Clore.ai vs Vast.ai: Which GPU Cloud is Better?
Clore.ai vs Vast.ai: Which GPU Cloud is Better in 2025?
The GPU cloud market has become fiercely competitive. For anyone looking to rent GPUs for AI training, inference, image generation, or rendering, two names frequently come up in the peer-to-peer (P2P) space: Clore.ai and Vast.ai. Both platforms connect GPU owners (hosts) directly with renters through a marketplace model, promising lower prices than traditional cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.
But which one actually delivers more value? In this honest, data-driven comparison, we'll break down Clore.ai and Vast.ai across the dimensions that matter most: pricing, platform fees, GPU availability, user experience, payment options, and unique features. By the end, you'll know exactly which platform is the better fit for your needs in 2025.
Platform Overview
Clore.ai at a Glance
Clore.ai is a peer-to-peer GPU cloud marketplace that has grown rapidly since its launch. As of early 2025, the platform boasts:
- 45,000+ registered users
- Thousands of GPUs across a global network of servers
- Large selection of RTX 5090 units — one of the best availabilities of NVIDIA's latest consumer GPU
- A native ERC-20 token, $CLORE, used for payments and platform incentives
- Ultra-low platform fees starting from 1.8% with Proof of Holding (PoH) discounts
Clore.ai positions itself as the most cost-effective GPU marketplace, thanks to its ultra-low commission structure and competitive P2P pricing.
Vast.ai at a Glance
Vast.ai is one of the original P2P GPU marketplaces, having been in the space since 2019. It has built a strong reputation among AI researchers and hobbyists. Key facts:
- A large and established community of hosts and renters
- Wide selection of GPU types including consumer and data center cards
- On-demand and interruptible (bid-based) pricing tiers
- A platform take rate estimated at ~10–15% (Vast.ai does not publicly disclose an exact figure, but host earnings versus renter prices suggest this range)
- Payment via credit card and select cryptocurrencies
Vast.ai pioneered many of the concepts that define the P2P GPU rental space, and it remains a popular choice for many users.
Pricing: The Most Important Factor
For most renters, price is the deciding factor. Let's compare actual pricing for the most popular GPU models.
RTX 4090 Pricing
The RTX 4090 is the most rented consumer GPU for AI workloads. Here's what you can expect to pay:
| Metric | Clore.ai | Vast.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price/hour | ~$0.10 | ~$0.15 |
| Average price/hour | ~$0.18 | ~$0.25 |
| Spot/bid lowest | ~$0.06 | ~$0.10 |
On average, Clore.ai is 25–40% cheaper for RTX 4090 rentals. The difference comes primarily from Clore.ai's lower platform fee — when the platform takes as little as 1.8% with PoH (compared to 10–15% at competitors), hosts can offer lower prices while still earning more per hour.
A100 80GB Pricing
The A100 is the standard for serious AI training:
| Metric | Clore.ai | Vast.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price/hour | ~$0.45 | ~$0.60 |
| Average price/hour | ~$0.75 | ~$0.95 |
| Spot/bid lowest | ~$0.30 | ~$0.45 |
Again, Clore.ai comes in cheaper, with savings of roughly 20–35% depending on the specific listing and time of day.
H100 Pricing
For cutting-edge workloads requiring NVIDIA's Hopper architecture:
| Metric | Clore.ai | Vast.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price/hour | ~$1.00 | ~$1.30 |
| Average price/hour | ~$1.60 | ~$2.00 |
| Spot/bid lowest | ~$0.70 | ~$0.95 |
The pattern is consistent. Clore.ai's low take rate creates a structural pricing advantage that benefits both hosts and renters.
For a broader comparison including RunPod, Lambda, and CoreWeave, see our GPU Cloud Pricing Comparison 2025.
Platform Fees: Where the Real Difference Lives
This is the single biggest differentiator between the two platforms, and it deserves its own section.
Clore.ai: Ultra-Low Fees with PoH Discounts
Clore.ai offers some of the lowest platform fees in the industry, with rates starting from 1.8% for users who stake CLORE tokens through the Proof of Holding (PoH) system. Base fees range from 2.5-10% depending on rental type, but PoH provides up to 50% discounts. This is extraordinarily low by industry standards. For context:
- AWS, Google Cloud, Azure: These platforms own the hardware, so the concept of a "take rate" doesn't apply directly, but their margins are estimated at 50–70%.
- RunPod: Charges hosts approximately 15–20%.
- Vast.ai: Estimated at 10–15%.
- Clore.ai: As low as 1.8% with PoH staking.
