kitio.aiVast.ai vs Paperspace
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Vast.ai 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
- GPU marketplace
- Docker templates
- Interruptible instances
- Serverless endpoints
- Per-second billing
- On-demand NVIDIA GPUs
- Gradient notebooks
- Model training machines
- Model deployments
- Multi-GPU instances
- Cloud desktops
| Feature | Vast.ai | Paperspace |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Marketplace for renting low-cost GPUs from many hosts | 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 | Vast.ai | DigitalOcean |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Vast.ai 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
2 plans
On-demand
Per-second GPU billing
- Supply and demand pricing
- 68+ GPU types
Reserved
Contact sales
- 1, 3 or 6 month terms
- Guaranteed capacity
- Volume discounts
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
Vast.ai
- Very low GPU prices
- Wide hardware choice
- Pay by the second
- Host reliability varies
- Security depends on the host
- Less hand-holding than big clouds
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 Vast.ai if you want:
- Very low GPU prices
- Wide hardware choice
- Pay by the second
Watch out: host reliability varies.
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.
Vast.ai vs Paperspace FAQ
What is the difference between Vast.ai and Paperspace?
Vast.ai: Marketplace for renting low-cost GPUs from many hosts. Paperspace: GPU cloud and Gradient notebooks for training and deploying models. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Vast.ai or Paperspace cheaper?
Vast.ai starts at See pricing page and Paperspace starts at $8/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Vast.ai and Paperspace have free plans?
Vast.ai: No. Paperspace: Yes.
Who makes Vast.ai?
Vast.ai is made by Vast.ai, based in United States.
Who makes Paperspace?
Paperspace is made by DigitalOcean, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Vast.ai or Paperspace?
Choose Vast.ai if you value very low gpu prices and wide hardware choice. Choose Paperspace if you value free gpu tier for learning and public projects and low entry price for private projects.