What is the difference between Akash Network and Runpod?

Akash Network and Runpod are both cloud GPU providers offering different pricing models, features, and GPU availability. Use our comparison tool to see real-time pricing and feature differences.

Which is cheaper: Akash Network or Runpod?

Pricing varies by GPU model and usage requirements. Check our real-time comparison table to find the best deals for your specific needs.

Can I switch between Akash Network and Runpod?

Yes, both providers offer flexible cloud GPU services. However, consider factors like data transfer costs, setup time, and specific features when switching between providers.

How many GPU models are available for comparison?

We track pricing for 43 different GPU models across both Akash Network and Runpod, with 0 models available from both providers.

Akash Network vs Runpod

Compare GPU and LLM inference API pricing between Akash Network and Runpod. Find the best rates for AI training, inference, and ML workloads.

Akash Network

Provider 1

GPUs Available

Visit Website

Runpod

Provider 2

GPUs Available

Visit Website

Comparison Overview

Total GPU Models

Akash Network GPUs

Runpod GPUs

Direct Comparisons

Average Price Difference: $0.21/hour between comparable GPUs

GPU Pricing Comparison

Total GPUs: 43Both available: 12Akash Network: 17Runpod: 38

Showing 15 of 43 GPUs

Last updated: 10/6/2026, 6:24:40 PM

GPU Model ↑	Akash Network Price	Runpod Price	Price Diff ↕	Sources
A100 PCIe 80GB 80GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$1.19/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
A100 PCIe 80GB 80GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $1.19/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Akash NetworkRunpod	$1.33/hr★ Best	$1.39/hr	↓$0.06(4.3%)	Akash Network Runpod API
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Akash Network $1.33/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod $1.39/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 Price Difference:↓$0.06(4.3%) Akash Network Runpod API
A100 SXM 40GB 40GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$1.00/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
A100 SXM 40GB 40GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $1.00/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
A40 48GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$0.49/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
A40 48GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $0.49/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
B200 180GB VRAM • Akash NetworkRunpod	$5.00/hr★ Best	$5.98/hr	↓$0.98(16.4%)	Akash Network Runpod API
B200 180GB VRAM • Akash Network $5.00/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod $5.98/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 Price Difference:↓$0.98(16.4%) Akash Network Runpod API
GTX 1070 Ti 8GB VRAM • Akash Network	$0.14/hr★ Best	Not Available	—	Akash Network
GTX 1070 Ti 8GB VRAM • Akash Network $0.14/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Not Available Akash Network
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$2.59/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $2.59/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$1.99/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $1.99/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Akash NetworkRunpod	$2.72/hr	$2.69/hr★ Best	↑+$0.03(+1.1%)	Akash Network Runpod API
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Akash Network $2.72/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 Runpod $2.69/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Price Difference:↑+$0.03(+1.1%) Akash Network Runpod API
H200 141GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$3.59/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
H200 141GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $3.59/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
HGX B300 288GB VRAM • Akash NetworkRunpod	$6.00/hr★ Best	$6.94/hr	↓$0.94(13.5%)	Akash Network Runpod API
HGX B300 288GB VRAM • Akash Network $6.00/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod $6.94/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 Price Difference:↓$0.94(13.5%) Akash Network Runpod API
L4 24GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$0.49/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
L4 24GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $0.49/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
L40 40GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$0.69/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
L40 40GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $0.69/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
L40S 48GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$0.79/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
L40S 48GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $0.79/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
MI300X 192GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$2.39/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
MI300X 192GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $2.39/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API

A100 PCIe 80GB 80GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$1.19/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
A100 PCIe 80GB 80GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $1.19/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Akash NetworkRunpod	$1.33/hr★ Best	$1.39/hr	↓$0.06(4.3%)	Akash Network Runpod API
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Akash Network $1.33/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod $1.39/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 Price Difference:↓$0.06(4.3%) Akash Network Runpod API
A100 SXM 40GB 40GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$1.00/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
A100 SXM 40GB 40GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $1.00/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
A40 48GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$0.49/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
A40 48GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $0.49/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
B200 180GB VRAM • Akash NetworkRunpod	$5.00/hr★ Best	$5.98/hr	↓$0.98(16.4%)	Akash Network Runpod API
B200 180GB VRAM • Akash Network $5.00/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod $5.98/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 Price Difference:↓$0.98(16.4%) Akash Network Runpod API
GTX 1070 Ti 8GB VRAM • Akash Network	$0.14/hr★ Best	Not Available	—	Akash Network
GTX 1070 Ti 8GB VRAM • Akash Network $0.14/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Not Available Akash Network
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$2.59/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $2.59/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$1.99/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $1.99/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Akash NetworkRunpod	$2.72/hr	$2.69/hr★ Best	↑+$0.03(+1.1%)	Akash Network Runpod API
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Akash Network $2.72/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 Runpod $2.69/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Price Difference:↑+$0.03(+1.1%) Akash Network Runpod API
H200 141GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$3.59/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
H200 141GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $3.59/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
HGX B300 288GB VRAM • Akash NetworkRunpod	$6.00/hr★ Best	$6.94/hr	↓$0.94(13.5%)	Akash Network Runpod API
HGX B300 288GB VRAM • Akash Network $6.00/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod $6.94/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 Price Difference:↓$0.94(13.5%) Akash Network Runpod API
L4 24GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$0.49/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
L4 24GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $0.49/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
L40 40GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$0.69/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
L40 40GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $0.69/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
L40S 48GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$0.79/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
L40S 48GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $0.79/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API
MI300X 192GB VRAM • Runpod	Not Available	$2.39/hr★ Best	—	Runpod API
MI300X 192GB VRAM • Not Available Runpod $2.39/hour Updated: 10/6/2026 ★Best Price Runpod API

