Daytona

Daytona is an AI sandbox cloud. github.com/daytonaio/daytona is archived (public archive, last push June 2026). Do not call it a current open-source platform or quote 72k stars as if the repo were alive.

Compare E2B ($0 Hobby / $150 Pro) and Modal if you wanted a still-OSS or first-party serverless sandbox.

Key Features

Sandboxes for agents: Create, snapshot, and resume environments from the cloud control plane.
Language SDKs: Python, TypeScript, Ruby, Go, Java are still listed on the site.
GPU as an extra: Pricing mentions GPU hours on top of the seat. Confirm the live GPU SKU. Do not keep H100 ~$3.95/hr without a current row.
Not self-host anymore: The archived repo matches the June 2026 closed-source move.

Use Cases

Agent teams that want persistent workspaces and will pay a monthly platform fee.
Evals that need snapshots, if you accept a vendor control plane.
People leaving the archived GitHub project who still need the hosted product.

Limitation: included compute credits were not fully itemized on the public cards we used. Confirm the checkout table. Computer-use across four desktop OSes should be re-verified in the current docs, not copied from the OSS-era page.

Pricing

daytona.io/pricing on 2026-08-17:

Plan	Price	Notes from that page
Starter	$20 / month	Platform fee plus usage after included credits.
Plus	$200 / month	Higher included compute.
Scale	$500 / month	Higher still.
Enterprise	Custom	Sales / BYOC language on the site.

Getting Started

Open daytona.io/pricing.
Create a cloud account. Do not clone the archived GitHub repo expecting production support.
Use the current SDK from the docs, not an old AGPL snippet.
Watch the usage meter. The $20 is not unlimited compute.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Daytona still open source?

The GitHub repo is archived. Treat the product as closed-source cloud.

72k stars still right?

Irrelevant once the repo is archived. Do not lead with it.

Cheaper than E2B?

Starter $20 vs E2B Pro $150 is not an apples comparison. Meter the compute.

Alternatives

E2B: Firecracker sandboxes, Hobby $0 / Pro $150.
Modal: Python serverless plus sandbox API.
Vast.ai: Marketplace GPUs if you only needed a card.

Tips

Drop AGPL / 72k-star marketing from decks.
Quote $20 / $200 / $500, then add compute.
Confirm GPU prices on the day you buy.

Conclusion

Daytona is a paid sandbox cloud with an archived GitHub repo, not an OSS default. Start at daytona.io/pricing, then compare E2B if you wanted a still-public engine.