eligibility_restricted Restricted to startup (Vast.ai Startup Program) applicants — not generally available. How we use this.
Application reviewed and approved by Vast.ai
Actively training models, running inference or scaling a production workload
Limits, pricing history. Verified November 2026. Last updated 2026-11-06.
Restricted to startup (Vast.ai Startup Program) applicants — not generally available. GPU marketplace… The only record that would rate Vast.ai is a change we could not check against an archived copy of Vast.ai's page, so we are not publishing a rating for it.
⚠️ Pricing change: The startup program now offers a credit *match* up to a set amount, dollar-for-dollar on verified compute spend, rather than a flat $2,500 in free credits. The program is for companies actively using the platform, not for evaluation. Unconfirmed. We could not check this change against an archived copy of Vast.ai's page, so it does not count toward the rating.Source ↗ (discovered 2026-09-02 · effective date unknown)View in changelog →
The day we last read the vendor's page, and the day we last confirmed the terms we publish.
Free Tier Details
GPU marketplace. Its startup program matches compute spend with credits, dollar for dollar, up to an amount Vast.ai sets when it approves the application: "No upfront giveaways. No free trials." Vast.ai says it is not the right fit for teams "looking for free compute with no committed spend". GPUs include H100s, H200s and B200s, with no long-term contracts or minimums.
We read that on 2026-11-06 from https://vast.ai/startup, and our check recorded: the page names Vast.ai as "vast ai" and states amounts, none of which we matched to the terms we publish.
The startup program now offers a credit *match* up to a set amount, dollar-for-dollar on verified compute spend, rather than a flat $2,500 in free credits. The program is for companies actively using the platform, not for evaluation. Unconfirmed. We could not check this change against an archived copy of Vast.ai's page, so it does not count toward the rating.Source ↗
Before: GPU marketplace — startup program offers $2,500 in free GPU credits. Access to A100s, H200s, and consumer cards. Up to 81% savings vs. major cloud GPU providers. 24/7 priority support during credit period. No long-term contracts
After: The Vast.ai Startup Program matches your compute spend with credits — so your budget goes twice as far. Apply for the Startup Credit Matching Program. Spend on Vast, and we match your spend in credits — dollar for dollar. Credits matched on verified compute spend. For example, you spend $500 → You get $500 back. You spend $2,500 → You get $2,500 back.
We do not push notifications. Every change we record is readable the moment it lands, and the JSON answer carries an ETag — send it back as If-None-Match and an unchanged answer costs one 304.
Restricted to startup (Vast.ai Startup Program) applicants — not generally available. Tier "Startup Discount" is a discount on a paid plan for qualifying startups, not a free tier. GPU marketplace. Its startup program matches compute spend with credits, dollar for dollar, up to an amount Vast.ai sets when it approves the application: "No upfront giveaways. No free trials." Vast.... Eligibility: Application reviewed and approved by Vast.ai; Actively training models, running inference or scaling a production workload.
Is Vast.ai's free tier good for production?
Restricted to startup (Vast.ai Startup Program) applicants — not generally available. Vast.ai does not offer a free tier for production use. Consider free alternatives in Startup Perks.
What changed in Vast.ai's pricing?
Vast.ai has had 1 recorded pricing change. Most recently: The startup program now offers a credit *match* up to a set amount, dollar-for-dollar on verified compute spend, rather than a flat $2,500 in free credits. The program is for companies actively using the platform, not for evaluation. Unconfirmed. We could not check this change against an archived copy of Vast.ai's page, so it does not count toward the rating. Source: https://vast.ai/startup (discovered 2026-09-02).
What category is Vast.ai in?
Vast.ai is categorized under Startup Perks on AgentDeals.