Browser platforms / Tabstack alternative

A Tabstack.ai alternative

Tabstack provides managed extraction, research and web automation APIs. Its hosted Automate interface targets public sites, while the open-source Pilo engine offers a separate path for a browser and model you control. Those choices change both authentication support and operating costs.

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

When Tabstack fits

Tabstack fits applications that want structured extraction, research or completed public-web tasks without running that automation stack. Pilo fits teams willing to operate their own browser and model integration for greater control.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 when the agent needs a durable Linux execution environment for tools such as Pilo and supporting services, with a growing whole RootFS and paused file access. Test compatibility and supply model/provider configuration; Sandbox0 runtime fees do not replace model or web-service charges.

Capabilities

Tabstack and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeTabstackNot 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 filesTabstackHosted web APIs and a separately operated browser engine do not establish a hosted durable Linux disk.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSTabstackPilo uses the machine you supply; Tabstack does not thereby provide its whole-RootFS lifecycle.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 stateTabstackA completed web task or local engine is not evidence of a managed arbitrary-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 stateTabstackArbitrary process-memory capture/restore is not established for the hosted service.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.

Tabstack’s shared action credits and Pilo’s open-source engine do not establish a hosted, automatically growing Linux RootFS. Running a compatible engine on Sandbox0 can retain installed tools and accumulated files under Sandbox0’s separate runtime 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.

Tabstack’s public-web extraction APIs do not establish paused access to the agent’s Linux filesystem. Pilo inherits the storage/lifecycle of the machine you supply; Sandbox0’s Files API can access its persistent RootFS while guest compute remains paused.

See paused file operations →

Hosted Automate cannot log in; Pilo is a different path

The Pilo guide explicitly limits hosted Automate to public websites without login. Pilo runs on infrastructure you operate, drives a browser you control and uses your chosen model provider. It is Apache-2.0 software and does not consume Tabstack credits by itself; your model and infrastructure costs remain.

Source 1 ↗

Actions and completed calls are different billing units

Extract Markdown is ten credits per action, JSON extraction is 50 and Automate is 100. Extract and Generate use one action per call, but Automate and Research can use several. A plan’s illustrative action count is therefore not a guarantee of that many complete browser tasks.

Source 1 ↗

Paid overages are enabled unless account controls stop them

Paid plans default to automatic overages with an account cap. The documented Starter default permits 300,000 extra credits, producing a $100 total monthly ceiling; that cap can be changed. Notify Only alerts do not stop usage, whereas Notify and Stop does. Trial credits do not produce automatic overage charges.

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.

Tabstack

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

Trial
10,000 credits once
No card and no automatic paid overage.
Rate source ↗
Starter
$10/month including 100,000 credits
Overage $0.30 per 1,000 credits; automatic overages default on, subject to account cap.
Rate source ↗
Team
$99/month including 500,000 credits
Overage $0.30 per 1,000 credits; one shared balance across endpoints.
Rate source ↗
Automate
100 credits per action
A completed call can require multiple actions.
Rate source ↗
Pilo engine
Open source; operate your own stack
No Tabstack credits by itself; browser infrastructure and model-provider usage are separate.
Rate source ↗

Credit balance, rate limits and action counts are different constraints. The Starter $100 default ceiling includes the $10 plan and $90 of overage; it is a configurable account limit, not a universal hard maximum. All endpoint usage draws from the shared plan balance. Model/runtime costs for Pilo must be budgeted separately.

Check current Tabstack 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 Tabstack

  1. Identify hosted Extract/Research/Automate calls versus a Pilo deployment, login requirements, action counts and overage caps.
  2. Keep suitable public-web APIs as tools or deploy compatible Pilo and browser dependencies on Sandbox0 with your chosen model provider.
  3. Test authenticated workflows where applicable, durable system tools, RootFS growth, paused file operations and complete credits/model/runtime costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Tabstack 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 ↗docs.tabstack.ai/guides/pilo/index.md ↗docs.tabstack.ai/pricing/index.md ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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