# Best sandboxes for AI agents in 2026

An AI agent that only chats can't do much. To clean up an inbox, research a list of companies or fix a bug, it needs a computer: a browser it can sign in with, files it can keep, and a terminal to run things in. A sandbox is that computer, kept apart from yours so a mistake stays contained.

[SFCrew](https://sfcrewai.com/) is an open source app for AI teammates that do real work. You talk to each bot in chat, and each one gets its own computer. You can watch its screen and take over at any moment. Where that computer runs is your choice: a hosted sandbox, a container on your own server, a Kubernetes cluster, or your own Mac or PC. This page compares every option SFCrew supports.

Updated November 4, 2026.

## Compared

| Sandbox | Runs on | Keeps between sessions | Best for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Boat](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/boat/) | Hosted Ubuntu VM in the EU | Its disk and each bot's Chrome profile | Many bots with separate logins |
| [E2B](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/e2b/) | Hosted Linux sandbox | Its files, paused with the computer | Public or multi-user deployments |
| [Daytona](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/daytona/) | Hosted Linux sandbox | Its disk | Teams already on Daytona |
| [Novita](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/novita/) | Hosted Linux sandbox | Files, browser logins and running programs | Bots that pick up where they left off |
| [Railway](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/railway/) | Your Railway account | The workspace SFCrew saved | Running everything in one Railway account |
| [Wuying](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/wuying/) | Your Alibaba Cloud Windows desktop | The desktop's own disk | Windows apps, Alibaba Cloud and mainland China |
| [Docker](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/docker/) | Your own server or computer | Each bot's home folder, on your disk | Self-hosting with no cloud account |
| [Kubernetes](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/kubernetes/) | Your own cluster, one pod per computer | The workspace SFCrew saves, or a volume | Teams that already run Kubernetes |
| [Your computer](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/your-computer/) | Your Mac or PC, no isolation | Everything; it's your machine | Bots that need your real apps and logins |

## How to choose

### You want it hosted

[Boat](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/boat/) is what SFCrew Cloud runs its own bot computers on: full Linux VMs where every bot keeps its own Chrome logins. [E2B](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/e2b/) is the option SFCrew's live computer tests run on, and pauses idle computers instead of deleting them. [Novita](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/novita/) pauses with memory, so a bot comes back to the same open programs. [Daytona](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/daytona/) keeps each computer's disk and suits teams already using it.

### You don't want a cloud account

[Docker](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/docker/) is the default when you [self-host SFCrew](https://sfcrewai.com/self-hosted-ai-agent/): each bot gets a locked-down container with a desktop, on your own machine. [Kubernetes](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/kubernetes/) runs one pod per computer on a cluster you already have, with gVisor or Kata if you want VM-level isolation.

### You want one bill

[Railway](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/railway/) runs SFCrew, its database and the bot computers from one template. The trade-off is that computers are rebuilt from saved files after they stop, so open programs don't survive.

### You need Windows, or you're in mainland China

[Wuying](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/wuying/) lets bots use a Windows cloud computer you already have on Alibaba Cloud, which also works where other sandbox providers are hard to reach.

### You want your bots on your real apps

The SFCrew desktop app can let bots use [your own computer](https://sfcrewai.com/sandboxes/your-computer/), with your files, apps and logins. That isn't a sandbox, so only turn it on for bots you'd trust unattended.

[Computer providers guide](https://sfcrewai.com/docs/self-host-sandbox-providers/)

## FAQ

### What is an AI agent sandbox?

An isolated computer where an agent can run commands, use a browser and change files without touching your own machine. In SFCrew it's the bot's computer, which you can watch and take over.

### Do I need a sandbox provider to run SFCrew?

No. When you [self-host](https://sfcrewai.com/self-hosted-ai-agent/), Docker computers work out of the box with no cloud account. Hosted providers are optional.

### Can I switch providers later?

Yes. SFCrew keeps its own saved copy of each bot's workspace, so a new computer on another provider starts from the last saved version. Let bots finish and their computers stop before you switch, so recent changes are saved first. Software installed outside the workspace doesn't move.

### Which sandbox is the safest?

Hosted sandboxes and Kubernetes with gVisor or Kata keep a bot furthest from your own systems. Docker containers are hardened but share your server's kernel. Using your own computer gives a bot everything you can reach, by design.