Runtime

AWS Lambda MicroVMs vs Prime Sandboxes: microVM pricing compared

Both give every sandbox its own kernel in a microVM. Prime's lower rates make the 2 vCPU, 4 GiB benchmark $1.52, against $4.20 on Lambda MicroVMs.

Runtime is cheaper than both: 85% under Lambda and 58% under Prime. The benchmark, 1,000 one-minute runs at 2 vCPU and 4 GiB doing 20 CPU-seconds of work each, costs $4.20 on AWS Lambda MicroVMs, $1.52 on Prime Sandboxes and $0.64 on Runtime.

Estimated compute cost

85% less than AWS Lambda MicroVMs58% less than Prime Sandboxes

2 vCPUs · 4 GiB · 60 s a run · 20 CPU-seconds busy

1,000

Compute only, at list rates checked 25 September 2026 (AWS Lambda pricing, Prime Sandboxes overview). Plan fees, network, taxes and free credits are left out. The worked example below shows the arithmetic.

At a glance

AWS Lambda MicroVMs Prime Sandboxes Runtime
Isolation Firecracker microVM Hardware-virtualized microVM, own guest kernel Firecracker microVM, own kernel
CPU $0.0997 per baseline vCPU-hour $0.02 per vCPU-hour while running $0.025 per vCPU-hour of measured CPU, with a small floor
Memory $0.0132 per GB-hour $0.0125 per GiB-hour $0.0075 per reserved GiB-hour
Largest A 4 vCPU, 8 GB baseline 16 vCPUs, 64 GiB, 128 GiB of disk 16 vCPUs and 64 GiB, paid
At once Hundreds launched within a minute 1,024 per account to start 100 on a paid account, 50 in its first week
Suspend Memory and disk in a snapshot, up to 8 hours Snapshots listed as coming soon Memory and processes, 1 to 365 days

Why the gap is so wide

Memory costs about the same on both. CPU does not: Lambda charges five times Prime's rate per vCPU-hour, and both charge it for every second a sandbox runs. Two vCPUs for a minute cost Lambda 0.33 cents and Prime 0.07 cents before memory. Runtime's measured CPU is dearer per hour than Prime's but is only charged while the code computes.

Cost for the same job

1,000 runs of 60 seconds, 2 vCPU and 4 GiB (4 GB on Lambda), 20 CPU-seconds each, and Prime's 5 GiB default disk:

TextLambda    CPU    1,000 × 60 s × 2 × $0.0000276944              = $3.32          Memory 1,000 × 60 s × 4 × $0.0000036667              = $0.88          Total                                                  $4.20Prime     CPU    1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 2 × $0.02              = $0.67          Memory 1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 4 × $0.0125            = $0.83          Disk   1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 5 × $0.0002            = $0.02          Total                                                  $1.52Runtime   CPU    1,000 × 20 s / 3,600 × $0.025                = $0.14          Memory 1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 4 × $0.0075           = $0.50          Total                                                  $0.64

A month of 100,000 runs: $420.33 on Lambda, $151.67 on Prime, $63.89 on Runtime. Kept busy for the whole minute on both CPUs, the job is $4.20 on Lambda, $1.52 on Prime and $1.33 on Runtime.

Which one to pick

  • Lambda MicroVMs where IAM, VPC access and AWS regions matter most.
  • Prime Sandboxes for RL rollouts by the thousand on Prime Intellect.
  • Runtime for the lowest bill at any load, and sandboxes that pause with their memory and fork today.

More: Runtime vs AWS Lambda MicroVMs, Runtime vs Prime Sandboxes.

Sources

Lambda and Prime rates checked 25 September 2026.

Facts on this page were checked on 25 September 2026.

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