arcbox vs cua
Open-source container and VM runtime for macOS in pure Rust: drop-in Docker engine, sub-100ms agent sandboxes (`abctl claude`), full Linux VMs and throwaway macOS guests on one daemon. — versus — Computer-use infrastructure for agents: sandboxed Linux, macOS and Windows desktops locally or in the cloud, Cua Driver for native apps (CLI/MCP/SDK), Lume VMs, CUA-S1 models, Cua Bench.
Both give agents local VMs on Apple Silicon; arcbox is a Docker-compatible runtime with sub-100ms sandboxes, Cua's Lume runs full macOS and Linux desktops for computer use.
| arcbox | cua | |
|---|---|---|
| Stars | 4.3k | 28k |
| Forks | 189 | 1.9k |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Last activity | 3 days ago | today |
| Topics | sandboxes, local, agents | agents, sandboxes |
| Curated connections | 5 | 4 |
arcbox — the curator's take
The macOS answer to 'where does my agent run?': one daemon, its own VMM and VirtIO stack, and four workloads on it — Docker-compatible containers (your Compose files just work), disposable microVM sandboxes for agents and untrusted code, full Linux machines, and cloned macOS guests. OrbStack's speed, open source. `abctl claude` drops Claude Code into an isolated VM in one command, and the same sandbox primitive runs in ArcBox's cloud if you outgrow the laptop. NOT for Linux servers (this is a Mac runtime), and it's public beta — Docker parity is broad but not total; run `abctl doctor` before trusting a workflow.
cua — the curator's take
The broadest open stack for computer-use agents: one sandbox API that runs a desktop locally or on their cloud, Cua Driver that operates native apps on macOS, Windows and Linux in the background without taking your pointer (CLI, MCP or typed SDKs), Lume for macOS and Linux VMs on Apple Silicon, Cua Bench for tasks and trajectories, and CUA-S1, small decision models for forms. Use it when your agent has to touch software that has no API. The breadth is the cost: many components, a cloud product (Fleets) promoted throughout, and the installer signs you in. If your agent only needs the web, browser-use is far less; if it only needs to run code, a plain sandbox is enough.