# Thunder Compute vs Vast.ai

> 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.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai
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- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/thunder-compute-vs-vast-ai.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

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.

- 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
- 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

## Which one, for what

### Thunder Compute (C)

Good 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.

Watch for: No rate limits, 429 guidance or SLA were found in the reviewed documentation, and the terms disclaim availability

### Vast.ai (B)

Good 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.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 78 against 70
- Agent ergonomics, 57 against 48
- Security & auth, 72 against 51

Watch for: No SLA. The terms say availability is not guaranteed and the service can change without notice


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Thunder Compute | Vast.ai | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 65 | 65 | even |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 78 | Vast.ai +8 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 48 | 57 | Vast.ai +9 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 51 | 72 | Vast.ai +21 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 20 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 79 | 81 | Vast.ai +2 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 62 | Thunder Compute +2 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **56.1 · C** | **62.6 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Thunder Compute | Vast.ai |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Thunder Compute | Vast.ai Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/v1` | `https://console.vast.ai/api/v0` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Pay per use |
| Price for compute gpu | $0.219 per GB per month | not published |
| x402 | no | no |
| 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 |
| Tools exposed | 28 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.Thunder-Compute/thunder-compute` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-09-16 | 2026-10-02 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-09-28 | 2026-09-01 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-28 | 2025-06-18 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | yes |
| Popularity | 34 stars | 223 stars, 33k PyPI/wk |

## 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.

## Before you call either

### Thunder Compute

1. 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.
2. List instances before retrying a failed create, because the call has no idempotency key.
3. Pass `public_key` on create. If omitted, the response carries a generated private key that is returned once.
4. To pause work, create a snapshot, delete the instance and later create a new instance from the snapshot. Snapshot storage keeps billing until deleted.
5. For headless use set `TNR_API_TOKEN` to a token from the console. The MCP server needs a browser sign-in on first connection.

### Vast.ai

1. 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
2. Pass `--raw` on every CLI command for JSON output, and `-y` on `vastai destroy instance`, which otherwise waits for a confirmation prompt
3. Register an SSH key with `vastai create ssh-key` before creating an instance, or the host is unreachable
4. Destroy instances when finished. A stopped instance still bills storage, and a zero balance without a saved card leads to deletion
5. Back off on HTTP 429 yourself when calling REST directly. The CLI retries 429 three times from 0.15 seconds
6. Filter searches with `verified=true` or the Secure Cloud option for sensitive data, and set a `dph_total` price cap

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Thunder Compute or Vast.ai?

Vast.ai scores 62.6 (B) on agent readiness against Thunder Compute's 56.1 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories.

### Do Thunder Compute and Vast.ai need an API key?

Thunder Compute takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Vast.ai needs an API key.

### Can an agent call Thunder Compute and Vast.ai without installing anything?

Yes. Thunder Compute has a hosted endpoint at https://api.thundercompute.com:8443/v1 and Vast.ai at https://console.vast.ai/api/v0.


## For agents

- 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
- 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`
- 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

## Other comparisons with Thunder Compute or Vast.ai

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- [Hyperbolic vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbolic-vs-thunder-compute.md)
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- [Nebius AI Cloud vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nebius-ai-cloud-vs-thunder-compute.md)
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- [Northflank vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/northflank-vs-thunder-compute.md)
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- [Replicate Deployments vs Thunder Compute](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-deploy-vs-thunder-compute.md)
- [Replicate Deployments vs Vast.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-deploy-vs-vast-ai.md)
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