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RunPod description
RunPod is a cloud computing service that makes it easier and cheaper for businesses to use the powerful computers needed for artificial intelligence (AI). Think of it like renting high-performance computers on-demand, instead of buying and maintaining them yourself. RunPod offers different types of these computers, focusing on the ones best suited for AI tasks. They also make it easy to scale up or down depending on your needs, so you only pay for what you use. This is particularly helpful for tasks like "AI inference" where you use a trained AI model, and "AI training" where you build your own AI.
Who is RunPod best for
RunPod offers on-demand, scalable GPU computing for AI/ML tasks, eliminating the need for costly hardware. Users praise its ease of use and competitive pricing, but some have noted long wait times for resources. It's ideal for organizations of all sizes needing flexible and affordable GPU solutions.
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Ideal for startups, SMBs, and large enterprises leveraging AI/ML.
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Best for Education and Software/IT/Telecom, but adaptable to various sectors.
RunPod features
| Supported Offers on-demand rental of high-performance GPUs, eliminating the need for upfront investment and ongoing maintenance. |
| Supported Offers a selection of specialized hardware tailored for various AI workloads. |
| Supported Enables easy scaling of computing resources to match demand, ensuring cost-efficiency. |
| Supported Facilitates both training new AI models and using existing ones for inference. |
| Supported Provides ready-to-use templates for popular frameworks like PyTorch and TensorFlow, simplifying setup. |
| Supported Supports deployment of custom containers, offering flexibility for specific environment requirements. |
| Supported Offers a range of GPUs from NVIDIA and AMD to suit various performance and budget needs. |
RunPod reviews
We've summarised 49 RunPod reviews (RunPod TrustPilot reviews and RunPod G2 reviews) and summarised the main points below.
- Easy to use interface
- Competitive pricing
- Wide range of GPUs available
- Fast deployment times
- Responsive and helpful support team (direct interaction with developers)
- Long wait times to get GPU resources
- Lack of Docker support
- Poor documentation
- Community Discord channel support is unhelpful and unprofessional
- No live chat support
RunPod pricing
The commentary is based on 15 reviews from RunPod G2 reviews and RunPod TrustPilot reviews.
RunPod's pricing is considered competitive and affordable, especially for startups and AI tasks. However, some users have reported issues with unexpected charges and difficulties obtaining refunds. Others praise RunPod's price-to-performance ratio for GPUs.
See the RunPod pricing page.
H100 NVL (Secure Cloud)
Offers 94GB of VRAM and 94GB of RAM suitable for demanding AI workloads.
H100 NVL (Community Cloud)
Offers 94GB of VRAM and 94GB of RAM suitable for demanding AI workloads.
H200 SXM
Provides 143GB of VRAM.
MI300X
Offers 192GB VRAM, 283GB RAM, and 24 vCPUs, suitable for demanding workloads.
H100 PCIe (Secure Cloud)
Features 80GB VRAM and 188GB RAM, balanced for performance.
H100 PCIe (Community Cloud)
Features 80GB VRAM and 188GB RAM, balanced for performance.
H100 SXM (Secure Cloud)
Provides 80GB VRAM and 117GB RAM.
H100 SXM (Community Cloud)
Provides 80GB VRAM and 117GB RAM.
A100 PCIe (Secure Cloud)
Offers 80GB of VRAM and 117GB of RAM.
A100 PCIe (Community Cloud)
Offers 80GB of VRAM and 117GB of RAM.
A100 SXM
Offers 80GB VRAM and 125GB RAM for demanding tasks.
A40 (Secure Cloud)
Provides 48GB VRAM and 50GB RAM, a cost-effective option.
A40 (Community Cloud)
Provides 48GB VRAM and 50GB RAM, a cost-effective option.
L40
Offers 48GB VRAM and 94GB RAM for handling large models.
L40S (Secure Cloud)
Features 48GB VRAM and 62GB RAM, optimized for LLMs like Llama 3 7B.
L40S (Community Cloud)
Features 48GB VRAM and 62GB RAM, optimized for LLMs like Llama 3 7B.
RTX A6000 (Secure Cloud)
Offers 48GB VRAM and 50GB RAM, suitable for various workloads.
RTX A6000 (Community Cloud)
Offers 48GB VRAM and 50GB RAM, suitable for various workloads.
RTX 6000 Ada (Secure Cloud)
Provides 48GB VRAM and 62GB RAM.
RTX 6000 Ada (Community Cloud)
Provides 48GB VRAM and 62GB RAM.
