Computer-use platforms / Coasty alternative

A Coasty.ai alternative starts with the computer-use and machine boundary

Coasty combines computer-use inference, managed task execution, and managed or externally registered machines. A managed action step and an independently retained machine use different meters. Compare the execution layer your agent actually needs rather than treat every Coasty price as a VM-hour rate.

Start buildingCompare capabilities ↓

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

When Coasty fits

Coasty fits teams that need its computer-use prediction, grounding, task/workflow orchestration, or integration with an existing desktop. Its external-machine path retains the owner’s hardware while the platform coordinates authorized actions.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for hosted Linux agent compute with a durable complete writable RootFS, automatic online growth, and supported file access during compute pauses. Supply computer-use perception, desktop control, and task orchestration separately when required.

Capabilities

Coasty and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeCoastyNot established in this reviewSandbox0ttl 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 filesCoastyManaged stop preserves disk and snapshots; external-device storage remains owned by its host.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSCoastyManaged disk retention is documented, but complete writable RootFS coverage is not established by the reviewed computer-use reference.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 stateCoastyManaged stop/start retains disk; external start/stop are logical dispatch gates, not host power changes.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateCoastyPrediction-session state and disk snapshots do not establish retained VM process memory.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 reviewed machine and action APIs do not establish automatic online expansion of a durable complete RootFS. Host storage on an externally registered machine remains a separate operator responsibility.

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 →

Managed power operations differ from external-device gates

The machine reference says managed stop powers off the VM while keeping disk and snapshots. The same logical action on an external machine only gates dispatch and revokes pending work; it does not power off the owner’s host. Likewise, external deregistration does not delete the host’s data. Choose the lifecycle matching the actual machine type.

Source 1 ↗

A retained disk is different from a paused agent conversation

Managed machine stop retains disk for start, while tasks, prediction sessions, schedules, and human-wait states have their own lifecycle. The public reference does not establish arbitrary RAM/process continuity for a managed stop. Auto-destroy is also separate: a positive TTL can terminate the managed machine, and clearing it changes that deletion policy.

Source 1 ↗

The current step offer and published machine defaults are separate

The public price page offers managed steps and a Developer credit plan. The machine reference publishes running/stopped machine defaults, while the pricing JSON explicitly points to authenticated endpoints for effective deployed rates. Its older subscription-credit table is not interchangeable with the current managed-step offer. Confirm the account/product before estimating a bill.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗

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.

Coasty

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

Managed task step
$0.05 per managed step
Current public offer includes managed machines for this workflow.
Rate source ↗
Developer plan
$19 per month with $25 API credit monthly
Rate source ↗
Published managed Linux machine default
$0.05 per running hour
Separate developer API wallet; effective deployed machine rates require account confirmation.
Rate source ↗
Published stopped-machine default
$0.01 per hour
Retained machine charge; not a zero-cost parked-compute promise.
Rate source ↗

The current marketing page, older subscription-credit JSON, and dedicated-machine meters describe different scopes. Do not convert the old subscription credit quantity into the current step price. Published machine defaults are not a verified account quote; inference, schedules, and own-machine behavior need separate accounting.

Check current Coasty 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 Coasty

  1. Inventory managed versus external machines, saved files, snapshots, workflows, prediction sessions, and actual effective account pricing.
  2. Package compatible agent tools in Sandbox0 and port machine lifecycle, commands, files, secrets, and any separate desktop-control/model integration.
  3. Validate repeated system state, RootFS growth, paused file access, process expectations, and the combined machine, inference, and orchestration bill.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Coasty 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 ↗coasty.ai/docs/llms.txt ↗coasty.ai/pricing ↗coasty.ai/api/pricing ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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