Runtime vs E2B

Different categories entirely

E2B is open-source sandbox infrastructure. It gives you an API and SDK to spin up Firecracker microVMs where code can execute securely. Companies like Perplexity and Groq embed E2B inside their own products as the code execution layer.

Runtime is the finished product your team actually uses. It combines sandbox orchestration, AI agent integration (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI), a web UI with live preview, real-time multiplayer, git workflows, background agent pipelines, webhook integrations, team observability, and organizational cost controls. These systems are deeply integrated, not separate pieces stitched together.

E2B is a tool for developers building AI products. Runtime is the AI product your organization uses to build and ship software.

Sandboxes are one layer in a much larger stack

E2B solves one problem well: secure, fast, isolated code execution. But a sandbox is just one layer. To go from "code runs in a container" to "my team ships software with AI agents," you need to build and maintain at least eight separate systems on top: agent orchestration across multiple models, live preview that works across frameworks, full git workflows, real-time collaboration, background agent pipelines with ticket integrations, team observability with cost attribution, environment management with secrets, and auth/billing.

Each of those is a real engineering project with its own edge cases and ongoing maintenance. And the hard part isn't building them individually. It's making them all work together as one coherent flow where a prompt triggers an agent, the preview updates live, a teammate sees the changes, the agent opens a PR, the cost gets attributed, and it all shows up in the team dashboard.

Building that on E2B is possible the same way building a car is possible if you start with an engine. Technically true, practically a different endeavor.

Why teams use Runtime instead of building on E2B

The integration is the product

The value of Runtime isn't in any single feature. It's in how everything works together as one coherent system. The end-to-end flow from prompt to deployed software, with collaboration, visibility, and controls along the way, is what takes years to build and maintain.

Your team uses it tomorrow, not in six months

If you need AI coding agents for your team today, building on E2B means six months of engineering before anyone on your team can use it. And then you're maintaining it forever.

Runtime gives you the platform today. Sign up, import your repo, start building.

It works for people who aren't engineers

E2B is a developer SDK. Your PMs, designers, and growth team will never write code against the E2B API.

Runtime is designed for your entire organization. Non-engineers prompt Claude Code in plain English, see live preview, and ship with one click. Engineers import monorepos and run background agents. Same platform, different entry points.

When E2B makes sense

• You're building your own AI product and need to embed code execution
• You need sub-200ms sandbox start times for API-driven workflows
• You're running thousands of concurrent sandboxes for RL or evaluation
• You have a platform engineering team to build the product layer on top

When Runtime makes sense

• You want a complete platform for AI coding agents, ready to use
• Your team (not just engineers) needs to build and ship with AI
• You need live preview, multiplayer, background agents, git workflows, and observability working together
• You'd rather ship product than spend six months building infrastructure

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