RunPod vs Vast.ai vs Northflank: The complete GPU cloud comparison

What used to cost $30,000+ per H100 GPU is now accessible for $2-5 per hour through cloud platforms. "The best time in human history to be alive."

The three leading GPU cloud platforms (Runpod, Vast.ai, and Northflank) each take fundamentally different approaches.

Runpod focuses on AI-specific features with serverless capabilities, while Vast.ai operates a marketplace model, and Northflank offers a full-stack developer platform with the most affordable GPU pricing, flexible long-term commitments, and enterprise features.

We'll compare these three platforms to help you determine which one fits your team's needs, budget, and technical requirements, and why Northflank's combination of the most affordable pricing, enterprise capabilities, and full-stack platform typically delivers the best long-term value.

Disclaimer: All information covered in this article is based on information available on the respective product pages and documentation as of August 2025. For product-specific information like pricing, always review the pricing pages for each platform for up-to-date information.

Look at the table below to see how Runpod, Vast.ai, and Northflank compare against each other based on their pricing models, target use cases, enterprise features, and unique value propositions.

After looking at the table, you might need more information on each of the platforms to decide or take back to your team, so next, we'll break down each platform individually with detailed overviews of Northflank, Runpod, and Vast.ai that will cover what each platform is, their key features and benefits, pricing structures, and how they compare to each other, starting with Northflank.

We'll take a closer look at Northflank's full-stack platform, features, pricing model, and how it compares to Runpod and Vast.ai to help you determine if it fits your needs.

Northflank is a comprehensive (all-in-one) developer platform that handles everything from GPU compute to databases, APIs, and CI/CD pipelines, allowing teams to deploy their entire application stack on their own cloud infrastructure or Northflank's managed cloud.

Some of the key features include:

• 18+ GPU types including H100, H200, B200, A100, and AMD MI300X
• Deploy in your own cloud infrastructure (GCP, AWS, Azure, OCI) while using Northflank's platform (Try it out)
• Full-stack platform supporting both AI and non-AI workloads (databases, APIs, CI/CD pipelines)
• Secure microVM isolation for multi-tenant workloads (See these guides on spinning up secure sandboxes and why container isolation matters)
• Real-time interface with team collaboration and fine-grained permissions (See how)
• Multiple access methods (UI, API, CLI, JavaScript client, Infrastructure as Code, TypeScript SDK)
• Native integrations with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and container registries
• Per-second billing with long-term commitment options

Northflank uses transparent per-second billing with affordable GPU rates and enterprise features included.

• GPU Pricing H100 at $2.74/hour, H200 at $3.14/hour, B200 at $5.87/hour, A100 at $1.42-1.76/hour. All pricing includes CPU, memory, and storage bundled together.
• Platform Plans Developer Sandbox (free for basic workloads), Starter Plan (pay-as-you-go), Pro Plan (advanced features), and Enterprise Plan (custom solutions with cloud deployment options).
• Key Benefits Enterprise features like cloud deployment options, compliance support, and full-stack capabilities are included at no extra cost, often reducing total infrastructure expenses by eliminating the need for multiple vendors.

Northflank provides a complete platform solution rather than just GPU access.

Versus Runpod: Northflank offers broader platform capabilities beyond AI workloads, including cloud deployment options and enterprise features that Runpod lacks. While Runpod specializes in AI-specific optimizations, Northflank provides a comprehensive solution for entire application stacks with affordable GPU pricing.

Versus Vast.ai: Northflank offers predictable enterprise-grade infrastructure with transparent pricing, while Vast.ai focuses on marketplace cost optimization. Northflank includes full DevOps capabilities and compliance features that Vast.ai doesn't provide, making it suitable for production applications requiring reliability and enterprise features.

We'll go over Runpod's platform, features, pricing, and how it compares to Vast.ai and Northflank to help you determine if it fits your needs.

Runpod is an AI-focused cloud platform that provides GPU environments with pre-installed frameworks, targeting developers and ML teams who prefer managed infrastructure over handling their own setup.

