Shells vs Vagon (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Vagon grades higher than Shells: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Shells grades higher on platforms. Vagon grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Vagon
Cloud workstations with GPUs, billed by the minute
Which one is for you
Pick Shells if
- Fits if you want a spare Windows or Linux desktop you can open from a phone or browser
- Works for light daily use like documents and browsing
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as no free plan or trial is listed
- Too light for heavy applications on Basic, with 2 GB of memory and 1 processor
- Watch out: the home page says plans start at $5 a month, but the pricing page lists $14.95 as the lowest
- Pricey if you pay monthly, since Plus is $22.95 and Pro is $39.95
Pick Vagon if
- Fits if you need a high-spec machine for a few hours at a time
- Works for people who like paying only for minutes used
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a flat monthly bill, as usage and storage are charged separately
- Watch out: data sent out is free for the first 10 GB a month, then $1.5 for each extra 10 GB
- Watch out: usage is paid from a prepaid balance, and rates can vary by region
- Tight if you want a free trial, as the trial starts from $0.99
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAShellsFair | 2.2GPAVagonFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$14.95 a month for Basic, within the category's range but above its $8.33 middle, and the entry plan is 2 GB and one processor. | CStorage is $7.99 a month, with usage from $0.25 an hour on top, so a month's cost depends on hours used. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or free trial is listed on the pricing page. | DThe pricing page offers a trial from $0.99, so there is a payment up front, and no free plan. |
| Features | CA desktop on any device, Linux and Windows options, automatic backup, plan upgrades and team infrastructure. The entry plan is light for heavy applications. | BPay-per-minute use, GPU and CPU machines, preinstalled apps, AI agents and team workspaces are listed. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. You sign up and open the desktop in a browser with nothing to install. | BNo store rating on record. It opens in a browser with apps already installed, so there is little to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android are listed, so phones and a browser but no desktop app. No integrations are listed. | CWeb only. No desktop or phone apps are listed, though Blender, Unreal, Unity and Premiere Pro are named. |
| Best for | a cloud desktop you reach from any device | pay-per-minute cloud computers in a browser |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Shells and Vagon. How we grade
Price against what you get
Shells starts at $14.95 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Vagon starts at $7.99 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Vagon starts $6.96 a month lower. Of the other remote desktop apps on the chart, 5 score higher than Shells for less, and 2 score higher than Vagon for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Shells also covers file sync.
- Vagon also covers AI agents and file sharing.
At a glance
| Shells | Vagon | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $14.95 per month, billed monthly | $7.99 per month for storage, plus usage from $0.25 per hour |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Trial offered from $0.99, per the pricing page |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | E Shells Inc. | Vagon |
| Price read from | shells.com | vagon.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Shells
- No free plan or free trial is listed on the pricing page.
- The entry plan has 2 GB of memory and 1 processor, which is light for heavy applications.
- Yearly prices were not readable in the page text; only the percentage saving is shown.
- The homepage says plans start at $5 a month, but the pricing page lists $14.95 as the lowest plan.
Vagon
- Costs are split between a monthly storage fee and minute-based usage, so a monthly bill depends on hours used.
- Data sent out of Vagon is free for the first 10 GB a month, then $1.5 for each extra 10 GB.
- Usage is paid from a prepaid account balance, and rates can vary by region.
- Only a browser client is described; no separate desktop or mobile apps were found.
Key features
Shells
- Desktop on any device
- The site lists Android TV, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, PlayStation, Xbox, Oculus and Tesla browsers as ways to open a Shells desktop.
- Linux and Windows desktops
- Solution pages cover a Linux cloud desktop, a browser in the cloud, cloud virtual machines and a cloud IDE.
- Automatic backup
- The vendor says each Shell is backed up automatically in the cloud and that its firewalls and end-to-end encryption keep data private.
- Plan upgrades
- Moving to more processors, memory or storage is described as a one-click change, and a build-your-own option sits below the three plans.
- Team infrastructure
- A business section describes remote infrastructure deployment and a bring-your-own-device workforce setup for small teams.
Vagon
- Pay per minute
- Each performance option has its own hourly rate, charged by the minute, and you can switch between options as you like.
- GPU and CPU machines
- Options include RTX-enabled A10G machines from $1.67 per hour, Tesla T4 machines from $0.99 per hour and CPU machines from $0.25 per hour.
- Works in the browser
- The vendor says Vagon runs on PC, Mac, Linux, tablets and phones with only a browser and internet connection.
- Preinstalled apps
- You pick applications from a catalog when creating a computer, and they come preinstalled, with drag-and-drop file transfer.
- AI agents and team workspaces
- The homepage describes running Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode on a dedicated GPU computer, and team workspaces for companies.
Plans
Shells
Shells Basic$14.95
per month, billed monthly
1 processor, 2 GB memory and 40 GB storage with unlimited use. The page shows a 25% saving on yearly billing.
Shells Plus$22.95
per month, billed monthly
2 processors, 4 GB memory and 80 GB storage with unlimited use. The page shows a 23% saving on yearly billing.
Shells Pro$39.95
per month, billed monthly
4 processors, 8 GB memory and 160 GB storage with unlimited use. The page shows a 33% saving on yearly billing.
Vagon
Personal storage$7.99
per month, plus usage charged by the minute
75 GB disk and 5 GB of Vagon Files storage. Usage runs from $0.25 per hour (Sand CPU) to $11.97 per hour (Lava GPU).
Premium storage$19.99
per month, plus usage charged by the minute
75 GB disk and 25 GB of Vagon Files storage. The pricing page marks a tier as available soon, so check this one.
Ways to pay less
Shells
- Annual discount
Yearly billing saves 23% to 33%
The pricing page shows Save 25% on Basic, 23% on Plus and 33% on Pro when billed yearly. The yearly prices themselves were not read.
Vagon
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Shells or Vagon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Vagon is cheaper to start with: $7.99 a month, against $14.95 a month for Shells. Shells starts at $14.95 per month, billed monthly, and Vagon starts at $7.99 per month for storage, plus usage from $0.25 per hour.
Which has a free plan, Shells or Vagon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Shells nor Vagon has a free plan. Vagon has a free trial.
Which platforms do Shells and Vagon run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Shells lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.