Box by ASCII vs Run Cloud
Agents don't fitin fixed boxes.
Box makes one fixed Linux VPS shape inexpensive. Run Cloud makes the workload inexpensive: reserve only the CPU and memory an agent needs, burst CPU when work spikes, and use the same platform for Linux, iOS, Android, and Xcode.
Box by ASCII
One shape$0.036/hr
4 shared vCPUs · 8 GB RAM · 75 GB NVMe
Fixed capacity, whether the agent uses it or not
Run Cloud
Workload-shaped0.125 vCPU and up
Independent CPU + RAM · metered burst above the floor
Reserve for the baseline. Burst for the spike.
Published 2026-07-26. Box facts come from Box's public pricing and documentation; Run Cloud figures use current published rates. Recheck both before a purchase.
The short version
Box wins one shape. Run Cloud wins the workload.
Box's 4-shared-vCPU, 8-GB machine is cheaper than reserving that exact shape on Run Cloud. That is a real advantage, and we are not going to hide it. The tradeoff is that every agent gets the same bundle. Run Cloud is built for fleets whose jobs need different amounts of memory and whose CPU demand comes in bursts.
Exact Box shape
$0.036/hr
Box is cheaper for 4 shared vCPUs and 8 GB. The same Run Cloud reservation is about $0.0594/hour.
Right-sized example
$0.02083/hr
Run Cloud for 1 vCPU and 4 GiB: $15.00 over 30 continuous days before free usage.
Recurring allowance
$0 paid
The recurring $15 monthly allowance covers that same 30-day reservation with a card.
Illustrative prices use 30 × 24 hours. Box bills running seconds at $0.00001 each. Run Cloud uses $0.00000492 per physical core-second and $0.00000083175 per GiB-second; one physical core equals two vCPUs. CPU used above the reservation is additional.
At a glance
Machine sizes
- Box by ASCII
- One published shape: 4 shared vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, and 75 GB NVMe.
- Run Cloud
- Choose CPU and memory independently, from 0.125 to 32 vCPUs and 128 MiB to 112 GiB.
CPU behavior
- Box by ASCII
- Four shared vCPUs are the fixed machine boundary.
- Run Cloud
- Reserved CPU is a billing floor, not a ceiling. Work can burst above it and is metered at the same CPU rate.
Published price
- Box by ASCII
- $0.036 per running hour for the 4-vCPU, 8-GB machine.
- Run Cloud
- $0.017712 per physical core-hour plus $0.0029943 per GiB-hour. Configure only what the workload needs.
Free access
- Box by ASCII
- A seven-day trial. Paid plans start at $20 per month.
- Run Cloud
- $5 of usage every month without a card. Add a card and the first $15 of usage is free every month.
Persistence
- Box by ASCII
- Persistent Ubuntu filesystem with stop, resume, snapshot, and fork.
- Run Cloud
- Persistent filesystem snapshots with pause, resume, and fork for Linux microVMs.
Isolation
- Box by ASCII
- A full Ubuntu VPS on a Hetzner CX33 with shared vCPUs.
- Run Cloud
- KVM-backed Firecracker microVMs, each with its own kernel and filesystem.
Developer access
- Box by ASCII
- CLI and SDKs, SSH and SCP, a dedicated IPv4 address, desktop access, and Docker.
- Run Cloud
- CLI, TypeScript SDK, and API for lifecycle, command execution, files, snapshots, previews, and agent workflows.
Beyond Linux
- Box by ASCII
- Persistent Linux machines.
- Run Cloud
- Linux microVMs, iOS simulators, Android emulators, and Xcode build infrastructure on one account.
A trial expires. Run Cloud's free usage renews.
Box offers a seven-day trial, then paid plans beginning at $20 per month. Run Cloud includes $5 of usage every month without a card. Add a card and the first $15 of metered usage is free every billing month. That is not a countdown to a paid plan; it is a recurring allowance a small agent can keep using.
At current rates, a continuously running 1-vCPU, 4-GiB sandbox costs $15.00 over 30 days. The recurring $15 allowance covers that reservation for accounts with a card. Most agents do not need to run every second of the month, so stopped time and smaller reservations leave room for CPU bursts or additional agents.
Peak performance without peak provisioning.
Agent workloads are not smooth. They wait on models and networks, then fan out across package installs, compilers, test runners, and browsers. A fixed VPS asks you to rent for the peak all month or accept the fixed ceiling when the spike arrives.
Run Cloud separates the baseline from the spike. Reserve the CPU and memory that keep the workload healthy; when it uses more CPU, that burst is metered at the same rate rather than requiring a permanently larger machine. Memory stays an explicit reservation, so you can give an agent 4 GiB without bundling it with a fixed CPU count.
