RunPod, Vast.ai and Lambda are the three independent GPU clouds most ML engineers reach for. They take very different approaches. Here is how they compare in June 2026.
At a glance
| RunPod | Vast.ai | Lambda | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Specialist neocloud | Marketplace | Specialist neocloud |
| Cheapest H100 SXM | $3.29 (Community $1.99) | ~$1.93 median (host-set) | $3.29 |
| Cheapest A100 80GB | $1.39 | ~$0.74 median | $2.79 |
| RTX 4090? | Yes ($0.34 Community) | Yes (~$0.52 median) | No |
| Billing | Per second | Per second | Per minute |
| Discount tier | Community Cloud | Interruptible (~50% off) | None (reserved clusters) |
| Best for | All-round value | Lowest price | Simplicity & trust |
Snapshot June 2026 — prices change weekly; verify on each provider’s pricing page. Full breakdowns: RunPod, Vast.ai, Lambda. See also the head-to-heads RunPod vs Vast.ai and RunPod vs Lambda.
Vast.ai: cheapest, but it’s a marketplace
Vast.ai is a marketplace where independent hosts set prices across 40+ data centers. That competition makes it usually the cheapest option — an A100 80GB median around $0.74/hr, interruptible H100s under $1.10. The catch: prices and reliability vary by host, there’s no enterprise SLA, and you should vet hosts for sensitive workloads. Great for cost-sensitive, fault-tolerant jobs.
RunPod: the best all-rounder
RunPod runs two tiers — Secure Cloud (vetted data centers, predictable) and Community Cloud (third-party hosts, cheaper). It has the widest catalog of any neocloud, from B200/H200/H100 down to consumer RTX 4090 ($0.34/hr Community). Per-second billing and a clean API make it the default for many teams that want a balance of price and reliability.
Lambda: simple and trusted
Lambda offers flat per-GPU pricing (H100 SXM $3.29, A100 40GB $1.99, even legacy V100 $0.79) and a polished ML stack. Its catalog is narrow — datacenter NVIDIA only, no H100 PCIe, L40S or consumer cards — and capacity can be scarce. But for teams that want predictability and a known ML brand, plus reserved 1-Click Clusters for large training, it’s a solid pick.
Bottom line
- Lowest price, fault-tolerant work: Vast.ai.
- Best balance of price, catalog and reliability: RunPod.
- Simplicity and a trusted ML brand: Lambda.
Compare your specific GPU and hours across all three (and 12 more providers) in the cost calculator.