{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "thunder-compute", "name": "Thunder Compute", "vendor": "Thunder Compute", "vendorUrl": "https://www.thundercompute.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "gpu-compute", "summary": "Thunder Compute is a US GPU cloud renting RTX A6000, L40, A100 and H100 instances by the minute and GPU sandboxes by the second. Agents use its REST API, a hosted MCP server with OAuth, or the `tnr` CLI.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/thunder-compute", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/thunder-compute.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/thunder-compute.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/thunder-compute.json", "repo": "https://github.com/Thunder-Compute/thunder-cli", "license": "Proprietary service under Thunder Compute's Terms and Conditions. The `tnr` CLI on GitHub is MIT", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/v1", "packages": [ { "registry": "go", "name": "github.com/Thunder-Compute/thunder-cli" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "thunder-sandbox" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Self-serve. The hosted MCP server uses OAuth 2.0 with discovery. The first connection opens a browser to sign in and approve, tokens refresh, and the scopes are `instances:read`, `instances:write`, `snapshots:read`, `snapshots:write`, `sandboxes:read`, `sandboxes:write`, `billing:read` and `org:read`. The REST API takes a named API token as a Bearer header. Tokens are created and revoked one at a time in the console, or with the MCP `create_token` tool, and no token scopes were found. The CLI and the sandbox SDK read `TNR_API_TOKEN` for headless use. Price, specification, availability and template endpoints need no token.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "No general free tier. Instances are billed by the minute while they run, paid by saved card or preloaded credit that is non-refundable. Per GPU an hour on 9 October 2026, RTX A6000 is $0.35, L40 $0.79, A100 80 GB $1.09 and H100 $3.20. Sandboxes are billed by the second and need access enabled by the vendor. Students with a US university email get $20 of credit for A6000 and L40 GPUs. Reserved capacity is by quote (https://www.thundercompute.com/pricing).", "priceSummary": "$0.04 / vCPU-hr", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs corpus, the OpenAPI document or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 28, "popularity": { "githubStars": 34, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://www.thundercompute.com/docs", "llmsTxt": "https://www.thundercompute.com/docs/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/openapi.json", "registryName": "io.github.Thunder-Compute/thunder-compute", "capabilities": [ "compute.gpu", "compute.containers" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "usage-priced", "openapi", "llms-txt", "mcp", "cli", "oauth", "api-key", "python", "go", "status-page", "card-required", "closed-source" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-16", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 56.1, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 576, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 10, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 48, "maintenance": 79, "payments": 20, "reliability": 65, "schema": 70, "security": 51, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-09" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "The hosted MCP server signs in with OAuth and separate read and write scopes, and the REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 document with keyless price and availability endpoints. No rate limits, SLA or API changelog were found, instance creation has no idempotency key, and instances cannot be stopped, only deleted.", "bestFor": "Agents in coding tools that rent a single persistent GPU machine for development, fine-tuning or a model server, at low hourly prices and over MCP.", "strengths": [ "Hosted MCP server at `https://www.thundercompute.com/mcp` with OAuth and ten scopes that separate read from write for instances, snapshots and sandboxes", "Public OpenAPI 3.1 document with 41 operations, plus `llms.txt`, `llms-full.txt` and a Markdown copy of every docs page", "`GET /v2/pricing`, `GET /v2/specs` and `GET /v2/status` return prices, configurations and live availability without a token", "Section 28 of the terms, dated 28 September 2026, permits access by AI agents, scripts and SDKs through the account holder's own credentials", "The status page lists no incidents for July to October 2026 on its Website, API and Instances components" ], "weaknesses": [ "No rate limits, 429 guidance or SLA were found in the reviewed documentation, and the terms disclaim availability", "`POST /instances/create` has no idempotency key, so a retried launch can start a second billed instance", "Instances cannot be stopped. Pausing means taking a snapshot, deleting the instance and restoring later", "No general free tier. The $20 credit is limited to students with a US university email", "No security.txt or disclosure policy was found, and the SOC 2 Type II claim in `llms.txt` has no report or trust page linked", "The sub-processor list, last updated 27 August 2025, names Firebase for sign-in while the MCP docs name Stytch" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call `GET /v2/status` or the `get_availability` tool before creating an instance. Availability can change before launch, and creation fails when a type is sold out.", "List instances before retrying a failed create, because the call has no idempotency key.", "Pass `public_key` on create. If omitted, the response carries a generated private key that is returned once.", "To pause work, create a snapshot, delete the instance and later create a new instance from the snapshot. Snapshot storage keeps billing until deleted.", "For headless use set `TNR_API_TOKEN` to a token from the console. The MCP server needs a browser sign-in on first connection." ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 56.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 48, "maintenance": 79, "payments": 20, "reliability": 65, "schema": 70, "security": 51, "transparency": 51 }, "provenanceScore": 77 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Thunder-Compute/thunder-cli/main/scripts/install.sh | bash", "http": "curl https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/v2/pricing", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http thunder-compute https://www.thundercompute.com/mcp", "config": { "mcpServers": { "thunder-compute": { "url": "https://www.thundercompute.com/mcp" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/compute.gpu", "tool": "https://letme.dev/thunder-compute" }, "area": "models", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "RTX A6000 48 GB instance", "unit": "gpu-hour", "usd": 0.35, "note": "Billed per minute. One GPU per instance" }, { "item": "L40 48 GB instance", "unit": "gpu-hour", "usd": 0.79, "note": "Billed per minute" }, { "item": "A100 80 GB instance", "unit": "gpu-hour", "usd": 1.09, "note": "Billed per minute. 