What is the difference between OpenAI and Vast.ai?

OpenAI 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: OpenAI 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 OpenAI 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 63 different GPU models across both OpenAI and Vast.ai, with 0 models available from both providers.

OpenAI vs Vast.ai

Compare GPU and LLM inference API pricing between OpenAI and Vast.ai. Find the best rates for AI training, inference, and ML workloads.

OpenAI

Provider 1

GPUs Available

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Vast.ai

Provider 2

GPUs Available

Visit Website

Comparison Overview

Total GPU Models

OpenAI GPUs

Vast.ai GPUs

Direct Comparisons

GPU Pricing Comparison

Total GPUs: 63Both available: 0OpenAI: 0Vast.ai: 63

Showing 15 of 63 GPUs

Last updated: 10/19/2026, 5:00:22 PM

GPU Model ↑	OpenAI Price	Vast.ai Price	Price Diff ↕	Sources
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.57/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.57/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 PCIe 80GB 80GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$1.00/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
A100 PCIe 80GB 80GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $1.00/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$1.08/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $1.08/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 SXM 40GB 40GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.48/hr★ Best 8x GPU	—	Vast.ai
A100 SXM 40GB 40GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.48/hour 8x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A40 48GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.53/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
A40 48GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.53/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
B200 180GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$6.25/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
B200 180GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $6.25/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/18/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1080 8GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.05/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1080 8GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.05/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1080 Ti 11GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.07/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1080 Ti 11GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.07/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1650 4GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.05/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1650 4GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.05/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1660 6GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.08/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1660 6GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.08/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/18/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.06/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.06/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1660 Ti 6GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.08/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1660 Ti 6GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.08/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX Titan X 12GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.07/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX Titan X 12GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.07/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$2.67/hr★ Best 4x GPU	—	Vast.ai
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $2.67/hour 4x GPU configuration Updated: 10/18/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$2.00/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $2.00/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai

A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.57/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A100 PCIE 40GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.57/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 PCIe 80GB 80GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$1.00/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
A100 PCIe 80GB 80GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $1.00/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$1.08/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
A100 SXM 80GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $1.08/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A100 SXM 40GB 40GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.48/hr★ Best 8x GPU	—	Vast.ai
A100 SXM 40GB 40GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.48/hour 8x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
A40 48GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.53/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
A40 48GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.53/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
B200 180GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$6.25/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
B200 180GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $6.25/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/18/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1080 8GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.05/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1080 8GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.05/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1080 Ti 11GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.07/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1080 Ti 11GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.07/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1650 4GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.05/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1650 4GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.05/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1660 6GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.08/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1660 6GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.08/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/18/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.06/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.06/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX 1660 Ti 6GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.08/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX 1660 Ti 6GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.08/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
GTX Titan X 12GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$0.07/hr★ Best	—	Vast.ai
GTX Titan X 12GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $0.07/hour Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$2.67/hr★ Best 4x GPU	—	Vast.ai
H100 NVL 94GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $2.67/hour 4x GPU configuration Updated: 10/18/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • Vast.ai	Not Available	$2.00/hr★ Best 2x GPU	—	Vast.ai
H100 PCIe 80GB VRAM • Not Available Vast.ai $2.00/hour 2x GPU configuration Updated: 10/19/2026 ★Best Price Vast.ai

LLM API Pricing Comparison

Total models: 28Both available: 0OpenAI: 28Vast.ai: 0

Showing 15 of 28 models

Prices per 1M tokens · Last updated: 10/19/2026, 5:00:21 PM

Model ↑	OpenAI	Vast.ai	Input Diff ↕
GPT-3.5 Turbo OpenAI	$0.500 in $1.50 out	Not available	—
GPT-4.1 OpenAI	$2.00 in $8.00 out	Not available	—
GPT-4.1 mini OpenAI	$0.400 in $1.60 out	Not available	—
GPT-4.1 nano OpenAI	$0.100 in $0.400 out	Not available	—
GPT-4o OpenAI	$2.50 in $10.00 out	Not available	—
GPT-4o mini OpenAI	$0.150 in $0.600 out	Not available	—
GPT-5 OpenAI	$1.25 in $10.00 out	Not available	—
GPT-5 mini OpenAI	$0.250 in $2.00 out	Not available	—
GPT-5 Nano OpenAI	$0.050 in $0.400 out	Not available	—
GPT-5 Pro OpenAI	$15.00 in $120.00 out	Not available	—
GPT-5.1 OpenAI	$1.25 in $10.00 out	Not available	—
GPT-5.2 OpenAI	$1.75 in $14.00 out	Not available	—
GPT-5.2 Pro OpenAI	$21.00 in $168.00 out	Not available	—
GPT-5.4 OpenAI	$2.50 in $15.00 out	Not available	—
GPT-5.4 Mini OpenAI	$0.750 in $4.50 out	Not available	—

Features Comparison

OpenAI

GPT Model Family
GPT-6 Astra for complex reasoning and coding, GPT-6 Sol to balance capability and cost, and GPT-6 Luna for cost-sensitive, high-volume workloads
Reasoning Models
Reasoning models for multi-step, complex tasks
Image Generation
Generate images as output with GPT Image 2
Realtime and Audio
Realtime API for voice applications plus endpoints to analyze, transcribe, and generate audio
Multimodal Capabilities
Process text, images, audio, and video inputs with unified models
Function Calling
Structured outputs and tool use for building agents and workflows

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, installed together via a single package
Agent-Ready Provisioning
API-native workflow intended for AI agents to search, procure, and release compute autonomously
Model Library and Templates
Prebuilt templates for popular open-source models, plus custom templates any GPU can run with one click
Flexible Infrastructure
Scale from a small starting balance to 20,000 GPUs across 40+ data centers without contracts or minimums

Pros & Cons

OpenAI

Advantages

Industry-leading model performance and accuracy
Extensive training data providing unmatched breadth across languages and domains
Developer-friendly SDKs for Python, JavaScript, and other languages
Comprehensive documentation and large community

Considerations

Higher cost compared to open-source alternatives
Token usage can scale quickly with conversation threads
Data privacy concerns for sensitive applications

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

OpenAI

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

OpenAI

Pay-per-token

Charged based on tokens processed for both input and output

Batch API

50% discount for asynchronous batch processing

Prompt Caching

Discounts for recently seen input tokens

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.

Serverless

Endpoint rates billed only for compute time, with no charge while workers are scaled to zero.

Getting Started

OpenAI

Get Started

1
Create an account
Sign up at platform.openai.com
2
Generate API key
Create an API key in the dashboard and store it securely
3
Install SDK
Install the OpenAI SDK for Python, JavaScript, or your preferred language
4
Make your first call
Use the SDK to call OpenAI models for text generation or other tasks

Vast.ai

Get Started

1
Add credit and get your API key
Add credit and grab an API key from the console. No contracts, no sales calls.
2
Search GPUs
Filter by model, VRAM, price, and availability via the console or API
3
Deploy
Launch instances in seconds. Scale up or down programmatically.

Support & Global Availability

OpenAI

Global Regions

Global availability with data residency options in US, Europe, UK, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia, and UAE

Support

Documentation, Help Center, Developer Forum, email support, and enterprise support plans with dedicated account managers

Vast.ai

Global Regions

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

Support

24/7 support chat in the console, email support at contact@vast.ai, Discord community, and documentation covering the CLI, SDK, and REST API