Crusoe Cloud vs Thunder Compute (May 2026)
Last update:
December 7, 2025
2 mins read
Looking for cheap A100s? Here's how Crusoe Cloud compares to Thunder Compute across pricing, billing, flexibility, and ease of use.
1. A100 80GB Pricing (On-Demand)
| Provider | A100 80GB Price | Billing Granularity | Reserved Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder Compute | $0.78/hr | Per second | No commitment |
| Crusoe Cloud (PCIe) | $1.65/hr | Per minute | 6–36 month discounts |
| Crusoe Cloud (SXM) | $1.95/hr | Per minute | 6–36 month discounts |
Sources: Crusoe Cloud pricing
Thunder Compute is over 2× cheaper than Crusoe's base price, with no lock-in or commitments.
2. Persistent Storage and Egress
| Feature | Thunder Compute | Crusoe Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent storage | $0.15/GB/mo | $0.08–0.09/GB/mo |
| Snapshots | Yes (instant) | Yes |
| Egress within region | Free | Standard egress fees |
Source: Crusoe storage documentation
Crusoe's block storage is cheaper, but Thunder Compute's GPU savings typically outweigh storage cost differences.
3. Flexibility and Instance Management
- Thunder Compute: Resize CPU, RAM, and disk live. Persistent storage tied to instance. No contracts, no waitlist, no limits per account.
- Crusoe Cloud: PCIe A100s often limited to one per VM. SXM A100s tied to full-node allocations. Reserved pricing requires advance planning and longer commitments.
Also see Shadeform for current Crusoe capacity.
4. Developer Experience
| Feature | Thunder Compute | Crusoe Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| One-click VS Code in-browser | ✓ | ✗ |
| Per-second billing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Live hardware config changes | ✓ | ✗ |
| CLI + simple browser UI | ✓ | ✓ |
| Green energy story | ● | ✓ (flare gas) |
Thunder Compute prioritizes speed and simplicity—ideal for fast iteration. Crusoe emphasizes sustainability and reserved cluster usage.
5. Verdict: Which to Choose?
If you need flexible, low-cost A100s with no commitment and simple UX, Thunder Compute is the winner. If you need long-term reservations or are optimizing for carbon offsets, Crusoe Cloud may appeal—but expect to pay more up front.
Quick Summary
| Question | Winner |
|---|---|
| Lowest on-demand A100 price | Thunder Compute |
| Best for quick prototyping | Thunder Compute |
| Cheapest persistent storage | Crusoe Cloud |
| Best long-term discounts | Crusoe Cloud |
| Simplest billing + developer interface | Thunder Compute |
Get started on Thunder Compute today for one-click access to GPUs in VS Code.