The result is a virtuous cycle: hosts earn more per dollar of rental, so they're incentivized to list more hardware and compete on price. Renters benefit from this competition with lower rates.
Vast.ai: ~10–15% Take Rate
Vast.ai does not publicly state its exact commission, but analysis of host earnings versus rental prices suggests a take rate in the 10–15% range. This is still competitive compared to centralized providers, but it's roughly 6–9x higher than Clore.ai's fee.
In practical terms, if a host sets a price of $0.20/hour for an RTX 4090:
- On Clore.ai, with maximum PoH discount, the renter pays approximately $0.204/hour (host price + 1.8%)
- On Vast.ai, the renter might pay approximately $0.23/hour (host price + ~15%)
Over hundreds or thousands of hours of GPU rental, this difference compounds into significant savings.
GPU Availability and Selection
Clore.ai GPU Fleet
Clore.ai's marketplace features thousands of GPUs across a global network of servers. The selection spans:
- Consumer GPUs: RTX 3060, RTX 3070, RTX 3080, RTX 3090, RTX 4070, RTX 4080, RTX 4090, RTX 5090
- Data center GPUs: A100 (40GB and 80GB), H100, L40S, A6000
- Highlight: Strong availability of RTX 5090 units — excellent selection of NVIDIA's latest consumer GPU
The RTX 5090 availability is particularly notable. With 32 GB of GDDR7 VRAM and massive AI performance improvements from NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture, the RTX 5090 is in high demand. Clore.ai's large supply means better availability and more competitive pricing.
Vast.ai GPU Fleet
Vast.ai also offers a wide range of GPUs, including both consumer and data center cards. The platform has been established longer, which means a large host base. However, specific RTX 5090 availability tends to be lower than Clore.ai's, and pricing for the newest cards can be higher due to the platform's fee structure.
Both platforms update their inventory dynamically — availability changes throughout the day as hosts come online and offline.
Verdict on Selection
Clore.ai has a clear edge in total GPU count and in availability of the newest hardware (particularly the RTX 5090). Vast.ai has a strong selection overall but doesn't match Clore.ai's numbers for cutting-edge consumer GPUs.
User Experience and Interface
Clore.ai UX
Clore.ai's web interface is clean and functional. The marketplace page shows available servers in a list format with sortable columns for price, GPU type, VRAM, RAM, storage, and host rating. Key UX features include:
- Filtering and sorting: Filter by GPU type, price range, number of GPUs, storage, and more
- 1-click Docker deployment: Select from pre-configured Docker images (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Stable Diffusion, etc.) or specify a custom image
- SSH access: Instantly available after deployment
- Dashboard: Real-time monitoring of GPU utilization, costs, and rental status
- Mobile-responsive: Usable on phones and tablets for quick monitoring
The upcoming Clorent desktop app promises to streamline the experience further with native performance and additional management features.
Vast.ai UX
Vast.ai has a well-established interface that AI researchers are familiar with. Features include:
- Search and filter: Extensive filtering options including GPU model, VRAM, disk space, internet speed, and more
- Templates: Pre-configured environments for common ML frameworks
- Console access: Web-based terminal and Jupyter notebook access
- API: Programmatic access for automation
Vast.ai's interface can feel slightly more complex due to the number of options available, which is both a strength (flexibility) and a weakness (steeper learning curve for beginners).
Verdict on UX
Both platforms are functional and usable. Clore.ai has a slight edge in simplicity — getting from sign-up to a running GPU takes fewer clicks. Vast.ai offers more granular filtering options that power users may appreciate. The upcoming Clorent desktop app could tip this further in Clore.ai's favor.
Payment Options
Clore.ai Payments
Clore.ai is crypto-native, which is both a strength and a niche:
- $CLORE token (ERC-20): The platform's native token, often providing the best rates and additional incentives
- Bitcoin (BTC): Widely accepted and easy to use
- Credit/debit card: Available for users who prefer traditional payment
The $CLORE token adds an interesting dimension — token holders can benefit from ecosystem growth, and using the native token often comes with platform perks.
Vast.ai Payments
Vast.ai supports:
- Credit/debit card: The primary payment method
- Cryptocurrency: Some crypto payment options are available but are less prominently featured
Verdict on Payments
Clore.ai wins on payment flexibility, especially for crypto users. If you're already in the crypto ecosystem, paying with $CLORE or BTC is seamless. Vast.ai is simpler for users who want to pay with a credit card and nothing else.
