870 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 | Morph Cloud | OpenAI Containers | boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Full VMs for agents that you create, pause, snapshot and branch | A sandbox tool the model uses inside OpenAI's API | A cloud VM you create, keep, stop and reach from outside |
| Isolation | Full VM with its own kernel | A fully sandboxed virtual machine; hypervisor not named | Full VM with its own kernel on dedicated AMD Ryzen 9 9950X hosts |
| Root and Docker | Yes, including Docker in Docker and local Kubernetes | Commands do not run with sudo; no Docker documented | Root, systemd and Docker on every machine |
| Nested virtualization | Experimental | No /dev/kvm documented | Yes, /dev/kvm for Android emulators and VMs |
| Files after the session | Saved when you pause or snapshot; a plain stop deletes the instance | Data is discarded when the container expires | Disk saved every minute and on every stop; a stopped sandbox is free |
| Lifetime | No expiry unless you set a time to live | Expires after 20 minutes without use; Agents API sandboxes after an hour without activity | No session cap on paid plans; you set the time to live |
| Pause with memory and wake on request | Yes; a paused VM bills only its snapshot and wakes on the next HTTP request, SSH or exec call | No | No; disk is saved and resume boots the machine again |
| Fork a running machine | Yes, with its memory, as many copies as you ask for, in under 250 ms | No fork; templates save configuration, not a running workspace | Yes, with its disk |
| Machine size | Set by vCPU, RAM and disk inside an account pool (64 vCPU on Developer) | 1, 4, 16 or 64 GB of memory; vCPU not published | 4 vCPU / 8 GB by default, up to 16 vCPU / 32 GB |
| Inbound access | Named HTTP services with optional API key auth; SSH through Morph's gateway; no raw TCP | None; you reach the container only through the API | SSH, HTTPS URLs for up to 50 ports, token-protected by default; raw TCP |
| Outbound internet | Open internet | Code Interpreter and Hosted Shell: off until an admin sets an org domain allowlist | Open internet on every plan; no provider-side allowlist |
| Keeping API keys out of the sandbox | Responses Proxy for model APIs; other secrets are handed to the machine | domain_secrets: a sidecar adds the real header for approved domains | Credentials proxy for model providers and any HTTPS API; switch a credential to another account when credits run out |
| Coding agents | You install the agent, then drive it through a tmux API that sends keys and reads the screen | Agents API (beta) drives a managed Codex harness from outside | Claude Code, Codex and five other agents preinstalled, with a prompt, steer and events API |
| Desktop and computer use | Browser-based remote desktop; you install the browser and any computer use agent | Hosted browser for the Agents API computer_use tool | 60fps Linux desktop with Chromium, a computer use API and an embeddable stream |
Every feature Battleships tracks (43)
| Feature | Morph Cloud | OpenAI Containers | boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full VM (own kernel) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Docker inside | Yes | No | Yes |
| Nested virtualization | Yes | No | Yes |
| Root | Yes | No | Yes |
| Systemd | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Desktop GUI | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser | No | Yes | Yes |
| Computer-use API | No | Yes | Yes |
| SSH | Yes | No | Yes |
| Persistent disk | Yes | No | Yes |
| Pause/resume | Yes | No | Yes |
| Automatic snapshots | Yes | No | Yes |
| Fork/clone | Yes | No | Yes |
| Live fork (no pause) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Memory fork | Yes | No | No |
| Custom image (Docker or snapshot) | Yes | No | Yes |
| ≥24 h sessions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Idle auto-stop | Yes | Yes | No |
| Wake on request | Yes | No | No |
| HTTPS preview URLs | Yes | No | 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 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Preinstalled agents | No | No | Yes |
| Agent harness API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | No | No | No |
| GPU | No | No | No |
| Windows | Yes | No | No |
| Arm64 | No | No | No |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes | No |
| BYOC | No | No | No |
| Open source | No | No | No |
| Scoped API keys | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Spend limits | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| Usage per sandbox (API) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Audit logs | Yes | Not published | No |
| SSO | Not published | Yes | No |
| SOC 2 | Not published | Yes | No |
| HIPAA | Not published | Yes | No |
| EU data residency | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Zero data retention | Not published | Not published | Yes |
Performance
There is no comparable CPU measurement for either one: neither Morph Cloud nor OpenAI Containers is in the hpc-sandbox-benchmarks run, and OpenAI does not publish how many vCPU each container size gets. boat did 26.69 runs per second on that Node.js build-and-test loop at 4 vCPU / 8 GB, on dedicated AMD Ryzen 9 9950X hosts. Morph's under 250 ms snapshot restore measures start time, not CPU speed.
Node.js build-and-test loop at 4 vCPU / 8 GB, higher is better. Measured with the open hpc-sandbox-benchmarks suite. Morph Cloud and OpenAI Containers 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 | Morph Cloud, a month | OpenAI Containers, 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 | $32 · Developer | $228 · API pay as you go · with limits | $20 · $20/mo |
| One agent that never stops 4 vCPU / 8 GB, 50 GB disk, running 24/7 all month | $121 · Team | $1,051 · API pay as you go · 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 | $1,459 · Scale | $11,405 · API pay as you go · 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 | $325 · Scale | $1,620 · API pay as you go · 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 | $869 · Scale | $6,000 · API pay as you go · with limits | $2,000 · $2000/mo · with limits |
Morph Cloud: Morph bills MCUs at $0.05 each per hour, where a machine uses the largest of its vCPUs, its RAM in 4 GiB steps or its disk in 16 GiB steps. Team ($40 a month) and Scale ($250 a month) are prepaid MCU bundles at a discount, and a paused VM bills only its snapshot storage.
