# Crusoe Cloud vs Thunder Compute (May 2026)

Last update:

December 7, 2025

2 mins read

Looking for cheap A100s? Here's how [Crusoe Cloud](https://www.crusoe.ai/) compares to [Thunder Compute](/content/site-root.html) 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](https://www.crusoe.ai/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](https://docs.crusoecloud.com/storage/index.html)

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](https://shadeform.com/directory/clouds/crusoe) 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](https://console.thundercompute.com/signup) today for one-click access to GPUs in VS Code.