# Runtime vs Runloop Runtime runs agent code in microVMs, like Runloop's devboxes, and costs **88% less** for an agent that mostly waits on a model. **The saving:** 1,000 one-minute runs of a 2 vCPU, 4 GiB sandbox cost **$0.64 on Runtime and $5.33 on Runloop**. At 100,000 runs a month that is $63.89 against $532.56, **$469 a month saved**. If you are weighing more than two, [Runloop alternatives](/compare/runloop-alternatives) ranks the other providers by the cost of the same job. ## Where Runtime is better - **You pay for the CPU you use.** Runloop bills a devbox's CPUs and memory for as long as it runs. Runtime measures the CPU your code actually uses, so time spent waiting on a model costs only a small floor, a twentieth of a vCPU. - **Idle time bills only storage.** A Runtime sandbox pauses itself after 300 seconds with no activity, keeps its memory and processes, and runs its next command when a request wakes it. While paused, it pays $0.08 per GB (10⁹ bytes) of saved state a month. - **An uptime promise with automatic credit.** Paid accounts are promised 99% API uptime each month; a month below it returns 10% of that month's charges as credit, with no claim to file ([Uptime Promise](/legal/sla)). - **Lower rates on every meter.** $0.025 per vCPU-hour against Runloop's $0.108 per CPU-hour, and $0.0075 per GiB-hour of memory against $0.0252 per GB-hour. Even with both CPUs busy the whole time, the example job costs $1.33 on Runtime and $5.33 on Runloop. - **Pause keeps memory, on every account.** A paused Runtime sandbox wakes with its processes still running, kept while you have credit. A suspended Runloop devbox keeps only its disk, its processes must be restarted, and suspend and resume come with Runloop's Pro plan. - **Forks of a running sandbox.** Copy a sandbox with its memory and running processes, and try several things from exactly that point. - **No plan fee.** Runloop's Pro plan is $250 a month plus usage. Runtime is prepaid credit from $10, with 100 free hours of a 1 GB machine in the first 30 days. - **Teams at no extra charge.** Single sign-on over SAML or OIDC (Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace), SCIM, roles and an audit log come with every account ([single sign-on](./single-sign-on)). - **Your agent sets itself up.** It runs `npx withruntime sandboxes run -- ...`, shows you a link, and starts once you approve in the browser. No API key goes into a prompt or a config file, and the [MCP server](./mcp) reuses the same connection. **Also included:** a code interpreter, network allow and deny lists, secrets the sandbox never sees, custom images, volumes backed up daily, private previews, a Linux desktop, metrics, webhooks, OpenTelemetry export, S3, R2 and GCS bucket mounts, MCP servers from a catalog and identity tokens for AWS and Google Cloud. Paid accounts add custom domains, TCP ports, dedicated outbound addresses and WireGuard private networks. See [products](./products). ## At a glance Runloop's figures come from its public pricing and documentation, checked 25 October 2026. | | Runtime | Runloop | | --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | Isolation | Firecracker microVM, own kernel | microVM, with a container inside | | CPU billing | $0.025 per vCPU-hour of measured CPU, with a small floor | $0.108 per CPU-hour while the devbox runs | | Memory billing | $0.0075 per reserved GiB-hour | $0.0252 per GB-hour | | Disk | Included while running | $0.00034236 per GB-hour | | Plan fee | None; prepaid credit from $10 | Basic free; Pro $250 a month plus usage | | Free start | 100 free hours of a 1 GB machine in the first 30 days, no card | $50 of credit, no card | | Suspend, resume | Pause keeps files, memory and processes | Suspend keeps the disk; processes restart | ## Cost for the same job Take 1,000 runs of a 2 vCPU, 4 GiB sandbox. Each run lasts 60 seconds and keeps the CPU busy for 20 CPU-seconds: an agent that spends most of its time waiting for a model. On Runloop that is the `MEDIUM` devbox: 2 CPUs, 4 GB and 8 GB of disk. ``` Runtime CPU 1,000 × 20 s / 3,600 × $0.025 = $0.14 Memory 1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 4 × $0.0075 = $0.50 Total $0.64 Runloop CPU 1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 2 × $0.108 = $3.60 Memory 1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 4 × $0.0252 = $1.68 Disk 1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 8 × $0.00034236 = $0.05 Total $5.33 ``` - **Saving:** 88%, or $4.69 per 1,000 runs. - **Per month:** at 100,000 runs, $63.89 on Runtime against $532.56 on Runloop. - **Busier work:** with both CPUs busy for the whole minute, $1.33 on Runtime against $5.33 on Runloop. Plan fees, storage while suspended, network, taxes and free credit are left out of both. On Runtime, inbound traffic is free, and each account's first 100 GiB out a month is free, then $0.02 per GB (10⁹ bytes). See [pricing](./pricing) for Runtime's terms. ## How to switch Give your coding agent the one instruction in [migration](./migrate). It replaces the Runloop calls on a branch, tests them on the free usage, and tells you what you save each month. Your old code stays on the main branch until you merge. Runtime: ```ts import { Sandbox } from "withruntime"; const box = await Sandbox.create(); try { await box.files.write("/workspace/invoice.py", "print(sum([125, 250, 375]))\n"); console.log((await box.exec("python3 /workspace/invoice.py", { check: true })).stdout); } finally { await box.stop(); } ``` ## When Runloop may fit better - **Evaluation.** Runloop evaluates models against your own workload and generates RL rollouts checked by running them. - **Your own cloud.** Runloop deploys into your cloud account. ## Sources Checked 23 September 2026; plan features checked 27 September 2026. - [Runloop pricing](https://www.runloop.ai/pricing) - [Devbox sizes](https://docs.runloop.ai/docs/devboxes/configuration/sizes) - [Devbox lifecycle](https://docs.runloop.ai/docs/devboxes/lifecycle) - [Runloop](https://www.runloop.ai/) - Runtime [pricing](./pricing), [security](./security) and [products](./products)