Where should your agent run tonight?
Seven things you could run a long agent job on, line by line against a box.
From $5 a month · Docker and sudo included · Cancel from the dashboard any time
- lid closedvs your laptopThe laptop stops the agent when the lid closes. The box keeps going.
- €5.49 + an eveningvs a DIY VPSA bare VPS is cheap until you count the evening of setup.
- $0.18 an hourvs GitHub CodespacesCodespaces stops when idle. An agent job needs a machine that stays on.
- €6vs TerminalboxBoth stay on. One runs Docker, ten tabs and a limits board for less.
- $0 extravs cloud agentsCloud agents start fresh each task. A box remembers everything.
- API ratesvs Cursor background agentsCursor meters agent runs at API rates. A box runs your own plan at a flat price.
- $20–$200vs DevinDevin is its own agent on its own plans. A box runs the agents you already use.
Against the cloud agents and hosted environments
Five alternatives, five questions that decide where a long agent job can live.
| Option | How long it stays on | docker compose | What you pay for | Your own Claude or ChatGPT plan | From your phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Codespaces | Stops after an idle timeout of up to 4 hours | Yes | $0.18 an hour for 2 cores, plus storage | Yes, signed in by hand | VS Code in a mobile browser |
| Cursor background agents | One task per cloud VM | A snapshot or a Dockerfile in the environment file | Model usage at API rates, from your Cursor plan | No, Cursor's own billing | Web and the iOS app |
| Claude Code on the web | One session, on a fresh machine | Per session, gone after | Included in Claude Pro and Max | Claude only | The Claude apps |
| Devin | Per session, on Devin's machine | Inside Devin's own machine | Free, $20 or $200 a month; extra usage at API pricing | No, Devin's own plans | Web app |
| DIY VPS (Hetzner CX23) | Always | You install it | €5.49 a month, plus the evening you spend setting it up | Yes, tokens copied by hand | An SSH app |
| detachbox | Always, no hour cap | Preinstalled, runs your compose file | $5, $12 or $24 a month per box | Claude and ChatGPT plans, connected once | The dashboard in your phone's browser, plus Remote Control and Happy |
Vendor pages and docs, checked 28–30 September 2026.
| Option | Keeps running when you leave | Docker | Terminal tabs that persist | All limits on one board | Smallest always-on option, a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your laptop | Until the lid closes | Yes | While it is awake | No | Your battery |
| Bare VPS (Hetzner CX23) | Yes | You install it | You set up tmux | No | €5.49, 40 GB |
| GitHub Codespaces | Stops when idle | Yes | Until it stops | No | 2 cores, $0.18 an hour: about $131 a month left running |
| Terminalbox Base | Yes | No | 1 | No | €6, 50 GB |
| detachbox Start | Yes, around the clock | Yes, with compose | Up to 10 | Yes | $5, 50 GB |
Prices from each vendor's pricing page, 28 September 2026.
Questions about this
What about caffeinate or keeping the lid open?
They keep the laptop awake at home. They fail on the train, in a backpack and when the battery runs out. A box stays on without any of that.
Is a VPS more powerful?
At the same size, a VPS gives you a full VM and a kernel of your own. A box gives you the same CPU and memory with everything an agent needs already set up, for a lower price.
Can I raise the Codespaces idle timeout?
Up to four hours. After that the codespace stops, and the agent with it.
Why does Docker matter for an agent?
Agents test against databases, queues and caches. Without Docker they test against mocks, and the bugs wait for staging.
Do I pay for the model twice?
No. Claude Code and Codex on the box run on the subscriptions you already pay for. The box costs $5, $12 or $24 a month for the machine.
Can I keep using Cursor with a box?
Yes. The box is a Linux machine you reach over SSH with your keys, so an editor that works over SSH can connect. The agents on the box keep running after the editor closes.
Is detachbox an agent like Devin?
detachbox is the machine. The agent is the one you choose: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Gemini CLI, preinstalled and running with approvals off.
The box that stays on, from $5
Docker, sudo, ten persistent tabs, SSH, preview URLs and the limits board on every plan.
Start my boxCharged when the box starts · Cancel from the dashboard; the box runs to the end of the paid month