Development environments / Zo Computer alternative

Zo Computer alternative

Zo Computer combines a personal cloud computer, an AI interface, stored files and hosted services. Paid plans keep compute available around the clock, while the free computer trial has a distinct recovery path. Compare that integrated personal-cloud application with the runtime for an agent system you build.

Start buildingCompare capabilities ↓

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

When Zo Computer fits

Zo fits users wanting files, built-in AI, Sites, Services and automations in one personal cloud, with optional external model keys or coding-agent accounts. Its filesystem portability and post-trial recovery are useful product features to evaluate directly.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 when your application needs explicit whole writable RootFS lifecycle, online filesystem growth and supported file access while compute stays paused. You supply the personal-assistant UI, model integration, hosted-service routing and application-level memory that Zo bundles.

Capabilities

Zo Computer and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeZo ComputerPaid plans provide always-on compute; Free has separate 14-day computer access and recovery limits.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 filesZo ComputerFiles remain stored and retrievable after the free computer trial; paid plans retain a personal-cloud workspace.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSZo ComputerRegular filesystem snapshots and portable container-image export are documented. The reference does not define which operating-system paths the export includes.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 stateZo ComputerTrial sleep/recovery and application memory do not establish arbitrary process-memory resume.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateZo ComputerFilesystem snapshots are documented; arbitrary RAM/process capture 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.

Zo explicitly retains files, snapshots the user filesystem and supports export. The reviewed material does not establish automatic online expansion of the complete Linux RootFS. Sandbox0 makes that growth and system-tool retention part of its runtime contract on enabled templates.

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.

Zo’s post-trial file recovery is documented, but ordinary recovery uses bounded one-hour computer sessions or support export. That is different from directly reading and modifying the whole paused RootFS through Sandbox0’s supported Files API.

See paused file operations →

Retained files and filesystem portability are real features

Zo’s security reference describes regular filesystem snapshots and data export in a portable container-image format. Its billing guide says trial files remain stored after ordinary computer access ends. These are meaningful retention features; the reviewed material does not specify an automatic whole-RootFS growth ceiling or an arbitrary process-memory restoration contract.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

After the trial, recovery is narrower than ordinary access

The free computer trial lasts 14 days. After it ends, a stopped free computer does not restart for ordinary use; the owner can use up to seven one-hour recovery sessions to download workspace data, or request a support-prepared ZIP. Credits and external AI providers do not extend ordinary computer access, and hosted services are unavailable while compute is stopped.

Source 1 ↗

Always-on plans include an application and AI budget

Basic, Pro and Ultra pair advertised computer resources with AI credits and service/domain limits. The included credits are part of that broader plan, not a raw Linux resource price or unlimited inference. Keep request-specific media prices, provider usage and hosted application needs separate when estimating costs.

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.

Zo Computer

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

Free Trial
$0; 14-day AI/computer trial
Files remain stored, but ordinary free-computer access ends; limited recovery sessions are separate.
Rate source ↗
Basic
$18/month including $10 monthly AI
Advertised 4 cores, 32 GB RAM, 100 GB+ disk, five services and three custom domains.
Rate source ↗
Pro
$64/month including $40 monthly AI
Advertised 16 cores, 128 GB RAM, ten services and five domains.
Rate source ↗
Ultra
$200/month including $100 monthly AI
Advertised 64 cores, 512 GB RAM, 50 services and ten domains.
Rate source ↗

Preserve Zo’s published CPU/GB labels and bundled-service scope; these are not independently measured dedicated-resource or equal-throughput guarantees. External provider usage and media requests have their own terms. A positive credit balance alone does not restore ordinary computer access after the free trial ends.

Check current Zo Computer 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 Zo Computer

  1. Export required files and filesystem data, inventory Sites/Services/domains, automations, model keys and trial/recovery status.
  2. Port compatible Linux tools and files to Sandbox0, retaining or rebuilding the personal-cloud agent, application memory and hosted-service integration.
  3. Test required recovery and service behavior, whole-RootFS retention/growth, paused files and complete application/model/runtime costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Zo Computer 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 ↗www.zo.computer/reference/information/security.md ↗www.zo.computer/guide/billing.md ↗www.zo.computer/pricing ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

Related comparisons

Agency Tool Company vs Sandbox0 →Amp Orbs vs Sandbox0 →Bitrise RDE vs Sandbox0 →boxes.dev vs Sandbox0 →Capy vs Sandbox0 →Claw 2 Agent vs Sandbox0 →