RTX A5000 (Secure Cloud)
Equipped with 24GB VRAM and 25GB RAM.
RTX A5000 (Community Cloud)
Equipped with 24GB VRAM and 25GB RAM.
RTX 4090 (Secure Cloud)
Offers 24GB VRAM and 27GB RAM for high throughput on smaller models.
RTX 4090 (Community Cloud)
Offers 24GB VRAM and 27GB RAM for high throughput on smaller models.
RTX 3090 (Secure Cloud)
Features 24GB VRAM and 24GB RAM.
RTX 3090 (Community Cloud)
Features 24GB VRAM and 24GB RAM.
RTX 3090 Ti (Community Cloud)
Offers 24GB VRAM.
A30 (Community Cloud)
Offers 24GB VRAM and 31GB RAM.
L4
Provides 24GB VRAM and 50GB RAM, suitable for smaller inference tasks.
RTX A4500 (Secure Cloud)
Features 20GB VRAM and 29GB RAM.
RTX A4500 (Community Cloud)
Features 20GB VRAM and 29GB RAM.
RTX 4000 Ada (Secure Cloud)
Offers 20GB VRAM and 31GB RAM.
RTX 4000 Ada (Community Cloud)
Offers 20GB VRAM and 31GB RAM.
RTX A4000 (Secure Cloud)
Features 16GB VRAM and 20GB RAM.
RTX A4000 (Community Cloud)
Features 16GB VRAM and 20GB RAM.
Tesla V100 (Community Cloud)
Offers 16GB VRAM and 43GB RAM.
RTX 2000 Ada
Provides 16GB VRAM and 31GB RAM.
RTX 3080 (Community Cloud)
Offers 10GB VRAM and 15GB RAM.
RunPod alternatives
WiroMore hardware-focused, particularly suited for on-premise or hybrid deployments. Caters to larger enterprises and research teams requiring specialized infrastructure. Less emphasis on on-demand GPU rentals and pay-as-you-go cloud services.Read more
Microsoft AzureBetter for established businesses with broader cloud needs beyond AI. Less focused on AI-specific tasks. A RunPod alternative for larger enterprises.Read more
Apache ODEBetter for orchestrating complex business processes using the WS-BPEL standard. Open-source, making it potentially cost-effective for basic usage. Requires more technical expertise and has a steeper learning curve. Less user-friendly interface and limited documentation may pose challenges for non-technical users. A RunPod alternative for enterprise business process management.Read more
LityxIQBetter for business users seeking a no-code AI platform. Focuses on predictive modeling, data visualization, and interactive dashboards. Has significantly less momentum than RunPod.Read more
aureo.ioBetter for users without coding experience seeking a low-code AI platform. A RunPod alternative focused on data security and compliance.Read more
RunPod FAQ
What is RunPod and what does RunPod do?
RunPod is a cloud platform providing affordable and accessible GPU computing for AI tasks. It offers on-demand, scalable infrastructure specialized for AI training and inference, with various GPU options and easy-to-use templates. Users appreciate its interface and pricing but have noted concerns about resource wait times and documentation.
How does RunPod integrate with other tools?
RunPod integrates with Docker for custom container deployments, and offers pre-built templates for popular AI frameworks like PyTorch and TensorFlow. This streamlines setup and allows flexibility for specific environment requirements. More details on specific integrations are limited.
What the main competitors of RunPod?
RunPod's main competitors include Wiro, Microsoft Azure, and other cloud-based AI platforms like LityxIQ, aureo.io, and FinetuneDB. These alternatives offer similar services like GPU rental and AI model development tools.
Is RunPod legit?
Yes, RunPod is a legitimate cloud computing service specializing in AI infrastructure. Users appreciate its user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, and diverse GPU options. However, potential users should be aware of reported issues with resource wait times and community support.
How much does RunPod cost?
RunPod pricing for cloud GPUs starts from $0.17/hour, varying by GPU type. They offer a range of Nvidia and AMD GPUs to suit various AI workloads and budgets. For persistent storage, pricing is monthly, and serverless options are billed per second. Longer-term use and larger storage needs can benefit from volume discounts.
Is RunPod customer service good?
RunPod's customer service receives mixed reviews. While some users praise the responsive and helpful support team, particularly direct interaction with developers, others express frustration with long wait times for resources and unhelpful community Discord support. There is a notable absence of live chat for immediate assistance.
Reviewed by
Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.
Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.