GPU Rent vs Buy Calculator

Helps solo AI developers instantly see whether renting or buying a GPU is cheaper

Problem

Indie developers and small teams working on AI projects constantly struggle with whether to rent cloud GPUs or buy their own cards. Cloud providers bill by the hour or second with spot instances and long-term discounts, while buying means factoring in electricity, depreciation, cooling, and idle time. Most people can't calculate the true break-even point in a few minutes. Someone in the community even shared their own GPU rent-vs-buy comparison tool, showing how common this decision anxiety is.

Solution

A pure front-end tool: input model size, training/inference hours, usage frequency, electricity cost, and GPU model, and it automatically compares mainstream cloud GPU on-demand/spot prices against total cost of ownership (TCO) for buying. It outputs break-even days and a recommended option, with saved configs and shareable comparison links.

Users

Solo AI developers, independent researchers, small AI startup teams, self-hosting enthusiasts running local models

MVP

Built-in specs (used price, power draw) for 15–20 common GPUs like 4090, A100, H100; manually curated on-demand/spot prices from 5–8 major cloud GPU providers; TCO comparison chart and break-even days output; one-click shareable link; pure front-end with local storage, no login required

Revenue

Free basic comparison; Pro subscription ($5/mo) for price history, price-drop alerts, multi-scenario saving, and PDF export; affiliate commissions from cloud providers and used hardware sellers

Why now

The AI compute boom has turned rent-vs-buy from an enterprise concern into a daily decision for solo developers; volatile GPU prices and complex cloud pricing create an information gap perfect for a small, focused tool