CodeSandbox

What it is for

CodeSandbox is a cloud IDE / sandbox: you share an Excalidraw preview (pineapple + leaf) beside a terminal that printed Compiled successfully, and public Free never expires. Use it when the job is a browser sandbox you start at a public $, not when you need StackBlitz's local-speed WebContainers only.

Soft-note: codesandbox.io/pricing and several docs URLs 403'd on Cloudflare from this environment — we quote search-indexed first-party pricing / credits copy, not a silent $15 (that string was a Next ID on the home HTML). Distinct from StackBlitz, Gitpod, and Replit.

What makes it unique: the cover is CodeSandbox's official collab desk (isometric Share / Open PR, collaborator avatars, Excalidraw preview with pineapple / leaf / csb.app, terminal Compiled successfully + localhost:3000 / You can now view excalidraw in the browser) from image.4a712740.png on codesandbox.io (same asset on the 2024 homepage) — not an OG poster. The pineapple node itself is ops of the preview.

Key features

• Preview pane — Excalidraw canvas with pineapple / plant / boxes (cover still; codesandbox.io). One desk. Cover pineapple sits here.
• Share / Open PR — the preview chrome (cover Share Open PR). Chrome, not a Pro tile. (Open PR is a control on this still, not a sixth desk.)
• Collaborator avatars — three faces on the left of the preview (cover). Avatars, not a $170 meter.
• Terminal — Compiled successfully + localhost:3000 (cover). A log, not yearly.
• csb.app URL — the preview host chip (cover). A host, not credits.
• git feature branch — excalidraw → feature on the editor plane (cover). A branch, not Get Started.

Share / Open PR on the cover are CTAs sitting on preview chrome (not extra desks). Free / Pro tiles stay in Pricing. AI agents stay off Key features as AI extras.

Who it's for

Best fit: hobbyists who will stay on Free (browser sandboxes + monthly VM credits) while they open a first Excalidraw preview, then Pro at the printed $170/month per workspace when they need more than 5 members / more VM hours — not Replit Core $20 first unless they want that Agent IDE.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai). Soft-note: live /pricing and several docs 403 via Cloudflare here. We quote first-party pages as indexed: Pricing, Credits, Subscriptions, Pricing FAQs.

• Free — never expires (FAQ). Browser Sandboxes do not spend VM credits. Free workspace: 400 monthly credits (Subscriptions). 20 GB storage class on the credits table.
• Pro — search-indexed Pricing card: $170 per month per workspace, 5 members, VM credits (40 hours class / 1,000 credits class across the indexed snippets). Unused credits do not roll over.
• Credits — indexed Pricing FAQ: $0.01486 each; Pricing page FAQ also prints $0.015 each. Credits table prints Pico $0.0743/hr through XLarge $4.7552/hr. We copy both credit $ rather than pick a silent winner.
• Home $15 — a Next runtime id on the HTML we fetched, not a printed plan. Do not treat $15 as Pro.

Confirm checkout when /pricing loads; taxes follow your location.

Limitations / costs

• VM hours freeze on Free when credits run out. Browser sandboxes stay off the credit meter.
• We could not fetch /pricing HTML (403). Figures above are first-party indexed copy plus the homepage still.
• A cloud sandbox, not StackBlitz's WebContainer. For that IDE see StackBlitz.

Alternatives

• StackBlitz — a browser IDE when you want Personal $0 / Pro $18, not CodeSandbox's pineapple preview.
• Gitpod — a cloud session when you want Free 3 envs / Core from $20, not Compiled successfully.
• Replit — an Agent + IDE when you want Core $20, not Open PR on csb.app.

Official tutorial

Official CodeSandbox channel video: Bits and Boxes #1: Getting Started with Cloud Development (oEmbed author: CodeSandbox). First-party getting-started; the Excalidraw / Compiled successfully still is the cover. Editor / preview / terminal on the video are ops of the sandbox, not generate-on-the-pineapple. We searched @codesandbox — that handle is the product channel.

Written path: codesandbox.io/pricing (403 from this environment) plus indexed Credits / Subscriptions and the collab still.

Website

https://codesandbox.io/

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is CodeSandbox's official homepage media still (Share/Open PR + Excalidraw pineapple + Compiled successfully). Dollars from first-party indexed Pricing / Credits / Subscriptions (Free never expires + 400 credits; Pro $170/mo/workspace; credits $0.01486 / $0.015). Soft-note: /pricing 403 + home $15 was a Next id. Tutorial oEmbed author: CodeSandbox (@CodeSandbox).

Last verified

2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.