Celesto vs Google Cloud
Celesto vs Google Cloud Agent Platform Sandboxes: Celesto gives each agent a virtual machine with root, an interactive shell, a desktop, and a CDP browser for 83% less per hour on the same CPU and memory, while Google's container sandboxes run one command per request without sudo, add a monthly free tier, and fit teams already inside Google Cloud.
Pick by where the agent lives: an agent that needs a full machine and a lower hourly price favors Celesto; an agent built on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, with VPC controls and Google billing, favors Google's sandboxes.
- Same 2 vCPU · 4 GB sandbox
- $0.030 vs $0.206
- Per hour. 83% or more less on every matched size.
- Root and shell
- sudo
- A full Linux machine on Celesto. Google's Shell sandbox runs each command in a new shell, with no sudo.
- Cold start
- Under 2 seconds
- Celesto's stated boot. Google allows up to 2 minutes to provision from a cold start, then seconds.
Root and an interactive shell, not one command per request.
A dot marks whoever has the edge on that line.
Isolation and access
- Isolation model
- Its own KVM virtual machine and kernel(Celesto has the edge)
- Container sandboxing; technology not named
- Cold start
- Under 2 seconds(Celesto has the edge)
- Up to 2 minutes cold, then seconds; Shell ready in about 20 s
- Shell access
- Browser terminal, or celesto computer ssh with no SSH keys(Celesto has the edge)
- One command per request, each in a new shell
- Root access
- Full sudo(Celesto has the edge)
- No sudo
Browser and desktop
- Browser over CDP
- Built-in Chromium at a CDP URL
- Computer Use sandbox with CDP for Playwright
- Live view
- Live desktop on the browser templates, read-only or with control
- VNC stream of the browser
State and network
- Lifetime
- Persistent; stopped disks kept 30 days(Celesto has the edge)
- TTL from 2 hours to 14 days by type
- Snapshots
- Stop and start keep disk and packages; processes end
- Pause keeps disk; snapshots with memory in Preview(Google Cloud has the edge)
- Egress control
- Internet on or off (TypeScript SDK)
- Internet on or off per template; finer rules through your VPC(Google Cloud has the edge)
Tools and price
- MCP
- Hosted MCP server that creates sandboxes and runs commands(Celesto has the edge)
- Not found
- SDKs and API
- Python, TypeScript, CLI, and a REST API(Celesto has the edge)
- Python SDK (v1beta1 API)
- 2 vCPU · 4 GB, per hour
- $0.030(Celesto has the edge)
- $0.206
- Free usage
- $5 one-time credit, no card
- 50 vCPU-hours and 100 GiB-hours a month(Google Cloud has the edge)
- Sandboxes per project
- Up to 10
- 1,000 per project per region(Google Cloud has the edge)
- Run it yourself
- Apache-2.0 microVM package runs sandboxes locally
- GKE Agent Sandbox, open source, on your own GKE cluster
Celesto has the edge Google Cloud has the edge
83% less per hour on every matched size.
Each Celesto size next to the same CPU and memory on Google Cloud, or its nearest size, per hour.
| Hardware | Google Cloud | Celesto |
|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU · 2 GB | $0.103/hour | $0.015/hourMicro, 20 GB disk included |
| 2 vCPU · 4 GB | $0.206/hour | $0.030/hourStandard, 30 GB disk included |
| 2 vCPU · 8 GB | $0.242/hour | $0.040/hourMemory, 40 GB disk included |
| 4 vCPU · 16 GB | $0.484/hourCustom containers (Preview); size limit not published | $0.080/hourLarge, 60 GB disk included |
| 8 vCPU · 32 GB | $0.968/hourCustom containers (Preview); size limit not published | $0.160/hourXL, 100 GB disk included |
Google prices are its Agent Platform Sandbox rates per hour; sandboxes are billed while they exist, and paused ones at an unpublished lower rate. Code Execution sandboxes come in two fixed sizes. Celesto prices include the root disk and apply while the sandbox runs.
Agents that need a full machine run cheaper on Celesto.
Choose Celesto if
- You want to pay 83% less per hour for the same CPU and memory
- Your agent needs root, an interactive shell, and Docker
- Sandboxes should start in seconds every time, not after up to 2 minutes cold
- You want TypeScript, a CLI, or an MCP client to drive sandboxes
Choose Google Cloud if
- Your agents already run on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform
- Your security model depends on VPC Service Controls and your own VPC egress
- Your usage fits inside 50 vCPU-hours and 100 GiB-hours a month
- You want to run sandboxes on your own GKE cluster with Agent Sandbox
Questions.
What does Google Cloud offer for AI agent sandboxes?
Google Cloud's managed option is Agent Platform Sandboxes in Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform: Code Execution, Computer Use, Shell, and custom containers. It also offers GKE Agent Sandbox, an open-source gVisor-based project you run on your own GKE cluster, and Cloud Run sandboxes in Preview.
Is Celesto cheaper than Google Cloud Agent Platform Sandboxes?
Yes, on list price. Google charges $0.085 per vCPU-hour and $0.009 per GiB-hour while a sandbox exists, $0.206 an hour for 2 vCPU and 4 GiB. Celesto Standard has the same CPU and memory for $0.030 an hour with a 30 GB disk, at least 83% less on every matched size. Google includes 50 vCPU-hours and 100 GiB-hours free each month.
Can I get a shell and root access in Google's sandboxes?
Google's Shell sandbox runs one command per request, each in a new shell, as a user with no sudo. A Celesto sandbox is a full Linux machine with sudo, an interactive shell through celesto computer ssh, and a terminal in the browser console.
What is a good Google Cloud alternative for AI agent sandboxes?
Celesto works with any agent framework, inside or outside Google Cloud: each sandbox is its own virtual machine with root, a terminal, desktop view, CDP browser, public preview URLs, Docker, and a disk that survives stops, from $0.015 per hour. New accounts get a one-time $5 credit with no card.
Start with $5 in credits. No card required.
Google Cloud details from its public pricing and documentation, as of October 17, 2026: Pricing · Sandboxes · Release notes · Quotas · GKE Agent Sandbox · Cloud Run sandboxes. Celesto details come from the current sandbox catalog and feature list. Prices are list rates, not measured performance. Google Cloud is a trademark of its owner; Celesto is not affiliated with it.