4 and 8 GPU shapes cost $1.49 a GPU per the price endpoint" }, { "item": "H100 80 GB instance", "unit": "gpu-hour", "usd": 3.2, "note": "Billed per minute" }, { "item": "H100 80 GB sandbox", "unit": "gpu-hour", "usd": 2.95, "note": "Billed per second, plus vCPU and memory. Access on request" }, { "item": "A100 80 GB sandbox", "unit": "gpu-hour", "usd": 1.95, "note": "Billed per second, plus vCPU and memory. Access on request" }, { "item": "Extra instance vCPU", "unit": "vcpu-hour", "usd": 0.04, "note": "Above the vCPUs included with each GPU" }, { "item": "Sandbox vCPU", "unit": "vcpu-hour", "usd": 0.051, "note": "Memory is $0.016 per GiB an hour" }, { "item": "Instance disk above 100 GB per GPU", "unit": "gb-month", "usd": 0.219, "note": "Billed only while the instance runs" }, { "item": "Snapshot storage", "unit": "gb-month", "usd": 0.05, "note": "Kept until deleted" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Thunder GPU, Inc.", "domain": "thundercompute.com", "domainRegistered": "2024-02-29", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.thundercompute.com/terms-and-conditions", "privacy": "https://www.thundercompute.com/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "https://status.thundercompute.com", "changelog": "https://github.com/Thunder-Compute/thunder-cli/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "The Terms and Conditions, last updated 28 September 2026, name Thunder GPU, Inc., doing business as Thunder Compute, a Delaware company, and apply Delaware law. They cover the site and the services, with sections on automated access, usage billing and instance data deletion.", "The privacy policy, last updated 28 September 2026, covers the website and the GPU platform, including access by AI agents.", "The API answers at api.thundercompute.com on port 8443, and the MCP server at www.thundercompute.com/mcp, both on the vendor domain.", "/.well-known/security.txt answers 404.", "RDAP for thundercompute.com gives a registration date of 2024-02-29.", "The changelog linked is the CLI's. No API changelog was found.", "A Data Processing Addendum is published in the docs and a sub-processor list on the site, last updated 27 August 2025." ], "score": 77 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/thunder-compute.json", "live": { "slug": "thunder-compute", "probe": { "target": "https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/v1", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-09T11:46:42.843121353Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 255, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 603, "p95ms24h": 730, "samples24h": 44, "samples30d": 44, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 44, "ok": 44 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.thundercompute.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T11:41:06.351340196Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T11:46:42.843121353Z" } }, "answer": "Vast.ai scores 62.6 (B) on agent readiness against Thunder Compute's 56.1 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "vast-ai", "name": "Vast.ai", "vendor": "Vast.ai Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://vast.ai", "kind": "http-api", "category": "gpu-compute", "summary": "Vast.ai is a marketplace for renting GPUs by the second from independent hosts and data centres, as Docker instances, virtual machines or autoscaling serverless endpoints. Agents use the `vastai` CLI, a Python SDK or a REST API.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vast-ai", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vast-ai.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vast-ai.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vast-ai.json", "repo": "https://github.com/vast-ai/vast-cli", "license": "Proprietary service under Vast.ai's Terms of Use Agreement. The `vastai` CLI and Python SDK on GitHub are MIT", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://console.vast.ai/api/v0", "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "vastai" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "API key from the console's Keys page, sent as `Authorization: Bearer` to https://console.vast.ai/api/v0, or stored once with `vastai set api-key`. Access is self-serve after a browser signup and email verification. A key has full account access by default. Scoped keys take any of 11 permission categories (`instance_read`, `instance_write`, `billing_write` and others) and constraints that narrow an endpoint to resource IDs. Keys are shown once, and can be reset or deleted with immediate effect. The rate-limit page names an `api_key` query parameter as part of a caller's identity, while the authentication page documents only the header.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "Prepaid credit with a $5 minimum deposit and no free tier or trial found. Each host sets its own rate per listing, so there is no fixed price list. Live rates are public at vast.ai/pricing and through `vastai search offers`. GPU time bills per second while an instance runs, storage per second while it exists (stopped included) and bandwidth per byte. Interruptible rentals are bid-priced and reserved rentals are prepaid for 1, 3 or 6 months. Serverless adds no fee on top of instance rates. Spent credit is not refunded (https://docs.vast.ai/guides/reference/billing.md, https://docs.vast.ai/guides/instances/pricing.md, checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "Pay per use", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs index, llms.txt, the agent pricing page or the OpenAPI file (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 223, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": 32699, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.vast.ai", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.vast.ai/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://docs.vast.ai/api-reference/openapi.json", "capabilities": [ "compute.gpu", "compute.containers", "compute.serverless", "compute.endpoints" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "marketplace", "usage-priced", "prepaid", "api-key", "scoped-keys", "openapi", "llms-txt", "python", "cli", "agent-skill", "serverless", "spot", "status-page", "soc2" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-02", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 