Cube vs Claude Code cloud sessions
Anthropic’s cloud sessions are the easiest way to run one Claude Code task off your laptop. Cube is a computer that keeps your whole setup, for every agent you use.
Updated
The short version
Claude Code cloud sessions run a Claude Code task on a VM Anthropic manages. You start from the browser, the desktop app, your phone or the terminal, and the session carries on when you close your laptop. The VM pauses when the session goes idle and resumes when you come back, but a paused VM can be reclaimed, and then you start again on a fresh one.
Cube is your own Linux computer in the cloud. Your repos, tools, credentials and files stay on it between sessions, and it runs Claude Code alongside Codex and other agents.
Side by side
| Claude Code cloud sessions | Cube | |
|---|---|---|
| The machine | Temporary, managed by Anthropic | Yours, always on |
| Between sessions | Pauses when idle; may later be reclaimed, losing in-flight work | Everything stays where it was |
| Specs | 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 30 GB disk, Ubuntu 24.04 | 2 to 32 shared vCPUs, 2 GB of guaranteed RAM and 15 GB of NVMe SSD per vCPU |
| Billing | Included; uses your plan’s Claude usage | Pay as you go, per second; agents use your own accounts |
| Agents | Claude Code | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and more |
| Your tools | Setup scripts cached for about 7 days; processes don’t survive | Install once, keep them; dev servers keep running |
| Access | Web, desktop, mobile, terminal | Mac app, any browser, phone, and SSH |
When to choose cloud sessions
- You want to fire off a Claude Code task from the browser or your phone, with nothing to set up.
- The task fits in one sitting and doesn’t need your own toolchain.
When to choose Cube
- You want a machine that keeps your repos, dependencies and dev servers between tasks.
- You use more than one agent, not only Claude Code.
- You run long or parallel work that shouldn’t lose its state when a session goes idle.
Questions
Do Claude Code cloud sessions cost extra?
Anthropic doesn’t charge separately for the cloud VM. Cloud sessions count against your plan’s normal Claude usage limits, and need a Pro, Max, Team or eligible Enterprise seat.
Does a Claude Code cloud session keep its machine?
For a while. After a few minutes without activity the VM pauses with its files saved, and your next message brings the same VM back. A paused VM can later be reclaimed; then the session restarts on a fresh VM with the conversation restored, and work that was in flight, like shell commands, subagents or loops, is lost.
Can I use Claude Code cloud sessions and Cube together?
Yes. They solve different problems: a quick task from the browser, or a persistent machine for your repos, tools and agents.