Panes vs. E2B for native Office agents

Choose the application runtime your deliverable requires. Keep your agent’s code and data tools where they work best.

Documentation checked November 15, 2026. RSI operates Panes and publishes this page. This is a documentation comparison; we have not run matched tasks or billing tests on E2B.

The documented operating systems differ.

E2B documents Linux VM sandboxes for code, data and tools, plus Linux desktops for computer use. Its Code Interpreter SDK adds stateful code execution and results such as charts. Panes gives an agent a Windows computer with real Excel, Word and PowerPoint, controlled through SDKs, HTTP and MCP. Inspect the Panes interface.

A task that reads a CSV, runs Python and writes a straightforward workbook may fit a code sandbox well. A task that must execute an existing Excel Power Query, operate a trusted VBA workflow or review a native PowerPoint chart needs an acceptance test in the application it depends on.

Both document retained state.

E2B’s persistence documentation describes saving memory and filesystem state, with a filesystem-only option. Panes retains Windows work between stops and starts. Our 30-cycle Office resume report measures one retained guest and explicitly separates a machine-start response from a successful native Office operation.

Compare the state your task needs: files on disk, running processes, open unsaved documents, application sign-in and the ability to resume a native operation. A persistence feature name alone does not prove those outcomes for your workload.

Use the files as the test.

Panes publishes a multi-year monthly-close fixture with synthetic source exports, editable workbooks, a management deck and native validation. Its prepared, rehearsed recording shows Excel and PowerPoint performing real changes. It is not an independently planned autonomous-agent benchmark.

The library round-trip experiment shows why the file boundary matters: the monthly model reopened and recalculated in Excel after a library save, while a different expense workbook failed the tested default open call. The right choice depends on the workbook’s actual features and the required output.

Define the evaluation before comparing speed or cost.

Use the same input files and an explicit source-to-output reconciliation.
Check native features, saved calculation results and the rendered deliverable.
Record setup, active work, waiting, retries, storage and model charges separately.
Download the reviewed artifact and verify its identity.
Recheck current access, installed applications and entitlement requirements.

Panes pricing is size-based and prepaid. Consult E2B’s own pricing for its current rates and terms. We have no matched price-performance result to report.

Start with the application-specific step.

For agents updating existing enterprise models and decks, use the Excel workflow, PowerPoint workflow and Panes MCP connection. You can keep planning, retrieval and ordinary Python processing in your existing agent stack.

Also compare Daytona’s documented Windows option and read the workload evaluation guide.