Vast.ai
GPU rental marketplace where independent hosts and data centres compete on price for AI and rendering jobs.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web
Is Vast.ai free?
No, it's a paid product
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About Vast.ai
Vast.ai is a marketplace for renting GPUs. Instead of owning all the hardware, it lists machines from independent hosts and data centres, from gaming-class RTX cards to H100s and B200s, and prices are set by supply and demand, so the same GPU can cost different amounts on different hosts. You filter offers by GPU, reliability score, location and bandwidth, then launch a Docker-based instance and pay by the second. On-demand instances run uninterrupted, interruptible ones are much cheaper but can be reclaimed, and reserved terms of one to six months give bigger discounts. It also offers serverless endpoints and clusters. Hosts can list their own hardware and earn from it. It suits cost-conscious developers, researchers and hobbyists running training, fine-tuning, image generation or rendering who can live with variable host quality. Access is through a web console, CLI, Python SDK and API.
Best for: Cost-conscious developers and researchers who can trade some reliability for the lowest GPU prices.
Vast.ai pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from Vast.ai's own site, with the page it came from.
Pros and cons
What works
- Often among the lowest hourly GPU prices available
- Very wide choice of GPU models
- Per-second billing with no minimum hours
- Interruptible instances for cheap batch work
Why people leave
- Reliability and network speed vary from host to host
- Data on third-party hosts may not suit sensitive workloads
- Prices move with demand, so costs are less predictable
Vast.ai vs RunPod, Lambda and CoreWeave
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
Top Vast.ai alternatives
See all 5- 1
RunPod68.8Similar low prices with a more curated Secure Cloud tier and serverless endpoints.
- 2
Lambda64.8Data-centre GPUs only, for predictable performance on serious training runs.
- 3
CoreWeave61.8Enterprise clusters with consistent hardware when you need scale and support.
- 4
Paperspace57.5Managed GPU machines and notebooks from DigitalOcean, steadier than a peer-to-peer marketplace.
- 5
Vultr48.9Mainstream cloud host with GPUs, if you also want VPS, storage and managed services.
Why people left Vast.ai
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
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Reviews
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Vast.ai: common questions
What is Vast.ai?
Vast.ai: GPU rental marketplace where independent hosts and data centres compete on price for AI and rendering jobs. Best for cost-conscious developers and researchers who can trade some reliability for the lowest GPU prices. Available for Web.
Is Vast.ai free?
No, Vast.ai is a paid product.
How much does Vast.ai cost?
Vast.ai is a paid product. Billing: Per second, no minimum hours; Interruptible discount: 50%+ cheaper; Minimum to start: $5 in credit; Reserved discount: Up to 50% off, 1, 3 or 6 month terms. Checked on Vast.ai's own site, November 2026.
Is Vast.ai open source?
No, Vast.ai is not open source.
What platforms does Vast.ai run on?
Vast.ai is available for Web.
What are the best alternatives to Vast.ai?
The highest-ranked Vast.ai alternatives right now are RunPod, Lambda and CoreWeave. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Vast.ai vs RunPod: what's the difference?
Both Vast.ai and RunPod are paid products. Both run on Web.