LLM API Pricing Comparison

Total models: 1Both available: 0Akash Network: 0Runpod: 1

Showing 1 of 1 models

Prices per 1M tokens · Last updated: 10/6/2026, 6:24:40 PM

Model ↑	Akash Network	Runpod	Input Diff ↕
Qwen 3 32B Alibaba	Not available	$10.00 in $10.00 out	—

Features Comparison

Akash Network

Automated Bidding
Independent infrastructure providers automatically submit competitive bids in real time for workload requests.
No Refactoring Required
Applications running in containers can be directly migrated to the Akash platform without code changes.
1-Click Templates
Pre-configured environments for popular AI models can be launched quickly.
Global Access to Hardware
Enterprise-grade GPUs and consumer-grade GPUs are accessible for various compute needs.
Operational Autonomy
Users maintain control over network routing and data residency.

Runpod

Secure Cloud GPUs
Access to a wide range of GPU types with enterprise-grade security
Pay-as-you-go
Only pay for the compute time you actually use
API Access
Programmatically manage your GPU instances via REST API
Fast cold-starts
Pods typically ready in 20-30 s
Hot-reload dev loop
SSH & VS Code tunnels built-in
Spot-to-on-demand fallback
Automatic migration on pre-empt

Pros & Cons

Akash Network

Advantages

Decentralized infrastructure reduces dependency on single providers.
Potential for lower costs compared to traditional cloud providers.
Supports a wide variety of containerized applications.

Considerations

Limited awareness compared to larger cloud providers.
Potential complexity in understanding the decentralized model for new users.

Runpod

Advantages

Competitive pricing with pay-per-second billing
Wide variety of GPU options
Simple and intuitive interface

Considerations

GPU availability can vary by region
Some features require technical knowledge

Compute Services

Akash Network

Runpod

Pods

On‑demand single‑node GPU instances in Secure Cloud (data‑center hosted) or lower‑cost Community Cloud, with flexible templates and storage.

Serverless

Pay‑per‑second endpoints with automatic scaling for production AI/ML applications.

Instant Clusters

Fully managed multi‑node GPU clusters with high‑speed networking between nodes.

Pricing Options

Akash Network

Runpod

Secure Cloud

Pods hosted in vetted data centers; higher reliability tier

Community Cloud

Pods on vetted community hosts at lower rates than Secure Cloud

Spot

Interruptible capacity at reduced prices

Serverless

Pay-per-second billing for endpoint execution time, with automatic scaling and no charge when idle

Clusters

Per-hour or per-second billing for multi-node GPU clusters with no commitment, scaling up to 64 GPUs

Reserved Clusters

Discounted rates for 1, 3, 6, or 12+ month commitments on dedicated clusters with guaranteed availability and SLA-backed uptime; quoted by sales

Public Endpoints

Usage-based billing for pre-deployed model APIs, charged per request, per token, or per 1000 characters depending on the model

Getting Started

Akash Network

Get Started

1
Sign Up
Create an account on the Akash console.
2
Choose a Deployment Method
Select to launch an AI workload or deploy a container.
3
Configure Resources
Specify required resources such as GPUs, memory, and region.
4
Deploy
Finalize deployment and authorize the request.

Runpod

Get Started

1
Create an account
Sign up for Runpod using your email or GitHub account
2
Add payment method
Add a credit card or cryptocurrency payment method
3
Launch your first pod
Select a template and GPU type to launch your first instance

Support & Global Availability

Akash Network

Global Regions

Global availability for GPU resources

Support

Documentation available online; support requests can be initiated through the platform.

Runpod

Global Regions

31 global regions worldwide

Support

Documentation site, support request form, public status page, and a community Discord