What are the best Lambda Labs alternatives for cheap A100 or H100 GPUs?

Thunder Compute offers A100 80 GB at $0.78 per hour and H100 at $1.47 per hour with per-second billing and persistent storage. Other options with public rates include Runpod (A100 from $1.64 to $1.74, H100 from $1.99), Crusoe (A100 80 GB SXM at $1.95, H100 at $3.90), Voltage Park (H100 from $1.99), Modal (~$2.50 A100 and ~$3.95 H100 equivalent), and Paperspace (A100 3.09 to 3.18, H100 5.95).

Why do some alternatives list consumer GPUs like RTX 4090?

Marketplaces such as Vast.ai aggregate GPUs from a peer-to-peer network of hosts, which includes consumer cards like RTX 4090. This crowdsourced supply can be very cheap but varies by host in performance and reliability.

When should I pick a marketplace vs a managed cloud?

Choose a marketplace when you want the lowest cost and can tolerate host variability. Choose a managed cloud when you need consistent SXM nodes, predictable performance, multi-GPU networking, and enterprise features.

Does Thunder Compute support a simple developer workflow?

Yes. Thunder supports one-click VS Code integration, per-second billing, persistent disks that stay attached to the instance, snapshots, and on-the-fly changes to vCPUs and RAM.

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Lambda Labs Alternatives: Low-price A100 and H100 Options

Fast, developer-friendly GPU clouds you can use today

Published:

Aug 14, 2025

Last updated:

Aug 14, 2025

TL;DR
If you like Lambda’s managed feel but want lower on-demand prices or simpler dev UX, start with Thunder Compute (A100 80 GB at $0.78 per hour, H100 at $1.47 per hour) and compare against Runpod, Crusoe, Voltage Park, Modal, Paperspace, and marketplace options like Vast.ai.

Quick picks

Cheapest on-demand A100/H100: Thunder Compute (pricing page) – per-second billing, persistent storage, one-click VS Code integration.
Large marketplace with consumer cards: Vast.ai (overview of GPU marketplace) – crowdsourced supply, many RTX 4090 options.
Enterprise-y alternative with public rates: Crusoe (on-demand pricing FAQ).
Low H100 headline price at scale: Voltage Park (pricing) – H100 from $1.99 per hour.
Serverless and workflows: Modal (pricing) – per-second rates translate to ~$2.50/hr for A100, ~$3.95/hr for H100.
Broad ecosystem and notebooks: Paperspace via DigitalOcean (pricing details) – H100 on-demand ~$5.95/hr; A100 also available.

Pricing snapshot (A100 and H100)

Rates are on-demand list prices where published. Some providers sell multi-GPU nodes; figures shown are per-GPU where the provider publishes per-GPU pricing.

Provider	A100 80 GB ($/hr)	H100 80 GB ($/hr)	Notes
Thunder Compute	0.78	1.47	Per-second billing, persistent storage 0.15/GB/mo, snapshots, change vCPU/RAM on the fly, one-click VS Code. [Thunder pricing]
Lambda Labs	1.79	2.99	Published per-GPU on their 8x nodes. [Lambda GPU Cloud pricing]
Runpod	1.64–1.74	from 1.99	A100 PCIe 1.64, A100 SXM 1.74, H100 starts 1.99. [Runpod pricing]
Crusoe Cloud	1.95 (SXM)	3.90	Public on-demand table. [Crusoe pricing]
Voltage Park	n/a	from 1.99	H100 headline on-demand price. [Voltage Park pricing]
Modal	~2.50	~3.95	Per-second rates converted to hourly. [Modal pricing]
Paperspace	3.09 (40 GB) or 3.18 (80 GB)	5.95	On-demand per official docs. [Paperspace pricing]

Marketplace vs managed clouds (important if you need consumer GPUs)

Marketplaces can deliver the lowest cost, but host consistency varies.

Vast.ai is a decentralized, peer-to-peer marketplace aggregating GPUs from both individuals and datacenters—including consumer-grade GPUs like RTX 4090—resulting in high supply variability and often lower prices.
Runpod Community Cloud also lists consumer GPUs with transparent starting prices and community-provided capacity.

If consistent performance, multi-GPU NVLink, or enterprise networking matters, managed clouds (Thunder Compute, Lambda Labs, Crusoe, Voltage Park) are more predictable.

Why teams pick Thunder Compute

Lowest on-demand A100/H100 rates in this comparison—A100 80 GB for $0.78/hr; H100 for $1.47/hr.
Developer velocity—one-click VS Code, per-second billing, persistent disks, snapshots, dynamic vCPU/RAM adjustments.
Simple pricing model—storage at $0.15/GB/month.
See the Thunder Compute pricing page for up-to-date details.

How to choose

For multi-GPU training with fast interconnect: opt for managed providers that explicitly publish SXM node specs and interconnect performance.
For fast prototyping or fine-tuning: prioritize per-second billing, quick restart speeds, and persistent storage.
To minimize cash burn: compare hourly A100 vs H100 costs—A100 often offers more cost-effective compute per token for prototyping models.
If you need consumer GPUs: good for specific workloads like image generation or lightweight training, but verify VRAM, driver compatibility, and host stability.

Carl Peterson

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