macOS compute / Flow Swiss Mac Bare Metal alternative

Flow Swiss Mac Bare Metal alternative for portable agents

Flow Swiss Mac Bare Metal allocates dedicated physical Macs with local SSDs, remote management and cloud networking. The installed Mac system already persists while the device is retained. Compare that allocation with portable Linux agent stages; native macOS applications still require a suitable Mac.

Start buildingCompare capabilities ↓

Reviewed 2026-10-19 · Published by the Sandbox0 team

When Flow Swiss Mac Bare Metal fits

Choose Flow for dedicated Mac hardware, native Apple development and its platform networking/remote-management model. The selected Intel or Apple Silicon device, memory and SSD capacity are meaningful product requirements.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for compatible Linux repository work and agent tools needing a durable growing RootFS and supported paused files. Keep Xcode, signing, simulators and Mac-specific software on suitable Apple hardware.

Capabilities

Flow Swiss Mac Bare Metal and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeFlow Swiss Mac Bare MetalNot 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 filesFlow Swiss Mac Bare MetalThe retained physical Mac includes its specified local SSD capacity.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSFlow Swiss Mac Bare MetalA dedicated bare-metal Mac holds the installed macOS environment and writable system state.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 stateFlow Swiss Mac Bare MetalPower-off retains a billed allocation; arbitrary memory-preserving release/restore is unestablished.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateFlow Swiss Mac Bare MetalDedicated hardware and remote power management do not establish arbitrary RAM checkpoint recovery.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.

Flow already preserves a whole installed Mac system on local SSD while allocated. Device-specific physical capacity and migration/storage changes are different from automatic low-space online expansion of Sandbox0’s compatible Linux RootFS.

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.

LOM and platform APIs manage the physical Mac; they do not themselves define file reads/mutations throughout its powered-off filesystem. Operator-side storage tools require their own access and consistency design.

See paused file operations →

Retained devices stay billed while off

Flow bills hourly with a 24-hour minimum allocation and explicitly continues billing powered-off devices. Turning off a Mac therefore preserves a reserved hardware resource rather than releasing compute billing. Plan the device lifecycle and any required data export before deallocation.

Source 1 ↗

Monthly amounts are estimates in Swiss francs

The pricing guide labels its monthly values as estimates based on 730 usage hours. Prices are CHF and exclude VAT. Keep the published hourly amount and monthly reference separate; do not silently convert CHF to USD or present the rounded reference as an unqualified monthly cap.

Source 1 ↗

Physical SSD state and cloud networking are included differently

Each selected Mac has its own specified SSD. The service includes an elastic public IPv4, an organization-level 20 TB monthly outbound allowance and best-effort Economy support; higher support tiers cost extra. Local disk capacity and service-level terms remain separate from automatic durable Linux RootFS growth.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

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.

Flow Swiss Mac Bare Metal

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

Mac mini M1 / 16 GB / 512 GB reference
CHF 0.27/hour; CHF 199 monthly estimate
24-hour minimum; monthly estimate uses 730 hours; VAT excluded.
Rate source ↗
Mac mini M4 Pro / 48 GB / 2 TB reference
CHF 0.75/hour; CHF 549 monthly estimate
12-core listed model; verify current capacity and regional availability.
Rate source ↗
Powered-off allocated Mac
Device charges continue
Higher support plans and additional resources can add charges.
Rate source ↗

These are CHF hardware-allocation references, excluding VAT. Monthly estimates are rounded and should not be treated as a separately verified cap. Include actual retained duration, bandwidth beyond the organization allowance, optional networking and support.

Check current Flow Swiss Mac Bare Metal 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 Flow Swiss Mac Bare Metal

  1. Inventory Mac model, local SSD state, native apps, minimum allocation, power-off billing, network allowances and support requirements.
  2. Export compatible repository/agent data and port Linux stages while retaining Mac-native work on suitable hardware.
  3. Test handoff, durable system tools, RootFS growth, paused files and combined CHF Mac allocation plus Linux runtime/storage costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Flow Swiss Mac Bare Metal 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 ↗doc.flow.swiss/platform/pricing/mac-bare-metal ↗doc.flow.swiss/products/mac-bare-metal ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

Related comparisons

AWS EC2 Mac Dedicated Hosts vs Sandbox0 →Green Mini host vs Sandbox0 →HostMyApple Mac VPS / Dedicated vs Sandbox0 →MacinCloud Dedicated / Managed vs Sandbox0 →MacStadium Macs / Orka vs Sandbox0 →OakHost Dedicated Mac Hosting vs Sandbox0 →