Vast.ai vs Modal: GPU Cloud Compute Pricing (2026)
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Vast.ai vs Modal

AI/GPU Cloud Compute pricing comparison · 2026

Vast.ai pricing ranges from $0.02–$6.25/GPU/hour, while Modal ranges from $0–$250/GPU/hour. These products use different pricing models (Per-seat subscription vs Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute)), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Vast.ai pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Modal pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · AI/GPU Cloud Compute
Side-by-side · live
Vast.ai
Vast.
verified 7w ago
View pricing →
Modal
Modal is a serverless compute platform that lets Python developers run GPU and CPU workloa
verified 7w ago
View pricing →
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Interruptible
$30/yr
year 1 license · $0/seat
Usage-based
$0.001972 per second
see vendor pricing for volume tiers
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 29 sourced facts
27 hidden-cost · 1 contract · 1 review platform
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Medium confidence
Sources 13 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 1 contract · 1 review platform
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Serverless Inference Pricing Premium vs. API Alternatives
    $18/hr
    1 source
  • Interruptible Instance Interruption Loss
    10-30% of license costs
    1 source
  • Internet Bandwidth/Egress Charges
    $5-$50
    3 sources
  • Billing Continues After Instance Becomes Inaccessible
    5-25% of total spend
    4 sources
  • Charges for Inaccessible or Offline Instances
    10-100% of license costs
    4 sources
5 documented
  • GPU Compute Costs Billed on Top of Plan Fee
    $2-$72/hr per GPU
    3 sources
  • DIY Configuration Overhead and Cold Start Latency
    5-15% of license costs
    1 source
  • DIY Infrastructure Overhead: vLLM Configuration and Cold Starts
    10-25% of license costs
    1 source
  • Billing Cycle Spend Limits Blocking Service Access
    5-15% of license costs
    1 source
  • Account Locked When Outstanding Balance Exists
    5-15% of license costs
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Vast.ai
Modal
Auto-renewal
✓ No
Yes
Cancellation
Instances can be stopped at any time; no subscription renewal period
—
Commitment
Hourly (no minimum contract term)
—
Price escalation
No published price escalation schedule; marketplace rates fluctuate based on host supply and demand
No published schedule
Can downgrade
✓ Yes
—
Based on 2 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
Trustpilot
2out of 5 (25)
Best for
Production workloads requiring guaranteed uptime
Watch out
Instances go offline unexpectedly with no refund for lost compute time
Trustpilot
1.4out of 5 (5)
Best for
Individual developers and small teams getting started with serverless GPU compute
Watch out
Billing cycle spend limits triggered at negligible spend amounts ($0.01), blocking service access
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Vast.ai pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Modal pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
AI/GPU Cloud Compute

Vast.ai

$0.02–$6.25
/GPU/hour
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
AI/GPU Cloud Compute

Modal

$0–$250
/GPU/hour
3 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
⚖

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — Vast.ai uses Per-seat subscription pricing while Modal uses Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute) pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Per-seat subscription

Vast.ai

$0.02–$6.25 / GPU/hour
See full Vast.ai pricing →
vs
Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute)

Modal

From $0.00000222 per second
See full Modal pricing →

Vast.ai and Modal are both gpu cloud compute competitors. This page compares their list pricing tier by tier so you can see which is cheaper for your workload shape.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Vast.ai Modal
On-Demand $0.33 /user/month Free /month
Interruptible $0.10 /user/month $250 /month
Reserved $0.20 /user/month Custom

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Vast.ai

13 scenarios
$0.30/minute ($18/hour)
Serverless AI Inference (Single Model)
$2.95/hour
Single H100 — Short AI Training Run
per H100 (~$70.80/day) based on community-cited pricing
From ~$0.10/hour (Interruptible tier starting price)
Interruptible GPU — Budget Experimentation
See all 13 scenarios →

Modal

8 scenarios
$0/month
Solo Developer on Starter Plan
platform fee + ~$2/hr per GPU compute
$250/month
Small Team Running Large Model Inference
platform fee + ~$72/hr GPU costs for large model serving
~$2/hour per GPU on-demand; $0 platform fee (Starter plan)
Solo Developer (Occasional GPU Workloads)
See all 8 scenarios →

What Users Say

Vast.ai

Trustpilot
2out of 5 (25)
Top complaints
  • Instances go offline unexpectedly with no refund for lost compute time
  • Unexpected bandwidth and egress charges on top of the hourly GPU rate
  • Unrecognized credit card charges and account credits draining without clear cause

Modal

Trustpilot
1.4out of 5 (5)
Top complaints
  • Billing cycle spend limits triggered at negligible spend amounts ($0.01), blocking service access
  • Cannot delete account when outstanding balance exists — creates a loop with unresponsive support
  • No free compute credits despite marketing suggesting otherwise

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Vast.ai 13 hidden costs

high
Serverless Inference Pricing Premium vs. API Alternatives $18/hr
medium
Interruptible Instance Interruption Loss 10-30% of license costs
high
Internet Bandwidth/Egress Charges $5-$50
critical
Billing Continues After Instance Becomes Inaccessible 5-25% of total spend
critical
Charges for Inaccessible or Offline Instances 10-100% of license costs
See all Vast.ai hidden costs →

Modal 10 hidden costs

high
GPU Compute Costs Billed on Top of Plan Fee $2-$72/hr per GPU
medium
DIY Configuration Overhead and Cold Start Latency 5-15% of license costs
medium
DIY Infrastructure Overhead: vLLM Configuration and Cold Starts 10-25% of license costs
high
Billing Cycle Spend Limits Blocking Service Access 5-15% of license costs
medium
Account Locked When Outstanding Balance Exists 5-15% of license costs
See all Modal hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Vast.ai Modal
Auto-renewal No Yes
Cancellation Instances can be stopped at any time; no subscription renewal period —
Minimum commitment Hourly (no minimum contract term) —
Price escalation No published price escalation schedule; marketplace rates fluctuate based on host supply and demand No published schedule
Can downgrade Yes —

Continue researching

Vast.ai

Modal

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