boat Overview
This boat review looks at the cloud service that gives each AI agent its own persistent, full Ubuntu virtual machine. Agents can run Docker, systemd, databases and cron in a true development machine, with an integrated 60fps desktop and browser, and be prompted or observed from outside through a CLI, API or SDKs.
What is boat?
boat is a sandbox service for people running fleets of agents, continuous-integration jobs or long coding sessions in the cloud. VMs start in about a second, can scale to thousands, stop and resume, and are billed per second only while running. Note: this is boat.dev only — not UseBoat, a different agent-workspace product.
How boat Works
Create a persistent Ubuntu VM for an agent, run agents such as Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode inside it, and control it from outside with the CLI, API or SDKs. The integrated desktop and browser let you watch what the agent is doing. Snapshots let you fork a machine from a saved state, and port forwarding, webhooks, API keys, secrets, teams and auto-stop cover production use.
Who Should Use boat?
boat fits teams running many agents at once, long coding sessions, or jobs that need a real machine — Docker, databases, cron and system services — rather than a short-lived container. It is a poor fit for a single short task that a local machine or a simple hosted notebook already handles, where a persistent VM adds cost and setup for no gain.
Our Verdict on boat
boat’s case is simple: agents that need a real computer should get a real computer, not a stripped-down sandbox. Per-second billing while running, plus free stopped machines, keeps idle fleets cheap, and the $20 monthly minimum is clear upfront. The bottom line of this boat review: use it when your agents need persistent, full machines at scale — and test the 7-day trial first to confirm the workflow fits your stack.
Best boat Alternatives
- Replit — cloud development workspaces
- Together AI — cloud inference for open models
- Firecrawl — web data infrastructure for agents
Key Features
- Persistent, full Ubuntu cloud VMs for AI agents
- Integrated 60fps desktop and browser
- Run agents inside, control from outside via CLI, API or SDKs
- Start in about a second, scale to thousands of VMs
- Stop and resume, snapshots and forking, port forwarding, webhooks, API keys, secrets, teams and auto-stop
- SSH/SCP, Docker, systemd and pre-installed development tools
- Billed per second only while running; stopped machines cost nothing for VM time
boat Pricing
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Plans from | $20/month, with a 7-day free trial; billed per second only while running; $20 plan = $20 of VM time |
| Small — 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 51 GB | $0.018/hour ($13/month) |
| Default — 4 vCPU / 8 GB / 51 GB | $0.036/hour ($26/month) |
| Large — 8 vCPU / 16 GB / 111 GB | $0.072/hour ($53/month) |
| XLarge — 16 vCPU / 32 GB / 251 GB | $0.200/hour ($146/month, on $100+ plans) |
| Snapshot | $0.056/day each |
| Overage VM time | $0.036/hour (default) |
Pricing checked on November 2, 2026 — always confirm on the official site.
boat Pros & Cons
✓ Pros
- A full Ubuntu machine, not a limited sandbox — Docker, systemd, databases and cron all work
- Per-second billing while running, and stopped machines cost nothing for VM time
- Fast starts and snapshot forking suit fleets of agents
- Integrated desktop and browser make agent work observable
✕ Cons
- $20 monthly minimum, even for light use
- Largest size requires a $100+ plan
- A persistent VM is more setup than a short-lived container for simple tasks
boat FAQs
How much does boat cost in 2026?
What is boat?
Do stopped boat VMs cost anything?
Is boat the same as UseBoat?
Best boat Alternatives
This Pomerado review looks at the tool that turns any website into a deterministic API or MCP integration an AI agent can…
This Ghosthand review looks at the AI agent tool that lets an agent control a real iPhone from a Mac. The Mac…
Dropstone CLI
★★★★☆Dropstone CLI reviewed for 2026 — the self-learning terminal coding agent with persistent memory. Features, pricing from $5/mo, real pros and cons, verdict.
Codiga
★★★★☆Codiga reviewed for 2026 — automated code review from $14/user/mo. Custom rules, one-click fixes, honest pros and cons, and who should use it.