What is Vast.ai?
Vast.ai is a GPU cloud platform where compute is priced by supply and demand across more than 20,000 GPUs in over 40 data centers. Users can rent on-demand, interruptible or reserved instances, and the platform publishes live prices that can be queried programmatically.
You can add credit starting at 5 USD, get an API key from the console, search GPUs by model, VRAM, price and availability, and launch an instance in seconds. Access is available through a web console, a CLI, a Python SDK and a REST API. Besides raw GPU instances, the platform offers Serverless endpoints for deploying models with autoscaling to zero, multi-node Clusters with InfiniBand networking for large training jobs, and pre-configured templates for popular open-source models.
Key features
- On-demand, interruptible and reserved GPU instances with per-second billing
- Search and filter GPUs by model, VRAM, price and availability
- CLI, Python SDK and REST API for programmatic provisioning
- Serverless model endpoints with autoscaling to zero
- Multi-node GPU clusters with InfiniBand networking
- Pre-configured templates for popular open-source models
Who is it for
- AI and machine learning teams
- Developers deploying models or fine-tuning
- Startups needing low-cost GPU compute
- Studios doing GPU rendering
Pros and cons
- Prices set by supply and demand, with transparent live rates
- Per-second billing with no minimum hours and no lock-in
- Starts at 5 USD with no contracts
- Interruptible instances can be reclaimed
- Reserved capacity requires contacting sales
Vast.ai pricing
The vendor does not publish prices in a readable form (often pricing is shown only after signing in).
Is Vast.ai free?
No - according to the vendor, it is paid only.
Vast.ai alternatives
| Tool | Price from | Free plan | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 Google AI Studio | 0,75 USD | ? | APIs & models |
 OpenAI Platform | 0,10 USD | ? | APIs & models |
 Exa | not listed | trial | APIs & models |
 Firecrawl | 16 USD/mo | yes | APIs & models |
 Pinecone | 20 USD/mo | yes | APIs & models |
 Tavily | 0.008 USD | yes | APIs & models |
FAQ
What is Vast.ai used for?
Marketplace and cloud for renting GPUs by the second, with API and CLI access, for AI, ML and rendering workloads.
Is Vast.ai free?
No - according to the vendor, it is paid only.
How much does Vast.ai cost?
The vendor does not publish prices publicly or requires sign-in.
What are the best Vast.ai alternatives?
Closest alternatives: Google AI Studio, OpenAI Platform, Exa, Firecrawl, Pinecone.
Data checked October 12, 2026 on the vendor website (vast.ai).