One Linux box versus the computers agents actually need.
Box is focused: a persistent Ubuntu VPS with SSH, Docker, local NVMe, a desktop, and a dedicated IPv4 address. That makes it an excellent small server. Run Cloud is an agent infrastructure platform. The Linux sandbox sits beside iOS simulators, Android emulators, and Xcode build sandboxes, operated through the same account and programmatic workflow.
If the job never leaves Linux and always wants the published Box shape, breadth may not matter. If an agent must compile an app, open it on a phone, inspect the result, fork its working state, and clean up a fleet when the task ends, it does.
Where each one is strong
Box by ASCII
- The exact published 4-shared-vCPU, 8-GB shape is unusually inexpensive at $0.036 per running hour.
- A familiar full Ubuntu server with SSH, SCP, a dedicated IPv4 address, Docker, and 75 GB of local NVMe.
- Simple stop, resume, snapshot, and fork commands, with persistent files between sessions.
- Two terabytes of included monthly egress and a browser desktop are useful for server-like, human-in-the-loop workloads.
Run Cloud
- CPU and memory are sized independently, so a memory-light agent does not have to rent an oversized bundle.
- Reserved CPU is only the floor: an agent can burst when a build or install spikes instead of waiting behind a fixed CPU ceiling.
- The free allowance renews every month — $5 without a card or $15 with one — instead of expiring after seven days.
- Firecracker microVMs provide a dedicated kernel and filesystem while keeping startup and fleet operations agent-friendly.
- The same platform also supplies iOS simulators, Android emulators, and Xcode builders when the workflow leaves Linux.
- A self-serve API, CLI, and TypeScript SDK are designed for creating and retiring large fleets programmatically.
Which one should you pick?
Choose Box when
- You want exactly 4 shared vCPUs and 8 GB of RAM, and expect to use most of that shape most of the time.
- The workload looks like a traditional server: always on, directly reachable over IPv4, and administered primarily through SSH.
- Included local disk and network transfer matter more than independently sizing CPU and memory.
- A full Ubuntu VPS with Docker-in-Docker is the product you already know you need.
Choose Run Cloud when
- Your agents use modest memory, but CPU demand changes sharply between thinking, installing, compiling, and testing.
- You are running many heterogeneous agents and want each one sized to its actual task instead of one fleet-wide box.
- A recurring monthly free allowance is more useful than a trial that ends after seven days.
- Your workflow also needs iOS, Android, or Xcode without stitching together another infrastructure vendor.
- You want a microVM lifecycle designed around API-created sessions, snapshots, forks, timeouts, and fleet cleanup.
Frequently asked questions
Is Run Cloud always cheaper than Box by ASCII?
No. Box is cheaper for its exact fixed shape: 4 shared vCPUs and 8 GB cost $0.036 per running hour, while the same reservation at Run Cloud rates is about $0.0594 per hour. Run Cloud becomes economically different when the workload does not need that entire bundle continuously: CPU and memory can be right-sized independently, CPU can burst above the reservation, and the monthly free allowance offsets the first $15 of usage for accounts with a card.
What does 1 vCPU and 4 GiB cost on Run Cloud?
At the rates published on July 26, 2026, 1 vCPU and 4 GiB cost about $0.0208332 per hour, or $15.00 for 30 continuous days. With a card on file, the recurring $15 monthly allowance covers that reservation. Actual bills follow measured runtime, and any CPU used above the reservation is additional.
Why is Run Cloud better for CPU-spiky agents?
A Run Cloud CPU setting establishes the reserved floor. The workload can use more CPU when capacity is available, and that extra use is metered at the same core-second rate. A fixed VPS stays within its published shared-vCPU shape, so a large temporary spike either waits, competes for those CPUs, or requires another machine.
Does Run Cloud have persistent machines and snapshots?
Yes. Run Cloud Linux sandboxes support persistent filesystems plus snapshot, fork, pause, and resume. Like Box filesystem snapshots, this is not a promise to preserve in-memory process state.
Which platform has the better free tier?
Box documents a seven-day trial. Run Cloud includes usage every billing month: $5 without a card, or the first $15 with a card. A trial is useful for evaluation; a recurring allowance can keep a small workload running month after month.
Can Box by ASCII run Docker?
Yes. Box documents Docker support inside its Ubuntu VPS. If a full server with SSH, Docker, dedicated IPv4, and a fixed 4-vCPU, 8-GB shape is the requirement, Box is a strong fit. Run Cloud is the stronger fit when right-sizing, burst CPU, fleet economics, or mobile infrastructure matters more.
The simplest way to run one agent
The most affordable way to run thousands.
Start with $5 of usage and no card. Add one and the first $15 of usage is free every month. Size each sandbox for the work, then let CPU burst when the job demands it.