Celesto vs E2B
Celesto vs E2B: both give every sandbox its own virtual machine and kernel, but Celesto costs 81% less per running hour on the same CPU and memory and includes a CDP browser and a hosted MCP server, while E2B offers pause and resume that keeps memory, finer egress rules, and higher concurrency.
Pick by what the agent needs: a CDP browser, a large persistent disk, or a lower hourly price favors Celesto; resuming a sandbox with its memory and running processes intact favors E2B.
- Same 2 vCPU · 4 GB sandbox
- $0.030 vs $0.166
- Per running hour. 81% or more less on every matched size.
- Disk included
- 20–100 GB
- Celesto root disk by size, kept 30 days after a stop. E2B includes 10 GiB on Hobby, 20 GiB on Pro.
- Platform fee
- None
- Celesto has no monthly fee. E2B Pro is $150 a month plus usage; Hobby is free with a one-time $100 credit.
Same VM isolation, plus a built-in CDP browser and hosted MCP server.
A dot marks whoever has the edge on that line.
Isolation and boot
- Isolation model
- Its own KVM virtual machine and kernel
- Firecracker microVM with its own kernel
- Cold boot
- Under 2 seconds
- About 150 ms from a snapshot or template(E2B has the edge)
- Docker inside
- Supported
- Supported with a Docker template
Browser and desktop
- Desktop view
- Live desktop, read-only or with control
- Desktop sandbox streamed over noVNC
- Browser over CDP
- Built-in Chromium at a CDP URL(Celesto has the edge)
- Through Kernel cloud browsers, or Playwright inside the desktop sandbox
State and storage
- Snapshot and resume
- Stop and start keep disk and packages; processes end
- Pause keeps memory and running processes(E2B has the edge)
- Stopped or paused sandboxes
- Disk kept free for 30 days
- Kept with no time limit, at no charge(E2B has the edge)
- Disk per sandbox
- 20 to 100 GB by size(Celesto has the edge)
- 10 GiB on Hobby, 20 GiB on Pro
- Persistent workspace
- CelestoFS, not limited by disk size(Celesto has the edge)
- Volumes, in private beta
Network and tools
- Egress control
- Internet on or off (TypeScript SDK)
- On or off, plus IP, CIDR, and domain allow lists(E2B has the edge)
- MCP
- Hosted MCP server that creates sandboxes and runs commands
- MCP gateway inside the sandbox with 200+ catalog tools
- SDKs and API
- Python, TypeScript, CLI, and a REST API
- Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, CLI, REST API
Price and limits
- 2 vCPU · 4 GB, per hour
- $0.030(Celesto has the edge)
- $0.166
- Free start
- $5 one-time credit, no card
- $100 one-time credit on Hobby(E2B has the edge)
- Largest self-serve size
- 8 vCPU · 32 GB(Celesto has the edge)
- 8 vCPU · 8 GiB
- Running at once
- Up to 10
- 20 on Hobby, 100 on Pro(E2B has the edge)
- Self-host
- Apache-2.0 microVM package runs locally
- Apache-2.0 runtime, single-node Embed, Enterprise BYOC(E2B has the edge)
Celesto has the edge E2B has the edge
81% less per hour on every matched size.
Each Celesto size next to the same CPU and memory on E2B, or its nearest size, per hour.
| Hardware | E2B | Celesto |
|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU · 2 GB | $0.083/hour | $0.015/hourMicro, 20 GB disk included |
| 2 vCPU · 4 GB | $0.166/hourE2B's default size | $0.030/hourStandard, 30 GB disk included |
| 2 vCPU · 8 GB | $0.230/hour | $0.040/hourMemory, 40 GB disk included |
| 4 vCPU · 16 GB | $0.461/hourAbove E2B's 8 GiB self-serve limit; Pro via support or Enterprise | $0.080/hourLarge, 60 GB disk included |
| 8 vCPU · 32 GB | $0.922/hourAbove E2B's 8 GiB self-serve limit; Pro via support or Enterprise | $0.160/hourXL, 100 GB disk included |
E2B prices are its per-second vCPU and RAM rates multiplied out to an hour, before plan fees and credits. Celesto prices include the root disk; E2B storage is also free. Matching CPU and memory does not imply equal performance.
Browser agents and long sessions run cheaper on Celesto.
Choose Celesto if
- You run sandboxes for hours and want to pay 81% less per running hour
- Your agent drives a browser and needs a CDP URL without a third-party browser service
- You need more than 8 GB of memory or a 20 GB+ disk without contacting sales
- Claude Code, Cursor, or another MCP client should create and drive sandboxes itself
- You want no monthly platform fee
Choose E2B if
- You need pause and resume that keeps memory and running processes
- You need egress allow lists by domain, IP, or CIDR
- Boot time in milliseconds, rather than under 2 seconds, matters to your workload
- You need more than 10 sandboxes running at once
- You want to self-host the runtime or run it in your own cloud account
Questions.
Is Celesto cheaper than E2B?
Yes, on list price. E2B charges $0.000014 per vCPU-second and $0.0000045 per GiB-second, which is $0.166 an hour for its default 2 vCPU and 4 GiB sandbox. 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. E2B Pro also adds a $150 monthly plan fee; Celesto has none.
How do Celesto and E2B isolate sandboxes?
Both run each sandbox as a separate virtual machine with its own kernel rather than a container on a shared kernel. Celesto uses a KVM virtual machine per sandbox; E2B uses Firecracker microVMs.
Can I use a browser or desktop in a Celesto or E2B sandbox?
Both offer a desktop you can watch live. Celesto's browser-agent template also includes a Chromium browser your code drives over CDP with Playwright or Puppeteer, by calling computer.browser(). E2B streams its desktop sandbox over noVNC and points to Kernel cloud browsers, a separate service, for CDP access.
Does Celesto have pause and resume like E2B?
Celesto stops and starts a sandbox with its disk, installed packages, and CelestoFS workspace intact, and keeps a stopped disk for 30 days. Running processes end on stop. E2B's pause keeps memory and running processes, and keeps paused sandboxes without a time limit. If you need to resume a process mid-run, E2B fits better.
Can I block internet access in Celesto and E2B?
Yes, both. Celesto turns outbound internet off with networkPolicy: { mode: "off" } in the TypeScript SDK. E2B can disable internet too, and also accepts allow and deny lists of IPs and CIDR ranges, with domains in the allow list.
Do Celesto and E2B support MCP?
They use MCP differently. Celesto hosts an MCP server at https://mcp.celesto.ai/mcp that lets Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP client create, start, stop, and delete sandboxes, run commands, and publish ports. E2B runs an MCP gateway inside a sandbox that exposes tools from the Docker MCP Catalog to your agent.
Can I self-host Celesto or E2B?
Celesto sandboxes run on celesto, an Apache-2.0 microVM package that runs a sandbox on your own machine with Computer(). E2B's runtime is also Apache-2.0, with a single-machine Embed product and bring-your-own-cloud deployments on Enterprise.
What is a good E2B alternative for AI agents?
Celesto is an E2B alternative when your agents need long-running computers: each sandbox is its own virtual machine with a terminal, desktop view, CDP browser, public preview URLs, 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.
E2B details from its public pricing and documentation, as of October 17, 2026: Pricing · Billing · Persistence · Internet access · Computer use · Remote browser · Volumes · MCP gateway · Boot time · Runtime. Celesto details come from the current sandbox catalog and feature list. Prices are list rates, not measured performance. E2B is a trademark of its owner; Celesto is not affiliated with it.