Shellbox
Fewer than 5 people recommend it so far, so there's no written verdict. Here is what commenters said.
Why people recommend it
“If you don't need GPU, check out https://shellbox.dev - it snapshots memory, processes.”
“it snapshots memory, processes. And you pay only for actual running time per minute”
Show 3 more
“Using https://shellbox.dev cron, the box is up for a couple of minutes and im not paying for the rest”
“is $0.02/hr and you pay per minute only for what you use.”
“take a look at https://shellbox.dev, se3ms like a good fit. Real linux, and very affordable”
Caveats and dissent
No one in these comments warned against it.
Often compared with
From the makers not counted in the ranking
“I love ssh apps! See also late.sh, and my own https://shellbox.dev”
“Cheaper by a factor of 2-5 depending on your usage.”
“Instant linux boxes via ssh that suspend on disconnect. Checkout https://shellbox.dev”
“Vms hosted in Hetzner auction instances is exactly how shellbox works.”
Threads where it came up
- Show HN: ssh ssh.place 3 mentions
- I Am Building a Cloud 3 mentions
- Launch HN: machine0 (YC S26) – Persistent CPU and GPU VMs from the CLI 2 mentions
- Run isolated sandboxes with full lifecycle control: AWS introduces MicroVMs 2 mentions
- How We Run Firecracker VMs Inside EC2 and Start Browsers in <1s 2 mentions
- Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (May 2026) 2 mentions
Also written as shellbox, shellbox.dev. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 30
“If you don't need GPU, check out https://shellbox.dev - it snapshots memory, processes.”
“it snapshots memory, processes. And you pay only for actual running time per minute”
“Using https://shellbox.dev as substrate so it is independent of my own schedule.”
“Using https://shellbox.dev cron, the box is up for a couple of minutes and im not paying for the rest”
“is $0.02/hr and you pay per minute only for what you use.”
“take a look at https://shellbox.dev, se3ms like a good fit. Real linux, and very affordable”
“doesn't get any easier/cheaper that this”
“Look for e.g. at https://shellbox.dev, it starts at $0.02/hr”
“Shellbox looks really cool!”
“Try https://shellbox.dev for a less expensive solution”
“One way is to use something like https://shellbox.dev”
“boxes can be stopped, they are snapshotted to disk then cost just $0.5/month”
“An interesting alternative: https://shellbox.dev - manage linux vms via ssh, pay only for what you use.”
“Just use something like https://shellbox.dev instead of FireCracker inside ec2”
“Even supports post quantum encryption :)”
“How would you compare Shellbox with exe.dev?”
“Standing out in this regard checkout https://shellbox.dev”
Thanks for the feedback. Ill improve it. In the meanwhile, there are more technical details on this blog post: https://shellbox.dev/blog/race-to-the-bottom.html
“https://shellbox.dev is a hosted version of something very similar”
“SSH to devboxes is the exact usecase for services like https://shellbox.dev”
“you can spin similar instances very cheaply and billed only for the time openclaw actually runs in https://shellbox.dev”
“see for e.g. https://shellbox.dev”
“how does it compare to https://shellbox.dev?”
“https://shellbox.dev”
“Or... use something like https://shellbox.dev”
“I use shellbox.dev to create sandboxes through ssh”
“the shellbox VMs work great as sandbox for Claude-Code”
“I am probably throwing my full weight behind shellbox.dev”
“checkout also https://shellbox.dev/ which has pure ssh access”
“I like it better as it uses pure ssh”