| Metric | RunPod | Vast.ai |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 4090 cheapest | $0.74/hr | $0.38/hr (spot) |
| H100 SXM cheapest | $1.69/hr (spot) | $1.85/hr |
| A100 80GB cheapest | $1.59/hr | $1.40/hr |
| GPU models available | 32 models | 45+ models |
| Total instances | ~712 | ~128 (curated) |
| Persistent storage | Yes ($0.07/GB/mo) | Yes ($0.15/GB/mo) |
| Serverless support | Yes (RunPod Serverless) | No |
| Templates/Docker | Pre-built templates | Custom Docker only |
Both RunPod and Vast.ai are GPU marketplaces — your compute runs on hardware owned by independent hosts rather than the platform itself. This keeps prices low but means reliability varies by host. The key difference: RunPod has more polish and features; Vast.ai has lower prices on some GPUs.
Pricing Deep Dive
Vast.ai's pricing model is pure auction — individual hosts set their own prices, and you bid or buy at the listed price. This leads to very cheap rates when supply exceeds demand. RunPod Community Cloud works similarly but has a more consistent pricing floor.
| GPU | RunPod min | Vast.ai min | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 3090 | $0.44/hr | $0.18/hr | Vast.ai |
| RTX 4090 | $0.54/hr | $0.38/hr | Vast.ai |
| A100 40GB | $1.19/hr | $1.05/hr | Vast.ai |
| A100 80GB | $1.59/hr | $1.40/hr | Vast.ai |
| H100 SXM | $1.69/hr | $1.85/hr | RunPod |
| L40S | $1.15/hr | $0.95/hr | Vast.ai |
Reliability
This is where RunPod pulls ahead. RunPod has a reliability score system for hosts and a Secure Cloud tier with vetted, enterprise-grade hardware. Vast.ai shows reliability metrics per host (DLPerf score, uptime %), but the floor is lower — you can rent from individual GPU miners who may have unstable machines.
Rule of thumb: for experiments and batch jobs with checkpoints, use Vast.ai for the lower price. For production APIs or long training runs without checkpoints, use RunPod Secure or Lambda Labs.
Ease of Use
| Feature | RunPod | Vast.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 2 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Pre-built templates | Yes (PyTorch, TF, etc.) | No — custom Docker |
| Web terminal | Yes (built-in) | Yes (via browser) |
| Jupyter built-in | Yes (one click) | Manual setup |
| API access | REST API, CLI | REST API |
| Serverless | Yes (RunPod Serverless) | No |
Verdict
Choose RunPod if: you want templates, Jupyter out of the box, serverless support, or Secure Cloud reliability. Choose Vast.ai if: you want the absolute lowest price for older GPUs (RTX 3090, A100 40GB) and are comfortable with more variable hardware.