OpenAI Containers: OpenAI bills each container session by the minute for the memory size you pick, with a 5-minute minimum, and model tokens are billed separately on top. There is no plan fee; the scenarios use the 16 GB size for 8 GB needs and the 4 GB size for 4 GB needs, since vCPU is not published.
OpenAI Containers: Plans start at $20 a month, and the whole fee is usage credit spent per second on running sandboxes. A stopped sandbox costs nothing and keeps its disk.
Limits in those scenarios
Morph fits all five scenarios, but disk beyond 16 GiB per vCPU raises the bill, egress prices are not published, and the Developer pool of 64 vCPU holds only 16 machines at 4 vCPU. OpenAI Containers do not fit any of them as written: no persistent disk, no Docker, no internet in Code Interpreter and Hosted Shell until an admin allows domains, and no published limit on how many run at once. For 1,000 short jobs at once, Morph Scale fits at $869 a month, while boat's $2,000 plan queues the starts.
| Scenario | Morph Cloud | OpenAI Containers | 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 Morph Cloud when
your agents need a full VM they keep, and you want to branch running machines with their memory, let them sleep and wake on request, or use managed CI runners.
- A real machine that stays. Useful for agents that need root, Docker and a workspace kept for days, which an expiring OpenAI container cannot give.
- Memory snapshots, branching and wake on request. Useful for agents that fan out from one running state or sleep between requests and wake on demand.
- Managed CI runners and a shared filesystem. Morph also sells GitHub Actions runners and a filesystem many machines can mount at once.
Use OpenAI Containers when
your app already calls OpenAI models and the model only needs to run short pieces of code or shell commands on files you give it.
- Built into the model call. Useful if your app already calls OpenAI models: one tool line in a request gives the model a place to run code.
- Locked-down network by default. Useful if code must reach only chosen hosts: Code Interpreter and Hosted Shell have no outbound access until an admin allows domains.
- US or EU processing and your own compute. Code Interpreter can process data in the US or Europe, and the Agents API can drive a sandbox on machines you run.
Where boat fits
If you are choosing between these two to run coding or computer use agents, boat sits closer to Morph: a full VM that keeps its disk. The difference is that boat arrives ready, with agents you drive from outside, a desktop, a credentials proxy for any API and hosting on many ports, all in the EU.
Coding agents you drive from outside
On Morph you install the agent and drive it through tmux keystrokes, parsing the screen to know when it is done. OpenAI's Agents API drives only its own Codex harness, in beta. boat preinstalls seven agents behind a prompt, steer and events API.
A disk that is saved without asking
An OpenAI container throws away its files after 20 idle minutes, and a plain stop on Morph deletes the instance unless you paused or snapshotted first. boat saves the disk every minute and on every stop, and a stopped sandbox is free.
A desktop, ports and keys handled
Morph has you install the browser and computer use agent, and OpenAI containers take no inbound connections. boat ships a 60fps desktop with Chromium, HTTPS on up to 50 ports plus raw TCP, and keeps real keys for any HTTPS API outside the machine.
Use boat when your agents need a machine that arrives ready: coding agents you drive by API, a 60fps desktop with Chromium, real keys kept outside, a disk saved every minute and hosting on many ports in the EU. Compare it one to one: boat vs Morph Cloud and boat vs OpenAI Containers.
Questions people ask
Is Morph Cloud cheaper than OpenAI Containers?
In every scenario on this page, yes: one coding agent on workdays is $32 a month on Morph and $228 on OpenAI, and one agent running all month is $121 versus $1,051. OpenAI also bills model tokens on top. boat comes to $20 and $26 a month for the same two.
Which is faster?
Neither has a comparable CPU measurement: both are missing from the hpc-sandbox-benchmarks run, and OpenAI does not publish vCPU per container size. boat did 26.69 runs per second on that test at 4 vCPU / 8 GB.
Can Morph Cloud or OpenAI Containers run Docker?
Morph can: each instance is a full VM with root, Docker in Docker and local Kubernetes. OpenAI's hosted shell runs commands without sudo and documents no Docker. boat gives root, systemd, Docker and /dev/kvm on every sandbox.
Do files survive when the session ends?
On Morph, yes if you pause or snapshot, but a plain stop deletes the instance. An OpenAI container discards its data when it expires after 20 minutes without use. boat saves the disk every minute and on every stop.
Can I open a web app running inside the sandbox?
On Morph you expose named HTTP services and reach SSH through its gateway, with no raw TCP. OpenAI containers have no ports, URLs or SSH. boat gives HTTPS URLs for up to 50 ports, raw TCP and SSH.
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.
Try boat
Install the CLI, then run boat new.
7-day free trial