kitio.aiRunPod vs Paperspace
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. RunPod starts at See pricing page and Paperspace starts at $8/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- On-demand GPU pods
- Serverless endpoints
- Ready-made templates
- Community Cloud
- Instant Clusters
- On-demand NVIDIA GPUs
- Gradient notebooks
- Model training machines
- Model deployments
- Multi-GPU instances
- Cloud desktops
| Feature | RunPod | Paperspace |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | On-demand GPU pods and serverless endpoints for AI workloads | GPU cloud and Gradient notebooks for training and deploying models |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | $8/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Made by | RunPod | DigitalOcean |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
RunPod starts at See pricing page and Paperspace starts at $8/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
5 plans
RTX 4090
$0.89 / hour
- 24 GB VRAM
- On-demand GPU pod
A100 PCIe
$1.79 / hour
- 80 GB VRAM
- On-demand GPU pod
H100 SXM
$3.99 / hour
- 80 GB VRAM, 20 vCPUs
- On-demand GPU pod
H200
$5.29 / hour
- 141 GB VRAM, 24 vCPUs
- On-demand GPU pod
Reserved Clusters
Contact sales
- Dedicated clusters with SLA
- Discounted committed rates
3 plans
Free
Free
- Public projects only
- 5GB storage
- Basic instances
- 12-hour auto-shutdown
Pro
$8/mo
- Private projects
- 15GB storage
- Mid-range instances
- Configurable auto-shutdown
Growth
$39/mo
- 50GB storage
- High-end instances
- Compute billed per hour
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
RunPod
- Low GPU hourly prices
- Easy templates for common tools
- Per-second serverless billing
- Community hosts vary in reliability
- Popular GPUs sell out
- Support is slower on small accounts
Paperspace
- Free GPU tier for learning and public projects
- Low entry price for private projects
- Covers notebooks, training and serving
- Wide range of GPU types
- Compute is billed on top of the plan
- Free tier projects must be public
- Product line is moving under DigitalOcean
Which one should you choose?
Choose RunPod if you want:
- Low GPU hourly prices
- Easy templates for common tools
- Per-second serverless billing
Watch out: community hosts vary in reliability.
Choose Paperspace if you want:
- Free GPU tier for learning and public projects
- Low entry price for private projects
- Covers notebooks, training and serving
Watch out: compute is billed on top of the plan.
RunPod vs Paperspace FAQ
What is the difference between RunPod and Paperspace?
RunPod: On-demand GPU pods and serverless endpoints for AI workloads. Paperspace: GPU cloud and Gradient notebooks for training and deploying models. Both are models & apis tools.
Is RunPod or Paperspace cheaper?
RunPod starts at See pricing page and Paperspace starts at $8/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do RunPod and Paperspace have free plans?
RunPod: No. Paperspace: Yes.
Who makes RunPod?
RunPod is made by RunPod, based in United States.
Who makes Paperspace?
Paperspace is made by DigitalOcean, based in United States.
Which should I choose, RunPod or Paperspace?
Choose RunPod if you value low gpu hourly prices and easy templates for common tools. Choose Paperspace if you value free gpu tier for learning and public projects and low entry price for private projects.