62.6, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 384, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 6, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 57, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 20, "reliability": 65, "schema": 78, "security": 72, "transparency": 62 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "API keys can be limited by permission category and by resource ID, the REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 file, and the CLI ships weekly with a skill file for coding agents. Machines belong to independent hosts, prices move with the market, rate-limit thresholds are unpublished, and there is no SLA or free tier.", "bestFor": "Cost-sensitive training, batch work and self-managed inference where the agent can search listings, set a price cap and tolerate host variance or interruption.", "strengths": [ "API keys take 11 permission categories and per-endpoint constraints on resource IDs, and can be reset or deleted at once", "Public OpenAPI 3.1 file with 89 operations, llms.txt and Markdown docs pages", "MIT CLI and Python SDK, v1.8.3 on 2 October 2026, with 12 tagged releases since 27 July 2026", "Per-second billing, with serverless workers charged at the same rates as rented instances", "Vulnerability disclosure policy with safe harbour and triage within 5 business days, and an account audit log from the CLI" ], "weaknesses": [ "No SLA. The terms say availability is not guaranteed and the service can change without notice", "Rate-limit thresholds are unpublished and 429 responses carry no `Retry-After` header", "No free tier. Credit is prepaid with a $5 minimum deposit after a browser signup and email verification", "Hosts are independent. The security FAQ says individual hosts may have less formal security than Secure Cloud data centres", "The terms of 1 September 2026 prohibit scripts and automated access to the services without a separate written agreement, which conflicts with the public API" ], "agentNotes": [ "Create a scoped key with `vastai create api-key --permissions` for the agent. A default key has full account access, billing and key management included", "Pass `--raw` on every CLI command for JSON output, and `-y` on `vastai destroy instance`, which otherwise waits for a confirmation prompt", "Register an SSH key with `vastai create ssh-key` before creating an instance, or the host is unreachable", "Destroy instances when finished. A stopped instance still bills storage, and a zero balance without a saved card leads to deletion", "Back off on HTTP 429 yourself when calling REST directly. The CLI retries 429 three times from 0.15 seconds", "Filter searches with `verified=true` or the Secure Cloud option for sensitive data, and set a `dph_total` price cap" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 62.6 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 57, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 20, "reliability": 65, "schema": 78, "security": 72, "transparency": 45 }, "provenanceScore": 79 }, "connect": { "install": "pip install vastai", "http": "curl -s -H \"Authorization: Bearer $VAST_API_KEY\" \\\n \"https://console.vast.ai/api/v0/users/current/\"", "claudeCode": "/plugin marketplace add vast-ai/vast-claude-plugin\n/plugin install vastai" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/compute.gpu", "tool": "https://letme.dev/vast-ai" }, "area": "models", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Vast.ai Inc.", "domain": "vast.ai", "domainRegistered": "2017-12-16", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://vast.ai/terms", "privacy": "https://vast.ai/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.vast.ai", "changelog": "https://github.com/vast-ai/vast-cli/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The Terms of Use Agreement, version date 1 September 2026, names Vast.ai Inc. and its affiliates, covers the website and the rental service, and is governed by California law with JAMS arbitration in the Los Angeles area.", "The privacy policy, version date 18 June 2025, names Vast.ai Inc. and a Privacy Officer at contact@vast.ai. It is written for users of the website and contains an unfilled `[INSERT HYPERLINK]` placeholder.", "A Data Processing Agreement at vast.ai/data-processing-agreement forms part of the terms, with standard contractual clauses and five named sub-processors (Stripe, Google, Meta, Twitter, Microsoft).", "The REST API answers at console.vast.ai and serverless routing at run.vast.ai, both on the vendor's domain. Rented machines belong to independent hosts.", "vast.ai/.well-known/security.txt returns 404. A vulnerability disclosure policy dated 23 July 2025 at vast.ai/vulnerability-disclosure-policy sends reports to security@vast.ai.", "No API changelog was found in the docs index. The changelog link is the CLI and SDK repository's release list, which has no CHANGELOG file.", "RDAP for vast.ai gives a registration date of 2017-12-16." ], "score": 79 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vast-ai.json", "live": { "slug": "vast-ai", "probe": { "target": "https://console.vast.ai/api/v0", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-09T11:46:44.557513989Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 335, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 340, "p95ms24h": 381, "samples24h": 195, "samples30d": 195, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 70, "ok": 70 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 125, "ok": 125 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.vast.ai", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T07:58:38.957123015Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.vast.ai/guides/instances/pricing.md", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:19:43.22968168Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "7cd305f9206a" }, { "url": "https://vast.ai/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:25:30.293684318Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "afe890f5aa20" }, { "url": "https://vast.ai/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:25:32.570996649Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "652ca94c3dd7" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T11:46:44.557513989Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Thunder Compute", "b": "Vast.ai Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/v1", "b": "https://console.vast.ai/api/v0", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Pay per use", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "$0.219 per GB per month", "b": "not published", "name": "Price for compute gpu" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary