Beam vs RunPod
Compare GPU pricing, features, and specifications between Beam and RunPod cloud providers. Find the best deals for AI training, inference, and ML workloads.
Beam
Provider 1
RunPod
Provider 2
Comparison Overview
GPU Pricing Comparison
| GPU Model ↑ | Beam Price | RunPod Price | Price Diff ↕ | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available |  $0.60/hr★ Best | — | |
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • | ||||
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.79/hr★ Best | — | |
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • | ||||
A2 16GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.06/hr★ Best | — | |
A2 16GB VRAM • | ||||
A30 24GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.11/hr★ Best | — | |
A30 24GB VRAM • | ||||
A40 48GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.40/hr★ Best | — | |
A40 48GB VRAM • | ||||
B200 192GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $5.98/hr★ Best | — | |
B200 192GB VRAM • | ||||
H100 80GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $1.50/hr★ Best | — | |
H100 80GB VRAM • | ||||
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $1.40/hr★ Best | — | |
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • | ||||
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $1.35/hr★ Best | — | |
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • | ||||
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $1.50/hr★ Best | — | |
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • | ||||
H200 141GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $3.59/hr★ Best | — | |
H200 141GB VRAM • | ||||
HGX B300 288GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $6.19/hr★ Best | — | |
HGX B300 288GB VRAM • | ||||
L40 40GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.43/hr★ Best | — | |
L40 40GB VRAM • | ||||
L40S 48GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.40/hr★ Best | — | |
L40S 48GB VRAM • | ||||
RTX 3070 8GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.07/hr★ Best | — | |
RTX 3070 8GB VRAM • | ||||
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.60/hr★ Best | — | |
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • | ||||
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.79/hr★ Best | — | |
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • | ||||
A2 16GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.06/hr★ Best | — | |
A2 16GB VRAM • | ||||
A30 24GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.11/hr★ Best | — | |
A30 24GB VRAM • | ||||
A40 48GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.40/hr★ Best | — | |
A40 48GB VRAM • | ||||
B200 192GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $5.98/hr★ Best | — | |
B200 192GB VRAM • | ||||
H100 80GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $1.50/hr★ Best | — | |
H100 80GB VRAM • | ||||
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $1.40/hr★ Best | — | |
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • | ||||
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $1.35/hr★ Best | — | |
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • | ||||
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $1.50/hr★ Best | — | |
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • | ||||
H200 141GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $3.59/hr★ Best | — | |
H200 141GB VRAM • | ||||
HGX B300 288GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $6.19/hr★ Best | — | |
HGX B300 288GB VRAM • | ||||
L40 40GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.43/hr★ Best | — | |
L40 40GB VRAM • | ||||
L40S 48GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.40/hr★ Best | — | |
L40S 48GB VRAM • | ||||
RTX 3070 8GB VRAM • RunPod | Not Available | $0.07/hr★ Best | — | |
RTX 3070 8GB VRAM • | ||||
Features Comparison
Beam
- Pay-per-millisecond Billing
Only charged when your code runs, no charges for cold starts or server spin-up
- Sub-second Cold Starts
Fast function initialization with checkpoint restore technology
- Sandbox Snapshots
Snapshot and restore sandbox state for faster deployments
- Autoscaling
Automatic scaling based on demand with deployment logs included
- Custom Docker Images
Bring your own Docker images for full environment control
- Open Source
Core engine (beta9) is open-source and can be self-hosted
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
Beam
Advantages
- Pay-per-millisecond billing with no charges for cold starts
- Sub-second cold starts with checkpoint restore
- Up to 80% savings compared to always-on instances
- Open-source core engine (beta9) available for self-hosting
Considerations
- Smaller GPU selection compared to major cloud providers
- Newer platform with smaller community
- Focused primarily on serverless workloads
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
Beam
RunPod
Pods
On‑demand single‑node GPU instances with flexible templates and storage.
Instant Clusters
Spin up multi‑node GPU clusters in minutes with auto networking.
Pricing Options
Beam
RunPod
Getting Started
Beam
- 1
Create an account
Sign up on the Beam platform
- 2
Set up Python environment
Create a virtual environment and install the Beam SDK
- 3
Authenticate with API token
Configure your API token to connect to Beam
RunPod
- 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
Beam
RunPod
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