E2B alternatives for when your agent needs a real desktop

E2B alternatives for when your agent needs a real desktop

E2B does one thing and does it well: spin up a Firecracker microVM, run code, return results, destroy everything. For code interpreters and data pipelines, it works. 88% of Fortune 100 companies use it, they raised $32M, the core is open source.

But E2B was built for ephemeral code execution. If your agent needs a real browser, persistent files, desktop apps, or multi-day project context, you're working against the grain. As agents move from "run this Python snippet" to "do this job," that friction adds up.

This article compares alternatives that give agents more room: platforms with GUI access, persistence, or full desktop environments.

Where E2B stops being useful

E2B sandboxes have no desktop. No rendered pages, no screenshots, no graphical apps. If you're building a computer-use agent, this is a wall.

When a sandbox session ends, everything is gone. Files, packages, configs, project state. You can serialize and reload externally, but then you're building a persistence layer on top of something designed to be stateless.

No browser either. Agents that need to research, fill forms, or scrape rendered pages need a separate service like Browserbase, plus the orchestration to wire it in.

Sessions have time limits. Agents that work for hours or days can't live inside something that expires.

Sandboxes are built for single tasks: run code, return output. Agents that juggle multiple apps or maintain background processes need more.

E2B made these trade-offs in favor of speed and simplicity. If your workload has grown past them, here's what else exists.

The alternatives

1. Le Bureau: persistent Linux desktops

Full Linux desktops for AI agents. Each one is an Ubuntu 22.04 VM with XFCE4, Chrome, a terminal, VS Code, and Claude Code + OpenClaw already installed. Proxmox VMs with 20-80 GB persistent data disks. VNC streaming through KasmVNC so you can watch what your agent is doing.

Good for agents doing long-running, multi-tool work: code, browsing, terminal, file management across sessions. Development agents, research agents, automation that runs over days.

The downside compared to E2B: slower boot, heavier footprint. Don't use this for thousands of short-lived code executions.

Try Le Bureau free

2. Browserbase: headless browsers in the cloud

Cloud Chromium instances with stealth mode, CAPTCHA solving, and the Stagehand AI framework.

Good for scraping, browser automation, data extraction from rendered pages. More of a complement to E2B than a replacement. E2B for compute, Browserbase for browsing.

No code execution, no terminal, no file system. Browser only.

3. Daytona: dev environments with desktop support

Secure infrastructure for AI-generated code with dev environment support. Docker-based, sub-90ms cold starts. Raised $24M Series A (Feb 2026). Supports Linux, Windows, and macOS virtual desktops.

The snapshot/fork model is interesting. Agents can branch execution, try two approaches in parallel, keep whichever works. That's a workflow E2B can't match.

Docker isolation is weaker than Firecracker microVMs. Built for dev environments, not general agent compute.

4. Fly.io Sprites: sandboxes with state

Fly.io's take on stateful sandboxes. Persistent Linux VMs with 100 GB NVMe filesystems, unlike E2B's ephemeral approach.

Good for agents that need persistence and code execution but not a GUI. Basically "E2B with a hard drive." No GUI means computer-use agents still need something else.

5. Scrapybara: pay-per-use browser automation

Virtual desktop instances for browser automation, pay-per-use. YC-backed, integrated with OpenAI's Computer Use Agent API.

Aimed at occasional browser automation without a subscription commitment. No persistent storage, no general code execution.

6. Docker Sandboxes: containers for agent code

Docker's sandbox offering for AI agents using microVMs. Partnered with E2B for MCP support.

Good for teams already on Docker who want to sandbox agent code without adding a service. Familiar tooling, decent isolation. No GUI.

Comparison matrix

How to pick

Start with what your agent actually does.

If it runs code and returns results, stay with E2B. Nothing else is faster for that.

If it needs to browse the web, add Browserbase alongside E2B, or use Le Bureau if you want everything in one place.

If it needs persistent state, Fly.io Sprites for compute-only, Le Bureau for a full desktop.

If it needs a GUI or computer use, Le Bureau or Daytona. Scrapybara if you only need a browser.

If it does everything (code, browsing, terminal, files, persistence), you need a desktop, not a sandbox.

Where this is all heading

E2B launched Desktop Sandbox with GUI support. Fly.io added persistence with Sprites. Browserbase added session state. Docker partnered with E2B for MCP.

The direction is clear: agents need more than a code execution box. Sandbox products are adding desktop features. Desktop products already have them.

As agents take on longer, more complex work, the line between "sandbox" and "workspace" keeps blurring. Most teams will end up needing both: something fast for quick tasks, something persistent for real work.

---

Le Bureau provides persistent cloud desktops for AI agents: full Linux environment, VNC access, real-time monitoring. Start free during the beta.