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packet.ai vs Vast.ai

Same NVIDIA GPUs.
14% less than Vast.ai. No marketplace risk.

packet.ai’s Dynamic model charges only for GPU cycles your workload actually consumes, not for the card sitting idle. Vast.ai is a peer-hosted marketplace where B200 costs $4.34/hr but reliability varies by host, with no contractual uptime guarantee. packet.ai delivers the same silicon with a 99.99% SLA and dedicated infrastructure, at 14% lower cost.

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No credit card Dedicated infrastructure 99.99% SLA
14%cheaper
NVIDIA B200 · on-demand $/GPU-hr
–14%
lower price than Vast.aifor the exact same silicon
packet.aiDynamic
$3.75
Vast.aiMarketplace (peer-hosted)
$4.34
14%
lower price than Vast.ai
<5 min
to your first live GPU
99.99%
uptime SLA on Dedicated
$0
to start · no card, no minimums
Savings calculator

See what you’d save vs Vast.ai.

8
116324864
packet.aiDynamic · $3.75/hr
$21,900/mo
Vast.ai$4.34/hr marketplace
$25,346/mo
You save
$41K/year
$3,446 saved per month
14% lower than Vast.ai
Start saving →

Snapshot at 8 NVIDIA B200 GPUs running 24/7 (730 hrs/mo) at packet.ai Dynamic $3.75/GPU-hr vs Vast.ai marketplace B200 rate of $4.34/GPU-hr. Vast.ai rates are marketplace-variable and may fluctuate by host and availability.

Why it’s possible

Full GPU performance.
Dedicated infrastructure. Guaranteed SLA.

Vast.ai aggregates compute from peer hosts across 40+ data centres: pricing is set by supply and demand, and reliability varies by host. packet.ai’s software-defined platform is different: your workload gets full-card NVIDIA B200 performance on dedicated, single-tenant infrastructure, with a contractual 99.99% uptime SLA. You pay only for what your job actually runs. Same silicon. More reliable. 14% cheaper.

Vast.aimarketplace hourly billing
~40% used
~60% idle, you still pay $4.34/hr
packet.aiDynamic — consumption billing
you pay only for GPU cycles your workload uses
AI workloads average ~40% GPU utilisation. Vast.ai’s billing charges per GPU-hour regardless of usage. packet.ai’s Dynamic model bills only what you consume — producing 38%+ savings on the headline rate.

Dedicated, not marketplace

Vast.ai is a peer-hosted marketplace where compute comes from independent operators. packet.ai is dedicated, single-tenant infrastructure: no shared host risk.

99.99% uptime SLA

Vast.ai hosts achieve 70-85% availability typically, with no contractual SLA. packet.ai Dedicated includes a 99.99% contractual uptime guarantee.

Zero idle charges

Vast.ai bills for your full reservation. packet.ai’s Dynamic model bills only for actual GPU cycles consumed, so you never pay for idle silicon.

Built by hosted.ai

Not a marketplace.
A 25-year infrastructure company.

packet.ai is the neocloud built by hosted.ai, the team that previously built OnApp and shipped infrastructure at VMware, NVIDIA and the Xen project. We’re doing for GPUs what VMware did for CPUs two decades ago: turning idle, single-tenant hardware into elastic, software-defined capacity. Backed by $23.6M led by Creandum.

PedigreeOnAppVMwareNVIDIAXen / CitrixSunlight.io
25+
years building infrastructure software
6,000+
cloud deployments powered by OnApp
40+
engineers building packet.ai
$23.6M
raised, led by Creandum
The verdict

Which should you choose?

Choose packet.ai if…

  • You need guaranteed uptime with a contractual 99.99% SLA, not peer-hosted reliability
  • You want dedicated, single-tenant infrastructure, not a shared marketplace
  • You want zero idle charges and lower effective pricing through Dynamic billing
  • You run regulated workloads requiring EU data residency and a DPA

Vast.ai may fit if…

  • You need the absolute lowest spot prices and can tolerate host interruption risk
  • Your workload is fault-tolerant and checkpoint-friendly
  • You need access to a very wide variety of GPU models across many regions
Side by side

packet.ai vs Vast.ai, in detail.

Capabilitypacket.airecommendedVast.ai
Pricing modelDynamic (pay for actual GPU usage)Marketplace (peer-hosted, variable)
B200 pricing$3.75/GPU-hr$4.34/GPU-hr (marketplace rate)
Savings vs Vast.ai14% cheaperBaseline
Idle chargesNone. Dynamic modelYes. Host bills for full reservation
InfrastructureDedicated, single-tenantPeer-hosted (shared, community hardware)
Uptime SLA99.99% on DedicatedNone, varies by host
Host reliabilityGuaranteed (contractual SLA)70-85% typical (host-dependent)
Time to first GPUUnder 5 minutesMinutes (host-dependent)
Data residencyUS & EU · DPA availableGlobal (host-dependent location)
Start freeNo credit cardCard required
FAQ

packet.ai vs Vast.ai, answered.

For anything else, reach help@packet.ai.

Is packet.ai cheaper than Vast.ai for NVIDIA B200 GPUs?
Yes. packet.ai Dynamic delivers full-card B200 from $3.75/GPU-hr, approximately 14% less than Vast.ai’s $4.34/hr marketplace rate.
What is the difference between Vast.ai’s marketplace model and packet.ai?
Vast.ai is a peer-hosted marketplace where compute comes from independent hosts, typically achieving 70-85% availability. packet.ai provides dedicated, single-tenant infrastructure with a contractual 99.99% uptime SLA.
Does Vast.ai offer an uptime SLA?
Vast.ai does not offer a contractual uptime SLA: reliability varies by host operator. packet.ai Dedicated includes a 99.99% uptime SLA backed by packet.ai.
Is my data secure on Vast.ai’s peer-hosted network?
Vast.ai uses encryption, but compute runs on third-party hardware in varied locations. packet.ai runs on dedicated, single-tenant infrastructure in US and EU data centres with a DPA for regulated workloads.
Can I switch from Vast.ai to packet.ai without code changes?
Yes. Both platforms use standard CUDA containers. Most workloads migrate with no code changes.
How does packet.ai’s pricing model differ from Vast.ai?
Vast.ai charges the full marketplace rate for your reservation period. packet.ai’s Dynamic model bills only for GPU cycles your workload actually consumes.
What regions does packet.ai support?
packet.ai runs in the US and EU with EU data residency and a DPA. Vast.ai operates a global peer network across 40+ data centre locations.

Same GPUs.
Guaranteed uptime.

Switch from Vast.ai and get dedicated B200 infrastructure with a 99.99% SLA. From $3.75/GPU-hour, no marketplace risk.

Start building →See pricing

No credit card · dedicated infrastructure · 99.99% SLA · US & EU