Phonebox vs Limrun: persistent Android phones or iOS and Android sandboxes for coding agents.
Phonebox publishes this page. Limrun facts come from its pricing page, MCP documentation and Android documentation, checked October 9, 2026.
Side by side
| Phonebox | Limrun | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Any agent that needs to use Android apps: coding agents, MCP clients, your product | Cloud coding agents for mobile dev teams |
| Platforms | Android | iOS simulators, Android emulators, remote Xcode and Gradle builds |
| Pricing | $0.06/min billed per second, no plan | Credit plans: $20/mo for 500 credits, $200/mo for 5,000; Android 1 credit/min |
| Start free | $2 credit, no card | 120 one-time trial credits |
| Between sessions | Parked phones are free and keep apps, files and sign-ins | Device ends at its inactivity or hard timeout |
| Hosted MCP | phonebox.dev/mcp, 13 tools, installs your APK | mcp.limrun.com, 16 tools; app installs through the CLI or SDKs |
| Other interfaces | CLI, TypeScript SDK, REST, agent skill | lim CLI, TypeScript, Python and Go SDKs, REST, ADB tunnel |
| Human handoff | Live view link for a code or a payment | Live stream URL and an embeddable remote-control component |
What Android minutes cost
| Android minutes a month | Phonebox | Limrun Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | $6.00 | $20.00 |
| 300 | $18.00 | $20.00 |
| 500 | $30.00 | $20.00 |
| 1,000 | $60.00 | $45.00 with overage |
Light and bursty use favours Phonebox; a team that keeps emulators busy all month gets more from a Limrun plan, especially if iOS minutes are part of the work.
Which to choose
- Choose Phonebox for an agent that signs in to real apps and should stay signed in, for a product that gives each customer a persistent phone, or for occasional APK checks from Claude Code, Codex or Cursor without a subscription.
- Choose Limrun when your agent builds iOS and Android apps in the cloud and needs simulators, emulators and remote builds in one place.
See every option in the best cloud phones for AI agents, or compare Phonebox and Mobilerun.
Questions
What is the difference between Phonebox and Limrun?
Limrun gives coding agents iOS simulators, Android emulators and remote Xcode and Gradle builds on monthly credit plans. Phonebox gives any agent persistent cloud Android phones at $0.06 per minute with no plan: a parked phone keeps its apps, files and sign-ins for the next session, and its hosted MCP server installs your APK directly.
Is Phonebox or Limrun cheaper for Android?
Under about 330 Android minutes a month, Phonebox is cheaper because it has no plan: 100 minutes cost $6. Limrun's Entry plan is $20 a month for 500 credits, and an Android emulator uses 1 credit a minute, so steady use above that favours Limrun.
Does Phonebox support iOS like Limrun?
No. Phonebox is Android only. If your agent also builds and tests iOS apps, Limrun's iOS simulators and remote Xcode builds are the reason to choose it.
Do Limrun devices keep their state between sessions?
Limrun's documentation says that once a device's inactivity or hard timeout fires, the instance is gone; it can reuse a device that is still running. Phonebox phones park instead: billing stops and the phone keeps its apps, files and signed-in accounts until the agent starts it again.