Unique Features
Clore.ai: GigaSPOT Auctions
One of Clore.ai's standout features is GigaSPOT — a spot auction system where renters can bid on GPU time at prices well below on-demand rates. If idle capacity is available, you can secure GPUs for 50–70% less than standard pricing. This is ideal for batch processing, training jobs with checkpointing, and any workload that can tolerate potential interruptions. For more details, check out our guide on Spot GPU Instances: How to Save 70% on GPU Costs.
Vast.ai: DiskSpace Rentals
Vast.ai offers disk-only rentals, allowing users to store data on host machines without renting the GPU. This can be useful for staging large datasets close to GPU hosts before spinning up a rental.
Clore.ai: Native Token Ecosystem
The $CLORE token creates an economic flywheel. Hosts can earn $CLORE, renters can pay with $CLORE, and the token's value is tied to platform usage. For users who believe in the platform's growth, holding and using $CLORE can provide additional economic benefits beyond just compute savings.
Vast.ai: Longer Track Record
Having been operational since 2019, Vast.ai has a longer history and a more established reputation. Some users may prefer the comfort of a platform with several years of operational track record.
Security and Reliability
Both platforms use Docker containerization to isolate workloads from host machines. Your code and data run inside containers, providing a reasonable level of security for most use cases. However, as with any P2P platform, there are considerations:
- Data sensitivity: For highly sensitive data (medical records, proprietary models), consider encrypted storage and transfer. Neither platform provides the same level of compliance certifications (SOC 2, HIPAA) as enterprise cloud providers.
- Host reliability: Individual hosts may have varying uptime. Both platforms show host ratings and reliability metrics to help you choose.
- Spot instance interruptions: Both platforms offer interruptible pricing. Always use checkpointing for important workloads.
Neither platform has a significant security advantage over the other — both use industry-standard containerization and both inherit the trust model of P2P computing.
Community and Support
Clore.ai
- Active Discord and Telegram communities
- Growing documentation and knowledge base
- Responsive support for account and billing issues
- Blog with tutorials and guides (like the one you're reading)
Vast.ai
- Well-established Discord community
- Comprehensive FAQ and documentation
- Community-contributed guides and templates
- Longer history means more third-party tutorials and forum posts
Vast.ai's longer presence means more community-generated content exists. Clore.ai's community is growing rapidly and is notably active, particularly in crypto and AI spaces.
Head-to-Head Summary
| Feature | Clore.ai | Vast.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | As low as 1.8% with PoH | ~10–15% |
| RTX 4090 avg price | ~$0.18/hr | ~$0.25/hr |
| A100 80GB avg price | ~$0.75/hr | ~$0.95/hr |
| Total GPUs | Thousands globally | Large (not publicly disclosed) |
| RTX 5090 availability | Strong availability | Limited |
| Spot/auction pricing | GigaSPOT | Interruptible instances |
| 1-click Docker deploy | Yes | Yes (templates) |
| Crypto payments | $CLORE, BTC | Limited |
| Desktop app | Clorent (available) | No |
| Operational since | 2023 | 2019 |
Who Should Choose Clore.ai?
Clore.ai is the better choice if you:
- Want the lowest possible prices on GPU rental
- Need access to the latest GPUs like the RTX 5090
- Prefer crypto-native payments ($CLORE, BTC)
- Want to take advantage of spot auctions (GigaSPOT) for additional savings
- Are building on a budget and every dollar counts
- Value a platform with an aligned token economy that rewards both hosts and renters
Who Should Choose Vast.ai?
Vast.ai may be better if you:
- Prefer a longer-established platform with more community content
- Need disk-only rentals for data staging
- Are already invested in the Vast.ai ecosystem with existing templates and workflows
- Prefer to pay exclusively with a credit card
Conclusion
Both Clore.ai and Vast.ai are legitimate, functional P2P GPU marketplaces that offer dramatic savings over traditional cloud providers. However, when it comes to raw value — lowest prices, lowest platform fees, best GPU availability, and the most innovative pricing features — Clore.ai has a clear edge in 2025.
The ultra-low platform fees (as low as 1.8% with PoH staking) aren't just a marketing talking point. This is a structural advantage that translates directly into lower rental prices across every GPU type. With thousands of GPUs globally, strong RTX 5090 availability, GigaSPOT auctions, and crypto-native payments, Clore.ai offers the most cost-effective and flexible GPU rental experience available today.
If you're currently using Vast.ai and looking for a cheaper alternative, or if you're new to GPU rental and want to start with the best value, give Clore.ai a try. You might be surprised how much further your compute budget goes.
Ready to switch or get started? Visit Clore.ai and browse the marketplace today. For a broader pricing comparison across all major platforms, check out our GPU Cloud Pricing Comparison 2025.