Vast.ai vs Akash Network: which should you pick in 2026?
Head-to-head on the facts that decide the purchase: real prices in the provider's own unit, minimum, KYC, proof, payment and terms - every number sourced in the linked reviews.
Short answer: too close to call (6.9/10 and 7.2/10). The deciding factor is your priority: Vast.ai for economics, Akash Network for transparency. Facts checked 2026-11-04.
 Vast.ai |  Akash Network | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score (0-10) | 6.9 | 7.2 |
| Vertical | GPU / AI compute | GPU / AI compute |
| Type | GPU marketplace | GPU marketplace |
| Price from | $0.067 per GPU/hr | $0.090 per GPU/hr |
| Minimum | unknown | $0.500 |
| KYC | none | optional |
| Proof | partial | partial |
| Payment | BTC · fiat | AKT · fiat |
| Contract term | unknown | unknown |
| Maintenance / fee | unknown | unknown |
| Operator | Vast.ai | Akash Network (The Akash Network Authors) |
| Facts checked | 2026-11-04 | 2026-09-24 |
// Score breakdown
Akash Network leads on transparency (+1), track record (+1), support (+1).
why 6.9/10?
why 7.2/10?
// Vast.ai at a glance
The most transparent and cheapest raw-GPU marketplace of the six, run by a real Delaware/California company with no token, but host reliability is genuinely variable (documented mid-job restarts) and storage/bandwidth charges are easy to underestimate.
++ What works
- Open public offers API and host-set prices; no markup on host rates
- Per-second billing with no minimums or rounding
- No token and no KYC; card (Stripe) and crypto (BitPay/Crypto.com) accepted
- Multiple tiers let a buyer trade price for interruptibility
-- What to watch
- Host reliability varies sharply; containers restarted mid-job in a paid benchmark
- Storage is billed continuously even when an instance is stopped; egress/bandwidth is extra
- Vast explicitly does not support getting a host machine working
- Crypto-purchased credits are non-refundable
// Akash Network at a glance
Best-documented and most transparent of the six for raw container compute, with a live price API and a no-lock-in per-block market, but no provider SLA and no hardware proof-of-compute.
++ What works
- Live public GPU price + availability API (H100 from $2.04/hr observed 2026-09-24)
- No lock-in: per-block billing and close anytime
- Credit-card path with no wallet or token purchase needed; $0.50 minimum deposit
- Oldest network in the set (live 2018), open-source, verifiable on-chain records
-- What to watch
- No central uptime SLA; provider quality varies and demand is not guaranteed
- No hardware TEE or proof-of-compute on standard deployments
- AKT-denominated economics are exposed to token price (AKT ~$0.698 and -9% on 2026-09-24)
- Advanced GPU capacity is thin (H100: 19/68 available; B300: 0 available)
// FAQ
Which is cheaper, Vast.ai or Akash Network?
Vast.ai is cheaper at $0.067 per GPU/hr versus $0.090 per GPU/hr.
Which is more verifiable, Vast.ai or Akash Network?
Tie - both publish partial or full proof (partial).
Which needs less KYC, Vast.ai or Akash Network?
Vast.ai is lighter on KYC (none required); Akash Network is optional.
Which has the longer track record?
Vast.ai has the longer track record (since 2016).
Scores and facts: meta-reviews with dated sources - Vast.ai · Akash Network. Method: how we verify. More: all providers compared.