Some of them include:

• FlashBoot technology with sub-200ms cold starts
• Auto-scaling from 0 to 1000 GPU workers
• Pay-per-second billing
• Pre-configured environments with popular frameworks
• Runpod Hub for one-click model deployment
• 30+ GPU models from RTX 4090s to H100s
• Multiple global regions
• Instant multi-node GPU clusters

Runpod uses a pricing model with three main categories: Cloud GPUs, Serverless, and Storage.

• Cloud GPU Pricing Popular options include H100 variants at $2.39-2.79/hr, A100 (80GB) at $1.64-1.74/hr, and RTX 4090 at $0.69/hr. They offer Community Cloud (more variety, lower cost) and Secure Cloud (enterprise features for $0.20/hr premium).
• Serverless Pricing Flex Workers (pay when running): H100 at $4.18/hr, A100 at $2.72/hr Active Workers (always-on, 30% discount): H100 at $3.35/hr, A100 at $2.17/hr
• Storage Pricing Network volumes cost $0.07/GB/month (under 1TB) with no data transfer fees.

Runpod takes an AI-first approach with managed serverless capabilities.

Versus Vast.ai:

Runpod offers predictable pricing and managed infrastructure, while Vast.ai requires navigating marketplace uncertainty. Runpod focuses on production reliability, while Vast.ai prioritizes cost savings.

Versus Northflank:

Runpod specializes in AI workloads with deeper ML-specific features, while Northflank provides a broader full-stack platform. Runpod lacks enterprise capabilities like Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) but offers more AI-specific optimizations.

We'll go over Vast.ai's marketplace platform, features, pricing model, and how it compares to Runpod and Northflank to help you determine if it fits your needs.

Vast.ai is a marketplace-based cloud platform that connects GPU providers with users, focusing on reducing costs through competitive bidding and offering access to underutilized GPU resources at significantly lower rates than traditional cloud providers.

Some of them include:

• Access to over 10,000 on-demand GPUs through marketplace providers
• DLPerf scoring system for hardware performance prediction
• Auction-based bidding for interruptible instances
• On-demand, interruptible, and reserved pricing options
• Bring your own Docker images and custom configurations
• Auto SSH and Jupyter setup for most existing images
• Persistent storage with direct data copy and cloud sync
• Multiple access methods (GUI, Python CLI, direct HTTPS REST APIs)

Vast.ai uses a marketplace pricing model with three main options: On-Demand, Interruptible, and Reserved.

Pricing Models

• On-Demand: Fixed prices set by hosts, run for as long as needed
• Interruptible: Auction-based bidding where clients set bid prices
• Reserved: Deposit credits for longer time blocks (months) in exchange for up to 50% discounts

Cost Savings

H100s available from $0.90/hour, RTX 4090s under $5, with typical savings of 60-80% compared to major cloud providers like AWS and GCP. $5 minimum to get started with per-second billing.

Vast.ai operates as a pure marketplace focusing on cost optimization rather than managed services.

Versus Runpod:

Vast.ai offers potentially much lower costs through marketplace dynamics but requires more hands-on infrastructure management. Runpod provides managed AI-specific features and predictable pricing, while Vast.ai prioritizes maximum cost savings with variable availability.

Versus Northflank:

Vast.ai focuses solely on GPU compute access through marketplace providers, while Northflank offers a comprehensive full-stack platform. Vast.ai lacks enterprise features like Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) and integrated DevOps capabilities, but can provide substantial cost savings for teams comfortable with marketplace uncertainty and infrastructure management.

After comparing all three platforms, here's the quick decision framework:

Choose Vast.ai if you're cost-optimizing for development work and have extensive DevOps skills to handle marketplace uncertainty.

Go with Runpod if you only need AI-specific workflows with managed serverless infrastructure.

However, for most teams building production applications, Northflank delivers the best overall value by combining affordable GPU pricing with enterprise features like deploying in your own cloud, full-stack platform capabilities, and comprehensive DevOps tools that reduce the need for multiple vendors.

While others force you to choose between cost, features, or scalability, Northflank gives you all three in one platform.

See the differences for yourself by trying out Northflank’s platform or speaking 1:1 with an Engineer (yes, a real human, not a machine 😉) to discuss your specific requirements.