What is the difference between DigitalOcean and Vast.ai?

DigitalOcean and Vast.ai 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: DigitalOcean or Vast.ai?

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 DigitalOcean and Vast.ai?

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 36 different GPU models across both DigitalOcean and Vast.ai, with 0 models available from both providers.

DigitalOcean vs Vast.ai GPU Cloud Pricing 2026

GPU Pricing Comparison

Total GPUs: 36Both available: 3DigitalOcean: 6Vast.ai: 33

Showing 15 of 36 GPUs

Last updated: 5/12/2026, 7:02:26 PM

GPU Model ↑	DigitalOcean Price	Vast.ai Price	Price Diff ↕	Sources
A10 24GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.15/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A10 24GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.15/hour Updated: 5/8/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.48/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.48/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.47/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.47/hour Updated: 5/11/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A40 48GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.29/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
A40 48GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.29/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • DigitalOcean	$2.99/hr★ Best 8x GPU	Not Available	—	DigitalOcean API
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • DigitalOcean $2.99/hour 8x GPU configuration Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Not Available DigitalOcean API
H200 141GB VRAM • DigitalOcean	$3.44/hr★ Best	Not Available	—	DigitalOcean API
H200 141GB VRAM • DigitalOcean $3.44/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Not Available DigitalOcean API
L4 24GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.13/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
L4 24GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.13/hour Updated: 4/28/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
L40 40GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.58/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
L40 40GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.58/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
L40S 48GB VRAM • DigitalOceanVast.ai	$1.57/hr	$0.56/hr★ Best	↑+$1.01(+179.6%)	DigitalOcean API Vast.ai
L40S 48GB VRAM • DigitalOcean $1.57/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 Vast.ai $0.56/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Price Difference:↑+$1.01(+179.6%) DigitalOcean API Vast.ai
MI300X 192GB VRAM • DigitalOcean	$1.99/hr★ Best	Not Available	—	DigitalOcean API
MI300X 192GB VRAM • DigitalOcean $1.99/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Not Available DigitalOcean API
RTX 3070 8GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.05/hr★ Best 4x GPU	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3070 8GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.05/hour 4x GPU configuration Updated: 5/9/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
RTX 3070 Ti 8GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.06/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3070 Ti 8GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.06/hour Updated: 4/30/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
RTX 3080 10GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.07/hr★ Best 4x GPU	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3080 10GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.07/hour 4x GPU configuration Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
RTX 3080 Ti 12GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.09/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3080 Ti 12GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.09/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 5/11/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
RTX 3090 24GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.14/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3090 24GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.14/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai

A10 24GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.15/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A10 24GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.15/hour Updated: 5/8/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.48/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.48/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.47/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.47/hour Updated: 5/11/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A40 48GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.29/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
A40 48GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.29/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • DigitalOcean	$2.99/hr★ Best 8x GPU	Not Available	—	DigitalOcean API
H100 SXM 80GB VRAM • DigitalOcean $2.99/hour 8x GPU configuration Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Not Available DigitalOcean API
H200 141GB VRAM • DigitalOcean	$3.44/hr★ Best	Not Available	—	DigitalOcean API
H200 141GB VRAM • DigitalOcean $3.44/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Not Available DigitalOcean API
L4 24GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.13/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
L4 24GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.13/hour Updated: 4/28/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
L40 40GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.58/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
L40 40GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.58/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
L40S 48GB VRAM • DigitalOceanVast.ai	$1.57/hr	$0.56/hr★ Best	↑+$1.01(+179.6%)	DigitalOcean API Vast.ai
L40S 48GB VRAM • DigitalOcean $1.57/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 Vast.ai $0.56/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Price Difference:↑+$1.01(+179.6%) DigitalOcean API Vast.ai
MI300X 192GB VRAM • DigitalOcean	$1.99/hr★ Best	Not Available	—	DigitalOcean API
MI300X 192GB VRAM • DigitalOcean $1.99/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Not Available DigitalOcean API
RTX 3070 8GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.05/hr★ Best 4x GPU	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3070 8GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.05/hour 4x GPU configuration Updated: 5/9/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
RTX 3070 Ti 8GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.06/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3070 Ti 8GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.06/hour Updated: 4/30/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
RTX 3080 10GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.07/hr★ Best 4x GPU	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3080 10GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.07/hour 4x GPU configuration Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
RTX 3080 Ti 12GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.09/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3080 Ti 12GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.09/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 5/11/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
RTX 3090 24GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.14/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
RTX 3090 24GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.14/hour Updated: 5/12/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai

