Compare / Sandboxes
Daytona vs Blaxel
Daytona and Blaxel charge the same per vCPU and per GiB. Blaxel finished the latest build benchmark; Daytona didn't. Blaxel isolates more strongly by default, with a microVM with its own kernel. Daytona uses a shared-kernel container.
At a glance
| Daytona | Blaxel | |
|---|---|---|
| Isolation | Linux container by default, with optional VM, Windows, macOS and GPU runtimes | MicroVM, no shared kernel |
| Price | Disk is $0.000108 per GiB-hour after 5 GiB free. | $0.0000115 per GB of memory per second, with CPU included and scaled to memory (calc). Standby is free; snapshots cost $0.20 per GB-month. |
| 2 vCPU, 4 GiB for an hour | $0.17 | $0.17 |
| Free tier | $200 of free compute, no card needed. | Up to $200 of credits on pay-as-you-go. |
| Longest session | No time limit by default. Idle sandboxes auto-stop after 15 minutes and archive after 7 days. | No default expiry. 7 days on Tier 0, 30 days on Tier 1, no limit on higher tiers. |
| Largest sandbox | 4 vCPU, 8 GB and 10 GB disk per organization by default | Not published on standard plans (examples: 8 GB gets 4 cores, 16 GB gets 6 cores) |
| Pause and persistence | Stopping keeps files but clears memory; archived sandboxes move to object storage. | Standby keeps memory and files and resumes in about 25 ms; archive keeps files only. |
| Start time (published) | Under 90 ms advertised (container runtime). | Fresh microVM in under a second; resume in about 25 ms. |
| GPUs | Yes | Not stated |
| Self-hosting | Enterprise bring-your-own-cloud only. The open-source repository was archived on 3 October 2026. | No full self-hosting. Bring-your-own-metal is available, but Blaxel always runs the control plane. |
| SDKs | TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Go, Java | TypeScript, Python, Go |
| Real build benchmark | 0 of 7 phases | 7 of 7 phases, 53.0 s |
On a real coding-agent build
The open-source ComputeSDK sandbox-dax benchmark runs OpenCode's provider benchmark in each sandbox: install packages and Bun, clone OpenCode, bun install, then bun typecheck. Results from the run of 30 October 2026:
- Daytona completed 0 of 7 phases; the run hit an API error, so this says nothing about speed.
- Blaxel completed all seven phases in 53.0 s on a sandbox reporting 8 CPUs and about 16 GiB: clone 6.1 s, install 12.4 s, typecheck 25.3 s.
Each provider is one run, and sandboxes report different CPU counts, so treat small gaps as noise. For what this build needs from a sandbox, and what isolation costs, see our benchmark write-up.
Which should you choose?
Choose Daytona if
- you need GPUs inside the sandbox
Choose Blaxel if
- you want a separate kernel for each sandbox
- you want a sandbox that completed the latest real build benchmark
- you need pause and resume that keeps memory, not just files
If neither fits because your code and API keys must stay on your own hardware, Hotcell runs sandboxes on machines you control, and Directionally Local sets it up with the Autopilot coding agent harness in one command. More options: E2B alternatives.
More comparisons
- E2B vs Daytona
- E2B vs Blaxel
- Modal vs Daytona
- Modal vs Blaxel
- Daytona vs Vercel Sandbox
- Daytona vs Northflank
Sources
- Daytona: Daytona pricing
- Daytona: Daytona sandboxes docs
- Daytona: daytonaio/daytona (archived)
- Blaxel: Blaxel pricing
- Blaxel: Blaxel sandbox docs
- Benchmark: ComputeSDK sandbox-dax results
Prices change often. We check them by hand and the benchmark refreshes on every build; if something here is out of date, tell us.
FAQs
Is Daytona cheaper than Blaxel?
They charge the same rates per vCPU and per GiB. A sandbox with 2 vCPU and 4 GiB costs about $0.17 an hour on either.
Which is faster, Daytona or Blaxel?
Daytona completed 0 of 7 phases; the run hit an API error, so this says nothing about speed. Blaxel completed all seven phases in 53.0 s on a sandbox reporting 8 CPUs and about 16 GiB: clone 6.1 s, install 12.4 s, typecheck 25.3 s. The workload is OpenCode's provider benchmark: clone, bun install and typecheck. Results are from ComputeSDK's run of 30 October 2026, one run each.
Which has stronger isolation, Daytona or Blaxel?
Blaxel. It uses a microVM with its own kernel, while Daytona uses a shared-kernel container by default.
Can I self-host Daytona or Blaxel?
Daytona: Enterprise bring-your-own-cloud only. The open-source repository was archived on 3 October 2026. Blaxel: No full self-hosting. Bring-your-own-metal is available, but Blaxel always runs the control plane.
Is there an alternative to Daytona and Blaxel that runs on my own hardware?
Yes. Hotcell is an open-source sandbox runtime (Apache-2.0) that runs Docker containers, Firecracker microVMs or Apple Virtualization microVMs on your own machines. Real API keys stay on the host, and each sandbox gets a short-lived, spend-capped token. Directionally Local sets it up together with the Autopilot coding agent harness with one command.