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Lizard vs E2B for AI code execution
Choose Lizard for CPU tasks that fit its fixed sizes and need a low running rate. Choose E2B when its custom templates or interpreter integration match your application better. We build Lizard. Prices checked on 4 November 2026; the calculations assume equal duration and do not establish equal performance.
Why developers look for a E2B alternative
Compare the bill, including the plan
At 2 vCPU and roughly 4 GB of memory, 1,000 aggregate hours use $16.20 on Lizard Small and $165.60 on E2B. A new Lizard Pro account pays $19; E2B Hobby pays $165.60 and Pro pays $315.60. The workload stays within 20 concurrent machines and one-hour Hobby sessions. It excludes introductory credit, models, extra storage, traffic and tax differences.
A small experiment can favor E2B
Ten hours at the reference allocation use $1.656 on E2B Hobby, below Lizard's $19 monthly minimum. E2B's one-time introductory credit can also cover initial work. Existing unused account allowances change incremental cost, so compare new-account and existing-account bills separately.
Resource rates do not prove task speed
The providers label memory as GB and GiB and do not promise identical CPU performance. Compare the same repository, dependencies and acceptance test, then record setup, retries and billable runtime. A lower hourly rate helps only when the machine meets the task's requirements.
Preserve the application contract
A shell process, a stateful Python interpreter and an agent session expose different results. Translate exit codes, files, interpreter outputs and timeouts deliberately. Test pause and reconnect as well as the happy path before moving user work.
Lizard vs E2B
Every figure read off E2B’s published pricing and our own. Last verified: 4 November 2026.
| Compared by | Lizard | E2B |
|---|---|---|
| Lizard plans and usage | Pro: $19/month with $19 of usage; Pro 5x: $99 with $99; Pro 20x: $499 with $499. Apply included usage once. | Hobby has no base fee. Pro: $150/month plus compute usage. |
| Running allocation | Small: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 5 GB local disk. Fixed size; Small in supported US regions. | Use the actual template allocation. The price example uses 2 vCPU and 4 GiB RAM. |
| Running compute rate for that allocation | $0.0162/hour, billed by the second; idle running time counts. | $0.1656/hour at the listed CPU and memory rates; idle running time counts. |
| Concurrency | Pro: 40 running vCPU, or 20 Small. Pro 5x: 220 vCPU, or 110 Small. Pro 20x: 1,200 vCPU, or 600 Small. | Hobby: 20; Pro: 100 before paid upgrades. Check effective account limits. |
| Session lifetime | SDK/CLI default: five minutes. Set an explicit deadline; commands do not extend it. timeoutMs: 0 disables that creation deadline. | Hobby: one continuous hour; Pro: 24 hours. Pause/resume resets the runtime window. |
| Pause and persistence | Pause keeps files, memory and processes and stops compute billing. Persistent Volumes remain a separate charge. | Pause keeps files and memory and stops compute billing. Saved state does not ensure external connections remain valid. |
| Prepared environments | Ready templates and private snapshots. Arbitrary Dockerfile sandbox-template builds are not available. | Custom templates and image builds. Check build-system constraints for the image. |
| Code execution | Shell commands and stateful Python through CodeSandbox in Lizard SDK. | Shell execution and a Code Interpreter API. Map results and errors before migrating. |
| Durable files | Export results or attach Persistent Volumes. Volumes are node-local, single-attach and prevent sandbox forks. | Keep output storage separate from the task lifecycle; verify current volume and sharing support. |
| 1,000 aggregate hours, new account | $16.20 of compute; $19 Pro subtotal. | $165.60 Hobby subtotal or $315.60 Pro subtotal. |
When E2B is the better choice
Keep or choose E2B when you rely on its custom template workflow, Code Interpreter result format or existing integration, and the savings would not repay the migration work. Hobby can cost less for small eligible workloads. Lizard has fixed machine sizes, less local disk in Small and specific region and start limits; verify those before choosing it.
Moving from E2B
No Dockerfile required — lizardpack detects the stack and writes one on the build node. If your repo already has a Dockerfile, it is used as it stands.
- Record the current image, resource allocation, timeout, outputs and peak concurrency.
- Create one Lizard Small sandbox with an explicit lifetime in a supported US region.
- Map command and interpreter results to the application's current interface.
- Run the same acceptance task; compare output, retries and full billable duration.
- Export results, test pause and failed cleanup, then move a small share of eligible jobs.
Frequently asked questions
For the stated 1,000-hour workload, the subtotal is $19 on Lizard Pro versus $165.60 on E2B Hobby or $315.60 on E2B Pro. E2B Hobby can cost less at low use. These are calculations from rates, not a claim of equal performance.
No. Use the Lizard SDK and map creation, files, commands, interpreter results and lifecycle calls. Compare failure behavior and storage before migrating.
Both document pause that preserves memory and files and stops compute charges. Persistent storage can have its own bill. Test external connections after resume.
The sandbox charge covers the execution environment. Claude, OpenAI and other model-service charges remain separate.
Use a small repository with a failing test. Have the agent fix it, rerun the test independently, compare the diff, retrieve the output and confirm the final sandbox state.
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