Cube vs Railway’s agent VMs
ssh railway.new is a great way to try an agent on a real machine in seconds. Cube is built for the part after that: a computer your agents live on.
Updated
The short version
Railway launched free agent VMs in September 2026: run ssh railway.new and you get a Linux VM with Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and the Railway Agent preinstalled, no account needed. It starts in about a second and gets a preview URL. It’s a brilliant on-ramp. It’s also built as a funnel into Railway’s usage-billed platform, where you deploy apps.
Cube is a persistent cloud computer that exists to run your coding agents, with an app for your Mac and the web, your GitHub repos, and a worktree for every task.
Side by side
| Railway agent VMs | Cube | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Trying agents instantly; deploying on Railway | Running your coding agents day to day |
| Getting started | ssh railway.new, no account | Mac app or app.cube.computer, sign in with GitHub |
| How long it lasts | 60 minutes, then claim it; unclaimed VMs deleted after 24 h | Your machine, until you reset it |
| Free VM size | 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM | Pick the machine that suits you |
| Billing | Usage-based after claiming | Pay as you go, per second; $12/month for the smallest computer running 24/7, $25 of free credit to start |
| Your repos | Clone them yourself | Synced from GitHub, a worktree per task |
| Agents | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and the Railway Agent preinstalled | 22 agents, including Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, install in one click |
| Access | SSH | Mac app, any browser, phone, and SSH |
When to choose Railway
- You want to try an agent on a real Linux machine in the next 30 seconds.
- Your apps already run on Railway and you want agents deploying next to them.
When to choose Cube
- Your agents run for hours, every day, and you want them on a machine that stays yours.
- You run several agents in parallel and want each one in its own worktree.
- You want an app on your Mac, in the browser and on your phone, not only a terminal.
Questions
How long does a free railway.new VM last?
As of October 2026, you get a 60-minute session before you need to claim the VM with a Railway account. Unclaimed VMs and their files are deleted after 24 hours. Coming back with the same SSH key reconnects you to the same VM, and you can start up to 3 VMs per IP address a day.
Is Railway metered?
Yes. Once claimed, the VM moves onto your Railway plan, which is billed by resource usage. New accounts get a one-time $5 of credit for 30 days, then the Free plan’s $1 a month; storage created on a trial is deleted 30 days after its credit runs out.
When should I choose Railway?
When you want to try an agent without signing up, or when you already deploy on Railway and want agents next to your services.