Browser platforms / Cloudflare Browser Run / Kitesurf alternative

A Cloudflare Browser Run alternative

Cloudflare Browser Run offers direct browser sessions and one-shot Quick Actions; Kitesurf is a separate stateless beta engine. These are browser services with useful Workers integration. A persistent Linux runtime is a different layer for an agent that also needs installed tools, system configuration and accumulated files.

Start buildingCompare capabilities ↓

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

When Cloudflare Browser Run / Kitesurf fits

Cloudflare fits applications already using Workers that want managed browser control or quick screenshots, PDFs and extraction. Keep its managed browser delivery and compatible Kitesurf Quick Actions when those solve the web task more directly than operating a browser yourself.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for the compatible Linux computer behind a broader agent: durable whole-RootFS state, online growth and supported paused-file operations. Install and operate your browser tooling, or combine the runtime with Cloudflare’s remote browser APIs.

Capabilities

Cloudflare Browser Run / Kitesurf and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeCloudflare Browser Run / KitesurfNo fixed maximum for an active browser session, but inactivity and service deployments can close it; this is not durable machine continuity.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 filesCloudflare Browser Run / KitesurfBrowser session reuse does not establish a general-purpose persistent Linux disk.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSCloudflare Browser Run / KitesurfA browser service and stateless Kitesurf engine do not establish complete writable Linux RootFS persistence.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 stateCloudflare Browser Run / KitesurfKeeping an active browser alive does not establish a compute-free machine checkpoint.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateCloudflare Browser Run / KitesurfArbitrary process-memory snapshot/restore is not established by the reviewed session limits.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.

Browser Run and Kitesurf do not expose a verified whole writable Linux RootFS growth contract in these sources. Scaling browser concurrency serves a different purpose from expanding one agent computer’s filesystem online.

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 →

Browser hours and peak concurrency are separate meters

Quick Actions use the browser-hour meter; direct sessions add a concurrency meter. Chargeable concurrency uses the monthly average of daily peaks, not total sessions or a guarantee of unlimited parallel browsers. Usage seconds are aggregated and the monthly hour total is rounded to the nearest whole hour.

Source 1 ↗

An active browser can live longer than its inactivity timer

The limits guide has no fixed active-session lifetime, but default inactivity closes a browser after one minute, extendable to 20 minutes. Deployments can also close sessions. The default paid concurrency limit is separate from the included billable concurrency allowance. Plan restart/reconnect and external durable state accordingly.

Source 1 ↗

Kitesurf has a different compatibility and lifecycle trade-off

Kitesurf is a stateless Workers-based engine for compatible Quick Actions and agent tasks, currently free in beta under account limits. It trades away full desktop-browser features and pixel-perfect rendering. A free beta engine is not an unlimited persistent Chromium machine or a permanent price commitment.

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.

Cloudflare Browser Run / Kitesurf

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

Workers Paid account minimum
$5/month
Broader Workers plan fee, separate from additional browser usage.
Rate source ↗
Paid browser hours
$0.09/hour after 10 included hours/month
Shared across Quick Actions and direct browser sessions; monthly aggregate rounding applies.
Rate source ↗
Paid direct-session concurrency
$2 per additional monthly-average browser
First 10 included; calculated from the average of daily peaks, with a separate actual concurrency limit.
Rate source ↗
Workers Free browser allowance
10 minutes/day and three concurrent browsers
Daily usage allowance, not a 10-hour monthly paid-plan pool.
Rate source ↗
Kitesurf beta
Currently free under per-account limits
Rate source ↗

Price the Workers plan and any other deployed services separately. Billable concurrent browsers and allowed simultaneous browsers are different quantities. Session uptime is browser time, not allocated Linux CPU/RAM, and active-browser lifetime does not prove retained system files or memory checkpoints.

Check current Cloudflare Browser Run / Kitesurf 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 Cloudflare Browser Run / Kitesurf

  1. Inventory Quick Actions versus direct sessions, active browser state, Workers bindings, concurrency peaks and any separately persisted application state.
  2. Port compatible agent tooling to Sandbox0 and choose whether to retain Cloudflare browser APIs or operate a browser locally with the required rendering fidelity.
  3. Test browser reconnection, durable files outside browser storage, whole-RootFS growth, paused files and the complete Workers/browser/runtime bill.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Cloudflare Browser Run / Kitesurf replacement?

Evaluate API compatibility and product scope. These products serve different core workflows, so a change may require a different architecture.

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 ↗developers.cloudflare.com/browser-run/pricing/ ↗developers.cloudflare.com/browser-run/limits/ ↗developers.cloudflare.com/browser-run/kitesurf/ ↗developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/pricing/ ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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