Browser platforms / Lightpanda Cloud alternative

A Lightpanda Cloud alternative

Lightpanda is a browser engine built for machine interaction rather than drawing a page. Its Cloud service meters open browser sessions, while the underlying project can also run locally. Compare the browser capability you actually need with the persistent Linux execution layer for a broader agent.

Start buildingCompare capabilities ↓

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

When Lightpanda Cloud fits

Lightpanda fits DOM/JavaScript-based crawling, scraping and automation that can use its implemented Web APIs and browser protocols without requiring real page pixels. Its managed Cloud can reduce browser-operation work for those compatible tasks.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 when the agent needs a compatible full Linux toolchain and retained system state, with a growing writable RootFS. Install the browser engine appropriate for the task, or keep Lightpanda as a remote tool; browser-hour pricing is not an equal-resource VM quote.

Capabilities

Lightpanda Cloud and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeLightpanda CloudCDP connections close after 15 minutes; active MCP behavior differs. This is not one uniform persistent-computer lifetime.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 filesLightpanda CloudCloud browser hours and connection lifetimes do not establish a general-purpose durable disk.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSLightpanda CloudA browser engine’s in-memory DOM is not a documented whole writable Linux RootFS service.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 stateLightpanda CloudConnection management does not establish arbitrary-machine pause/checkpoint behavior.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateLightpanda CloudArbitrary process-memory snapshot/restore is not established.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.

Lightpanda Cloud’s browser pool and protocol lifetimes do not establish automatic online growth of a customer-controlled Linux RootFS. Operating the local engine on Sandbox0 can retain surrounding tools/files under the runtime’s separate persistence policy.

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 →

No rendering engine changes which tasks are a fit

The architecture guide says Lightpanda runs JavaScript against an in-memory DOM without the graphics pipeline. Element positions are simulated and Page.captureScreenshot returns a placeholder. Tasks needing actual page pixels, visual layout validation or screenshots require a full browser; do not infer rendering equivalence from CDP compatibility or vendor speed benchmarks.

Source 1 ↗

Connection limits differ from the monthly hour pool

Cloud CDP connections close after 15 minutes regardless of remaining allowance. MCP sessions close after five minutes without a request. Open-session time is metered by the second, summed over the period, while concurrency is a separate instantaneous cap. Split work and persist results around those protocol lifetimes.

Source 1 ↗

Cloud and local operation have different responsibilities

Lightpanda can be used as a local engine or a managed Cloud service. An open-source browser running on your host inherits that host’s filesystem and operating policy; it does not by itself supply a hosted durable agent computer. Cloud limits and paid allowances do not define a local deployment’s operations cost.

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.

Lightpanda Cloud

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

Explorer
$0 with 10 browser-hours/month
Five concurrent sessions; bring your own proxy.
Rate source ↗
Builder
$19/month including 300 browser-hours
30 concurrent sessions; bring your own proxy.
Rate source ↗
Builder overage
$0.08 per browser-hour
Session time is metered by the second and aggregated, not billed by pages extracted.
Rate source ↗
Enterprise
Custom volume and deployment terms
Rate source ↗

Browser hours measure how long sessions remain open. Free usage stops when its monthly pool is exhausted; paid usage can continue at the overage rate. Concurrency excess returns 429 rather than granting unbounded sessions. Proxy/provider and your surrounding agent/runtime costs are separate.

Check current Lightpanda Cloud 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 Lightpanda Cloud

  1. Identify DOM-only versus real-rendering needs and export important results before a Cloud connection closes; record protocol and concurrency assumptions.
  2. Deploy compatible automation on Sandbox0 with Lightpanda or a full browser as appropriate, supplying proxies, model integration and artifact handling.
  3. Test actual Web API/layout behavior, long-job reconnection, system-package persistence, RootFS growth and browser/provider/runtime totals.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Lightpanda Cloud 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 ↗lightpanda.io/docs/core-concepts/architecture-overview ↗lightpanda.io/docs/run-on-lightpanda-cloud/limits-and-billing ↗lightpanda.io/docs/core-concepts/what-is-lightpanda ↗lightpanda.io/pricing ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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