Ready out of the box
Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Hermes preinstalled and signed in; type claude.
Machines · coding agents
QuickSilver Machines vs DigitalOcean
Agents ready out of the box. One unified bill. Zero friction.
Compare a ready-to-use agent workspace with a plain Linux Droplet you configure and maintain.
One unified bill
Box + models share one balance, versus separate cloud + Anthropic/OpenAI bills.
Zero friction
No API keys or config; Running in ~30 s in our latest test.
At a glance
| Topic | QuickSilver Machines | DigitalOcean Basic Regular |
|---|---|---|
| Agents + models connected | Preinstalled, signed in | Install and authenticate |
| Comparable size | 2 vCPU / 4 GB | 2 vCPU / 4 GiB |
| Price per running hour | $0.02 | $0.03571; $24 monthly cap |
| When stopped/paused | Free within retention | Bills until destroyed |
| Free trial / card | $0.05 credit; no card | $5 credit; payment method required |
| Browser desktop | Included | Console terminal; desktop needs setup |
Setup to first agent task
QuickSilver
- Create a machine.
- Open the browser terminal; load your project.
- Type
claudeand submit a task.
DigitalOcean
- Create an account; add a payment method.
- Choose region, Linux image and Droplet size.
- Open the browser Console or SSH.
- Install your agent; authenticate with its provider.
- Load your project and submit a task.
Cost example: 2 h/day × 22 days
| Retained workspace | Infrastructure total |
|---|---|
| QuickSilver, paused between sessions | $0.88 |
| Droplet, retained all month | $24.00 |
30-day month, no credits; Droplet includes more storage; totals exclude AI, tax and extras.
When DigitalOcean is the better choice
- You want more server sizes and bundled storage.
- You need to administer a general-purpose server.
- Your service must outlast QuickSilver’s beta session limits.
FAQ
Does shutting down a Droplet stop billing?
No: powered-off Droplets still bill until destroyed. Separately retained resources can still cost money afterward.
Does DigitalOcean offer browser access?
Yes: the Console is a browser terminal. A graphical desktop needs additional software or an image with a separate connection workflow.
Must I use API keys on a Droplet?
Supported account sign-in can avoid API keys, and prepared images can preinstall agents. A plain Droplet still needs agent installation and authentication.
Can I try QuickSilver without a card?
Yes: the $0.05 signup credit starts a trial without a card or $1 balance, and covers machine time plus AI usage. After trial, starting requires $1 available; card top-ups start at $5.
Sources & methodology
The selected Basic Regular CPU Droplet has 2 vCPU, 4 GiB RAM and 80 GiB SSD, at $0.03571/hour with a $24 monthly cap; availability varies by region/configuration. Droplets bill per second with a minimum of 60 seconds or $0.01, whichever is higher, and continue billing while powered off. D1, D2, D6
Cost basis: 44 × $0.02 = $0.88 for QuickSilver; the retained Droplet reaches its $24 monthly cap. Destroying a Droplet ends VM billing, but requires saving work elsewhere and rebuilding; separately retained resources may bill. Q1, D1, D2, D5
Console is a browser terminal; the reviewed desktop marketplace image documents VNC access. Prepared images/user data reduce repeat setup. The ordinary first-team $5 signup credit expires after 90 days and requires a valid payment method before creating resources; this is not necessarily credit-card-only. D3, D4, D6, D7
Shared setup and billing
QuickSilver supplies Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Hermes signed in to QuickSilver Pro models; one balance covers machine time and separately metered AI. On plain vendor environments, arrange agent installation, provider authentication and separate cloud and Anthropic/OpenAI billing; prepared images/scripts/dev containers can automate this. Native installers can avoid Node, and supported sign-in can avoid API keys. Q1, Q2, A1, A2, A3, A4
The latest measured trial reached Running about 32 seconds after Create, not necessarily completion of an agent task. This is one observation, not a guarantee or competitor benchmark; an earlier rollout observation took about 14 minutes. No competitor setup time was measured. Q2
New accounts can start on $0.05 signup credit, without a card or $1 balance: about 2.5 running hours only if none is spent on AI. After trial, $1.00 available balance is required to start; card top-ups have a $5 minimum. Q1, Q2
QuickSilver limits and retention
QuickSilver Machines is a beta with no backup or durability guarantee. It has one size: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM and a 20 GB home disk. Each session stops after 8 continuous hours; the account cap is 200 running hours/month. Trial accounts get 1 machine; paid accounts can have 2 running together. Trial machines are deleted 24 hours after last use, paid machines after 30 days. Paid owners receive deletion warnings 7 days and 1 day beforehand. Deletion is permanent; operational recovery copies are purged within 7 days and are unavailable for requested restoration. Idle auto-pause is documented, but no timeout duration is published. Machines, FAQ and terms
Pause checkpoints last up to 24 hours; checkpoint failure can restart applications, while home files remain. The newest 3 named disk snapshots are retained. Keep important work elsewhere. Setup report
Research and price audit
All external sources linked on this page were fetched on 2026-11-04. Prices are USD list rates; examples exclude tax, AI inference/subscriptions, optional backups, paid software and transfer overages. Computed totals are editorial arithmetic, not vendor quotes. Similar CPU/RAM labels do not establish equal performance.
QuickSilver product details: Machines, FAQ and terms, cloud dev-box report and model/service reference. Setup timing and trial entry terms reflect the 2026-11-04 measurement and current trial path described above.
DigitalOcean sources: D1 — pricing; D2 — billing behavior; D3 — Console; D4 — signup credit; D5 — reserved IP pricing; D6 — create/configure; D7 — desktop image. Current ordinary signup credit is used, rather than assuming a promotional offer applies to every account.
Source index: D1; D2; D3; D4; D5; D6; D7; Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4; A1; A2; A3; A4.