Celesto vs Daytona
Celesto vs Daytona: Celesto runs every sandbox as its own virtual machine for 81% less per running hour on the same CPU and memory, with a CDP browser and disks up to 100 GB, while Daytona defaults to faster-starting containers and adds domain allow lists and GPUs.
Pick by what the agent needs: a full virtual machine, a CDP browser, or a large disk favors Celesto; GPUs or Windows sandboxes favor Daytona.
- Same 2 vCPU · 4 GB sandbox
- $0.030 vs $0.166
- Per running hour. 81% or more less on every matched size.
- Isolation by default
- Virtual machine
- Every Celesto sandbox is a KVM VM. Daytona sandboxes are Linux containers unless you choose a VM.
- Largest sandbox
- 8 vCPU · 32 GB
- Self-serve on Celesto, with a 100 GB disk. Daytona caps a sandbox at 4 vCPU, 8 GB, and 10 GB disk outside Enterprise.
A full VM for every sandbox, where Daytona defaults to containers.
A dot marks whoever has the edge on that line.
Isolation and boot
- Isolation model
- Its own KVM virtual machine and kernel(Celesto has the edge)
- Linux container by default; VM sandboxes available
- Cold boot
- Under 2 seconds
- Under 90 ms for containers(Daytona has the edge)
- Docker inside
- Supported
- Supported with Docker-in-Docker images
- GPUs
- No GPU sizes
- Up to 8 GPUs per sandbox(Daytona has the edge)
Browser and desktop
- Desktop view
- Live desktop, read-only or with control
- VNC desktop and computer-use API
- Browser over CDP
- Built-in Chromium at a CDP URL(Celesto has the edge)
- No documented CDP endpoint
State and storage
- Snapshot and resume
- Stop and start keep disk and packages; processes end
- Containers keep files, not memory; memory snapshots on VMs via API(Daytona has the edge)
- Disk per sandbox
- 20 to 100 GB by size, included(Celesto has the edge)
- 3 GiB default, 10 GB max
- Persistent workspace
- CelestoFS, not limited by disk size
- S3-backed volumes, no extra cost
Network and tools
- Egress control
- Internet on or off (TypeScript SDK)
- Block all, CIDR or domain allow lists; restricted on Tiers 1–2(Daytona has the edge)
- MCP
- Hosted MCP server, nothing to install
- MCP server run from the Daytona CLI
- SDKs and API
- Python, TypeScript, CLI, and a REST API for any language
- Python, TypeScript, Ruby, Go, Java, CLI, REST API
Price and access
- 2 vCPU · 4 GB, per hour
- $0.030(Celesto has the edge)
- $0.166
- Free start
- $5 one-time credit, no card
- $200 in free compute(Daytona has the edge)
- Open source
- Apache-2.0 microVM package, maintained(Celesto has the edge)
- AGPL-3.0 repo, no longer developed since June 2026
- Run in your own cloud
- Local sandboxes with the open-source package
- Customer-managed compute on Enterprise(Daytona has the edge)
Celesto has the edge Daytona has the edge
81% less per hour on every matched size.
Each Celesto size next to the same CPU and memory on Daytona, or its nearest size, per hour.
| Hardware | Daytona | Celesto |
|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU · 2 GB | $0.083/hour | $0.015/hourMicro, 20 GB disk included |
| 2 vCPU · 4 GB | $0.166/hour | $0.030/hourStandard, 30 GB disk included |
| 2 vCPU · 8 GB | $0.230/hourDaytona's largest memory per sandbox | $0.040/hourMemory, 40 GB disk included |
| 4 vCPU · 16 GB | $0.461/hourAbove Daytona's 4 vCPU · 8 GB per-sandbox limit; Enterprise only | $0.080/hourLarge, 60 GB disk included |
| 8 vCPU · 32 GB | $0.922/hourAbove Daytona's 4 vCPU · 8 GB per-sandbox limit; Enterprise only | $0.160/hourXL, 100 GB disk included |
Daytona prices are its published vCPU and memory rates per hour; its default 3 GiB disk falls inside the 5 GiB free storage allowance. Celesto prices include the root disk. Credits are not applied. Matching CPU and memory does not imply equal performance.
Full VMs, browsers, and big disks run cheaper on Celesto.
Choose Celesto if
- You want each sandbox in its own virtual machine and 81% less per running hour
- Your agent drives a browser and needs a CDP URL for Playwright or Puppeteer
- Sandboxes need more than 4 vCPU, 8 GB of memory, or 10 GB of disk without an Enterprise contract
- Claude Code or Cursor should connect to a hosted MCP server with one command
Choose Daytona if
- You need sandboxes created in under 90 ms and container isolation is enough
- You need GPU or Windows sandboxes
- You need egress allow lists by domain or CIDR
- You want to run sandboxes on your own compute with a managed control plane
Questions.
Is Celesto cheaper than Daytona?
Yes, on list price. Daytona charges $0.0504 per vCPU-hour and $0.0162 per GiB-hour of memory, which is $0.166 an hour for 2 vCPU and 4 GiB. The same CPU and memory on Celesto (Standard) costs $0.030 an hour with a 30 GB disk included. Across every matched size Celesto is at least 81% less per running hour. Daytona includes $200 in free compute; Celesto starts with a one-time $5 credit.
Does Daytona use containers or virtual machines?
Daytona sandboxes run as Linux containers by default, with dedicated namespaces and resource limits; Linux VM and Windows sandboxes are available as full virtual machines. Every Celesto sandbox is its own KVM virtual machine with its own kernel, so code never shares a kernel with another sandbox.
Can my agent drive a browser in Celesto or Daytona?
On Celesto, create a sandbox from the browser-agent template and call computer.browser() to get a CDP URL for Playwright or Puppeteer, plus a live desktop view. Daytona offers a VNC desktop and a computer-use API for mouse, keyboard, and screenshots; its docs do not describe a CDP endpoint.
Do files survive when a sandbox stops?
Yes on both. Celesto keeps the disk, installed packages, and CelestoFS workspace across stop and start, and keeps a stopped disk for 30 days. Daytona keeps a stopped container's filesystem but not its memory, auto-stops idle sandboxes after 15 minutes by default, and can archive stopped sandboxes to object storage.
How large can a sandbox be?
Celesto offers six sizes up to 8 vCPU, 32 GB of memory, and a 100 GB disk, all self-serve. Daytona's documented per-sandbox limit is 4 vCPU, 8 GB of memory, and 10 GB of disk, with larger limits on Enterprise, and separate GPU sandboxes.
Can I self-host Daytona or Celesto?
Daytona's public repository is AGPL-3.0 but no longer developed: core development moved to a private codebase in June 2026. Daytona Enterprise can run sandboxes on your own compute with its hosted control plane. Celesto sandboxes run on celesto, an Apache-2.0 microVM package that also runs a sandbox on your own machine with Computer().
What is a good Daytona alternative for AI agents?
Celesto is a Daytona alternative when agents need a full virtual machine rather than a container: each sandbox has a terminal, desktop view, CDP browser, public preview URLs, Docker, and a disk that survives stops, from $0.015 per hour for 1 vCPU and 2 GB. New accounts get a one-time $5 credit with no card.
Start with $5 in credits. No card required.
Daytona details from its public pricing and documentation, as of October 17, 2026: Pricing · Isolation · Sandboxes · Limits · Snapshots · Network limits · Computer use · MCP · Customer-managed compute · Repository. Celesto details come from the current sandbox catalog and feature list. Prices are list rates, not measured performance. Daytona is a trademark of its owner; Celesto is not affiliated with it.