Features Comparison

DigitalOcean

GPU Droplets
On-demand NVIDIA and AMD GPU instances with per-hour billing and no long-term contracts.
One-Click ML Frameworks
Pre-configured images with PyTorch, TensorFlow, and CUDA for immediate productivity.
Integrated Platform
GPU Droplets work seamlessly with DigitalOcean's networking, storage, and managed databases.
Simple Pricing
Transparent per-hour pricing with no hidden fees or complex instance families.

Vast.ai

Real-Time GPU Pricing
Prices set by supply and demand across the platform with no list prices or hidden fees
Three Deployment Options
GPU Cloud for full control, Serverless for zero-ops inference, Clusters for large-scale training
Developer-Focused Tools
CLI, Python SDK, and REST API for programmatic GPU provisioning
Flexible Infrastructure
Scale from $5 to 20,000 GPUs across 40+ data centers without contracts or minimums

Pros & Cons

DigitalOcean

Advantages

Simple, transparent pricing with no surprises
Wide GPU selection including H100, H200, L40s, and AMD MI300X
No long-term commitments required
Well-known developer platform with strong community

Considerations

Newer to GPU cloud compared to specialized providers
Some high-end SKUs (MI325X, B300) require sales contact
Limited GPU data center regions

Vast.ai

Advantages

Significant cost savings with supply-demand pricing
Flexible pricing with on-demand, interruptible, and reserved options
Real-time transparent pricing with no hidden fees
Docker ecosystem for quick software deployment

Considerations

Primarily focused on Linux-based Docker instances
Performance may vary across different community providers
Learning curve for users unfamiliar with marketplace-based pricing

Compute Services

DigitalOcean

Vast.ai

GPU Cloud

On-demand instances across 40+ data centers and 20,000+ GPUs

Serverless

Deploy models as endpoints with autoscaling to zero

Clusters

Dedicated multi-node GPU clusters with InfiniBand networking

Pricing Options

DigitalOcean

Vast.ai

On-Demand

Guaranteed uptime with per-second billing. Best for production workloads.

Interruptible

50%+ cheaper preemptible instances. Best for fault-tolerant batch training.

Reserved

Up to 50% off with 1, 3, or 6 month commitments. Guaranteed capacity with volume discounts.

Getting Started

DigitalOcean

Get Started

1
Create an Account
Sign up at digitalocean.com and verify your account.
2
Create a GPU Droplet
Select GPU Droplets from the Create menu, choose your GPU type and configuration.
3
Choose an Image
Select a pre-configured AI/ML image or a base OS image.
4
Launch and Connect
Launch your GPU Droplet and connect via SSH to start working.

Vast.ai

Get Started

1
Add Credit
Start with as little as $5. No contracts, no minimums.
2
Search GPUs
Filter by model, VRAM, price, and availability across the platform
3
Deploy
Launch instances in seconds. Scale up or down anytime.

Support & Global Availability

DigitalOcean

Global Regions

GPU Droplets are available in select US data centers with expansion planned.

Support

24/7 support via ticket system, extensive documentation, and active community forums.

Vast.ai

Global Regions

40+ data centers with global coverage including community and enterprise providers

Support

24/7 expert support, comprehensive documentation, Discord community, CLI and SDK tools