ainclave is onboarding design partners. Numeric rates are unpublished, and its product page lists session persistence, resume, and fork as roadmap capabilities. Read the source ↗

Agent sandboxes / ainclave alternative

An ainclave sandbox alternative for returning agent environments

ainclave gives each agent session a Firecracker microVM with a mounted repository and a closed-by-default network boundary. Its current product page puts session persistence, resume, and fork on the roadmap. Compare that current state with an environment the user can return to across tasks.

Start buildingCompare capabilities ↓

Reviewed 2026-10-18 · Published by the Sandbox0 team

When ainclave fits

ainclave fits teams evaluating EU-hosted agent execution, session-scoped policy, optional dedicated bare metal, and a design-partner relationship. Its configurable runtime and budget controls can support long tasks without a plan-imposed duration ceiling.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 when a user needs the same durable writable RootFS across tasks, including installed tools and system configuration, with online growth and supported file access during compute pauses. Confirm region and deployment requirements separately.

Capabilities

ainclave and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeainclaveNo plan-imposed lifetime ceiling is stated; user runtime, idle, and budget caps can be disabled.View evidence ↗Sandbox0ttl and hard_ttl default to 0 (disabled). Configure idle pause and deletion policies for the same persistent sandbox identity; an idle running sandbox still accrues compute charges.Read documentation →
Persistent filesainclaveSession persistence is explicitly listed as roadmap, rather than a current saved-session feature.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSainclaveA durable returning-session RootFS is not a shipped capability under the published persistence roadmap.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Persistence extends beyond /workspace to paths such as /usr/local, /etc, and /home. Runtime tmpfs and virtual filesystems are excluded.Read documentation →
Release compute, keep stateainclaveSession resume and fork are explicitly listed as not available today.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateainclaveThe current product page does not establish a memory-checkpoint feature.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Experimental memory checkpoints can preserve compatible process state. Use memory: true on both pause and resume on a compatible deployment. A filesystem checkpoint alone does not preserve running processes.Read documentation →

Online RootFS growth

On growth-enabled images, Sandbox0 automatically expands the writable RootFS as free space runs low, within a configured sparse logical ceiling up to 64 TiB. Agent processes keep running. Growth is enabled in the qualified Cloud region; confirm activation for other regions. Existing images and snapshots retain their captured storage geometry. The ceiling is logical capacity, not preallocated host disk.

The current session-persistence roadmap and create-time filesystem policy do not provide automatic durable whole-RootFS growth. Verify those features when the vendor changes its release status.

Files while compute is paused

Sandbox0's Files API reads persistent files without resuming compute. Filesystem-only pauses also permit edits; retained-memory pauses are read-only and reject mutations with 409. SSH, SFTP, file watching, and runtime-only mounts require running compute.

See paused file operations →

Long sessions and returning to saved state are distinct capabilities

ainclave says lifetime, idle, and runtime-budget caps are user-configured and can be disabled. That permits long-running work, but its product roadmap explicitly lists session persistence, resume, and fork as unavailable today. A long single run does not establish saved-machine reuse after the session ends.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

The chosen session configuration fixes important policies

Read/write paths and outbound destinations are declared at creation. The product page also marks self-service destination editing as roadmap. Evaluate those effective controls and the repository mount independently of durable storage for the complete Linux environment.

Source 1 ↗

A session-hour quote is required before a numerical comparison

ainclave has not published numeric rates. Its proposed shared meter counts ready-to-stop wall time, including idle time inside a running session, while dedicated capacity has agreed terms. Bring-your-own model tokens are billed separately by the model provider.

Source 1 ↗

Pricing

Compare billing models, then price your workload

CPU allocation, memory, billing minimums, disk, plan fees, and supported workload differ. These meters are not equal-performance machine quotes. Confirm region, resource units, and included allowances before estimating a total.

ainclave

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

Shared session runtime
Numeric rates not published yet
Proposed unit is ready-to-stop session wall-clock time, including time idle while running.
Rate source ↗
Dedicated bare-metal capacity
Terms agreed per team
Rate source ↗
Model inference
Paid directly to the selected model provider
Rate source ↗

ainclave says design partners receive rates in writing before billing. There is no public numeric comparison or demonstrated savings percentage to calculate. Dedicated audit/export and on-premise features are also marked roadmap; do not describe them as current entitlements.

Check current ainclave pricing ↗

Sandbox0

$0.015/GiB-hour compute (billed by the second at approximately $0.000004167/GiB-second), plus $0.02/GiB-month of retained incremental RootFS and memory checkpoint data. Shared base images and platform recovery retention are excluded; paused sandboxes accrue storage charges only.

Compute / GiB-hour
$0.015
Retained data / GiB-month
$0.02
Paused compute
$0.00

A 4 GiB agent, 100 running hours

$6.00 compute

4 GiB × 100 hours, billed by the second. Keeping 20 GiB of billable incremental data for a full billing month adds $0.40. CPU is derived from memory by the platform; choose a tier that fits your workload.

Understand storage billing →

Before migrating from ainclave

  1. Separate repository data from session-installed tools, configuration, and outputs, and export anything needed before ending the source session.
  2. Recreate the Linux environment and port credentials, allowed destinations, filesystem permissions, and runtime-budget policy.
  3. Validate repeated tasks on one identity, installed-package persistence, RootFS growth, and supported paused file operations, including regional requirements.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in ainclave replacement?

Evaluate API compatibility and product scope. A shared sandbox category does not make SDKs, lifecycle semantics, or limits interchangeable.

Does keeping files also keep a running agent?

Filesystem state and volatile process state are separate. Sandbox0 requires explicit compatible memory checkpoints to preserve running processes; its default filesystem resume starts fresh processes.

Sources and review scope

The Boat team's Battleships directory is the discovery source. References below describe the product and plan discussed on this page. Check current availability, regional terms and billing units before migrating. Where the cited material does not establish a capability or price, the comparison identifies that uncertainty.

Battleships research record ↗www.ainclave.com/pricing ↗www.ainclave.com/agent-sandbox ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

Related comparisons

Agent 37 vs Sandbox0 →AgentComputer vs Sandbox0 →Alibaba Cloud Agent Sandbox / FC / AgentRun vs Sandbox0 →Alibaba Cloud AgentBay vs Sandbox0 →Amika vs Sandbox0 →Archil vs Sandbox0 →