service under Thunder Compute's Terms and Conditions. The `tnr` CLI on GitHub is MIT", "b": "Proprietary service under Vast.ai's Terms of Use Agreement. The `vastai` CLI and Python SDK on GitHub are MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "28", "b": "none", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "io.github.Thunder-Compute/thunder-compute", "b": "not listed", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-09-16", "b": "2026-10-02", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-09-28", "b": "2026-09-01", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-09-28", "b": "2025-06-18", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "34 stars", "b": "223 stars, 33k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Vast.ai scores 62.6 (B) on agent readiness against Thunder Compute's 56.1 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Thunder Compute or Vast.ai?" }, { "answer": "Thunder Compute takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Vast.ai needs an API key.", "question": "Do Thunder Compute and Vast.ai need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Thunder Compute has a hosted endpoint at https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/v1 and Vast.ai at https://console.vast.ai/api/v0.", "question": "Can an agent call Thunder Compute and Vast.ai without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "goodFor": "Agents in coding tools that rent a single persistent GPU machine for development, fine-tuning or a model server, at low hourly prices and over MCP.", "slug": "thunder-compute", "watchFor": "No rate limits, 429 guidance or SLA were found in the reviewed documentation, and the terms disclaim availability" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 78 against 70", "Agent ergonomics, 57 against 48", "Security \u0026 auth, 72 against 51" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Cost-sensitive training, batch work and self-managed inference where the agent can search listings, set a price cap and tolerate host variance or interruption.", "slug": "vast-ai", "watchFor": "No SLA. The terms say availability is not guaranteed and the service can change without notice" } ], "job": { "capability": "compute.gpu", "name": "Compute gpu" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/baseten-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Baseten vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/baseten-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/baseten-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Baseten vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/baseten-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/beam-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Beam vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/beam-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/beam-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Beam vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/beam-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cerebrium-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Cerebrium vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cerebrium-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cerebrium-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Cerebrium vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cerebrium-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coreweave-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "CoreWeave vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coreweave-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coreweave-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "CoreWeave vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coreweave-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hugging-face-inference-endpoints-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Hugging Face Inference Endpoints vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hugging-face-inference-endpoints-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hugging-face-inference-endpoints-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Hugging Face Inference Endpoints vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hugging-face-inference-endpoints-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbolic-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Hyperbolic vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbolic-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbolic-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Hyperbolic vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbolic-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koyeb-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Koyeb vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koyeb-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koyeb-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Koyeb vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koyeb-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lambda-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Lambda Cloud vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lambda-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lambda-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Lambda Cloud vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lambda-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modal-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Modal vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modal-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modal-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Modal vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modal-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nebius-ai-cloud-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Nebius AI Cloud vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nebius-ai-cloud-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nebius-ai-cloud-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Nebius AI Cloud vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nebius-ai-cloud-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/northflank-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Northflank vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/northflank-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/northflank-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Northflank vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/northflank-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-deploy-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Replicate Deployments vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-deploy-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-deploy-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Replicate Deployments vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-deploy-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/runpod-vs-thunder-compute.json", "title": "Runpod vs Thunder Compute", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/runpod-vs-thunder-compute" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/runpod-vs-vast-ai.json", "title": "Runpod vs Vast.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/runpod-vs-vast-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-verda.json", "title": "Thunder Compute vs Verda", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-verda" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/vast-ai-vs-verda.json", "title": "Vast.ai vs Verda", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/vast-ai-vs-verda" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "thunder-compute": 65, "vast-ai": 65, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "vast-ai", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "thunder-compute": 70, "vast-ai": 78, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 9, "edge": "vast-ai", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "thunder-compute": 48, "vast-ai": 57, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 21, "edge": "vast-ai", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "thunder-compute": 51, "vast-ai": 72, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "thunder-compute": 20, "vast-ai": 20, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 2, "edge": "vast-ai", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "thunder-compute": 79, "vast-ai": 81, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 2, "edge": "thunder-compute", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "thunder-compute": 64, "vast-ai": 62, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Vast.ai scores 62.6 (B) on agent readiness against Thunder Compute's 56.1 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Both do compute gpu.", "verdicts": { "thunder-compute": "The hosted MCP server signs in with OAuth and separate read and write scopes, and the REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 document with keyless price and availability endpoints. No rate limits, SLA or API changelog were found, instance creation has no idempotency key, and instances cannot be stopped, only deleted.", "vast-ai": "API keys can be limited by permission category and by resource ID, the REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 file, and the CLI ships weekly with a skill file for coding agents. Machines belong to independent hosts, prices move with the market, rate-limit thresholds are unpublished, and there is no SLA or free tier." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai.min.md" }, "markdown": "Vast.ai scores 62.6 (B) on agent readiness against Thunder Compute's 56.1 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Both do compute gpu.\n\n- Thunder Compute: grade C, 56.1/100, rank #576 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/thunder-compute.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/thunder-compute.json\n- Vast.ai: grade B, 62.6/100, rank #384 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vast-ai.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vast-ai.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Thunder Compute (C)\n\nGood for: Agents in coding tools that rent a single persistent GPU machine for development, fine-tuning or a model server, at low hourly prices and over MCP.\n\nWatch for: No rate limits, 429 guidance or SLA were found in the reviewed documentation, and the terms disclaim availability\n\n### Vast.ai (B)\n\nGood for: Cost-sensitive training, batch work and self-managed inference where the agent can search listings, set a price cap and tolerate host variance or interruption.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 78 against 70\n- Agent ergonomics, 57 against 48\n- Security \u0026 auth, 72 against 51\n\nWatch for: No SLA. The terms say availability is not guaranteed and the service can change without notice\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Thunder Compute | Vast.ai | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 65 | 65 | even |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 78 | Vast.ai +8 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 48 | 57 | Vast.ai +9 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 51 | 72 | Vast.ai +21 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 20 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 79 | 81 | Vast.ai +2 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 62 | Thunder Compute +2 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **56.1 · C** | **62.6 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Thunder Compute | Vast.ai |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Thunder Compute | Vast.ai Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/v1` | `https://console.vast.ai/api/v0` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |\n| Pricing | Pay per use | Pay per use |\n| Price for compute gpu | $0.219 per GB per month | not published |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Proprietary service under Thunder Compute's Terms and Conditions. The `tnr` CLI on GitHub is MIT | Proprietary service under Vast.ai's Terms of Use Agreement. The `vastai` CLI and Python SDK on GitHub are MIT |\n| Tools exposed | 28 | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| MCP registry | `io.github.Thunder-Compute/thunder-compute` | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-09-16 | 2026-10-02 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-09-28 | 2026-09-01 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-28 | 2025-06-18 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | yes |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | yes |\n| Popularity | 34 stars | 223 stars, 33k PyPI/wk |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Thunder Compute.** The hosted MCP server signs in with OAuth and separate read and write scopes, and the REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 document with keyless price and availability endpoints. No rate limits, SLA or API changelog were found, instance creation has no idempotency key, and instances cannot be stopped, only deleted.\n\n**Vast.ai.** API keys can be limited by permission category and by resource ID, the REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 file, and the CLI ships weekly with a skill file for coding agents. Machines belong to independent hosts, prices move with the market, rate-limit thresholds are unpublished, and there is no SLA or free tier.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Thunder Compute\n\n1. Call `GET /v2/status` or the `get_availability` tool before creating an instance. Availability can change before launch, and creation fails when a type is sold out.\n2. List instances before retrying a failed create, because the call has no idempotency key.\n3. Pass `public_key` on create. If omitted, the response carries a generated private key that is returned once.\n4. To pause work, create a snapshot, delete the instance and later create a new instance from the snapshot. Snapshot storage keeps billing until deleted.\n5. For headless use set `TNR_API_TOKEN` to a token from the console. The MCP server needs a browser sign-in on first connection.\n\n### Vast.ai\n\n1. Create a scoped key with `vastai create api-key --permissions` for the agent. A default key has full account access, billing and key management included\n2. Pass `--raw` on every CLI command for JSON output, and `-y` on `vastai destroy instance`, which otherwise waits for a confirmation prompt\n3. Register an SSH key with `vastai create ssh-key` before creating an instance, or the host is unreachable\n4. Destroy instances when finished. A stopped instance still bills storage, and a zero balance without a saved card leads to deletion\n5. Back off on HTTP 429 yourself when calling REST directly. The CLI retries 429 three times from 0.15 seconds\n6. Filter searches with `verified=true` or the Secure Cloud option for sensitive data, and set a `dph_total` price cap\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Thunder Compute or Vast.ai?\n\nVast.ai scores 62.6 (B) on agent readiness against Thunder Compute's 56.1 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Do Thunder Compute and Vast.ai need an API key?\n\nThunder Compute takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Vast.ai needs an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call Thunder Compute and Vast.ai without installing anything?\n\nYes. Thunder Compute has a hosted endpoint at https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/v1 and Vast.ai at https://console.vast.ai/api/v0.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"thunder-compute\", \"b\": \"vast-ai\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare thunder-compute vast-ai`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/thunder-compute.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vast-ai.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Thunder Compute or Vast.ai\n\n- [Baseten vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/baseten-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Baseten vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/baseten-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Beam vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/beam-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Beam vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/beam-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Cerebrium vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cerebrium-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Cerebrium vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cerebrium-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [CoreWeave vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coreweave-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [CoreWeave vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coreweave-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Hugging Face Inference Endpoints vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hugging-face-inference-endpoints-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Hugging Face Inference Endpoints vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hugging-face-inference-endpoints-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Hyperbolic vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbolic-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Hyperbolic vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbolic-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Koyeb vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koyeb-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Koyeb vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koyeb-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Lambda Cloud vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lambda-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Lambda Cloud vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lambda-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Modal vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modal-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Modal vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modal-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Nebius AI Cloud vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nebius-ai-cloud-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Nebius AI Cloud vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nebius-ai-cloud-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Northflank vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/northflank-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Northflank vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/northflank-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Replicate Deployments vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-deploy-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Replicate Deployments vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-deploy-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Runpod vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/runpod-vs-thunder-compute.md)\n- [Runpod vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/runpod-vs-vast-ai.md)\n- [Thunder Compute vs Verda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-verda.md)\n- [Vast.ai vs Verda](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/vast-ai-vs-verda.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-09", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Thunder Compute vs Vast.ai", "url": "" } ], "description": "Vast.ai scores 62.6 (B) on agent readiness against Thunder Compute's 56.1 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Both do compute gpu. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Thunder Compute C 56.1", "Vast.ai B 62.6", "scores" ], "h1": "Thunder Compute vs Vast.ai", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai.png", "path": "/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Thunder Compute vs Vast.ai for AI agents, C 56.1 vs B 62.6", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2550, "slim": 630 }, "version": 1 }