Understand GPU compute pricing before you spend a dollar
OpenTencor AI is a free educational resource for AI developers. Learn how GPU cloud pricing works, compare popular GPUs, find where to check real provider prices, and estimate what your training or inference workload might cost — with plain-English guides and an interactive cost estimator.
Free forever · No account · No sign-up · Your numbers never leave your browser · All prices shown are labeled teaching examples, never quotes
Three steps to a GPU budget you can defend
The workflow this site teaches — in the order you should actually do it.
Learn the pricing models
On-demand, spot, and reserved pricing change your bill by multiples. Start with how GPU cloud pricing works.
Estimate your GPU-hours
Turn model size, dataset, and throughput into a GPU-hour budget with the estimation framework.
Price it — then verify
Run the numbers in the cost calculator, then check live rates in the provider directory.
Start with the guides
In-depth, beginner-friendly explainers written to help you make sense of GPU options and cloud pricing models. Every figure is a labeled illustrative example.
Inference vs Training: Why Serving a Model Usually Costs More Than Building It
Training is a one-off bill; inference is a bill that never stops. How to estimate both, the ratio most teams discover too late, and the levers that cut serving cost.
Read guide →Choosing a GPU for Fine-Tuning: Memory Math for Full, LoRA and QLoRA Runs
Fine-tuning memory is weights plus gradients plus optimiser state plus activations. How each method changes that sum, which card each model size needs, and how to check your estimate before paying for a run.
Read guide →Choosing a GPU for Inference Serving: Latency, Throughput and Cost per Request
Serving is decided by three numbers: memory to hold the model, tokens per second per GPU, and the latency your users will accept. How to size a serving fleet and pick the cheapest card that meets the target.
Read guide →How GPU Cloud Pricing Works: On-Demand vs Spot vs Reserved
The three pricing models every GPU cloud uses, when each one makes sense, and how billing actually works.
Read guide →A100 vs H100 vs L40S, Explained for Beginners
What separates NVIDIA's most popular data-center GPUs, plus the newer cards (H200, B200, RTX 5090) worth knowing.
Read guide →GPU Cloud Provider Directory: Where to Check Real Prices
We don't publish live prices — so here's where to find them: official pricing pages for 15+ GPU clouds, organized by type.
Open directory →How to Estimate GPU Hours for Training and Fine-Tuning
A practical framework for turning model size, dataset size, and epochs into a GPU-hour budget, with a worked example.
Read guide →Multi-GPU Setups: NVLink, Scaling, and When You Need More Than One GPU
Data parallelism, NVLink vs PCIe, scaling efficiency, and how to tell when a single GPU is enough.
Read guide →Cost-Saving Strategies for Indie AI Developers
Spot instances, right-sizing, quantization, efficient fine-tuning, and other ways to stretch a small GPU budget.
Read guide →Glossary of GPU Terms: VRAM, TFLOPS, Tensor Cores, and More
Plain-English definitions of the jargon you'll meet when shopping for GPU compute.
Read guide →Estimate before you commit
Pick a GPU, enter your hours and quantity, and get an illustrative cost range to help with budgeting. All rates are labeled examples for education — always check providers for current pricing.
Open the GPU Cost Calculator →Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about what this site is and how to use it.
What is OpenTencor AI?
OpenTencor AI is a free educational website about GPU compute for AI workloads. We publish guides that explain GPU cloud pricing models, compare popular GPUs, and teach practical cost-estimation skills. We do not sell GPU compute, operate a marketplace, or take bookings of any kind.
Are the prices on this site real offers?
No. Any hourly rates or cost figures on this site are clearly labeled illustrative examples used for teaching. Real GPU cloud prices change frequently and vary by provider, region, and availability. Use our provider directory to find official pricing pages, and always confirm current pricing directly with a provider before making decisions.
Which GPU should I choose for my project?
It depends on your workload. Our guide A100 vs H100 vs L40S, Explained for Beginners walks through the trade-offs, and the cost calculator can help you compare illustrative budgets across GPU types.
How accurate is the cost calculator?
The calculator multiplies your inputs by example hourly rates to produce an illustrative range. It is a budgeting and learning aid, not a quote. Treat the output as a starting point for research, not a commitment of what you will pay.
Do you collect my data?
We collect as little as possible. The calculator runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is sent to us. See our Privacy Policy for details, including how Google AdSense advertising works on this site.
How do I contact you?
Email us at hello@opentencor.ai. You can also use the form on our Contact page.
Run a GPU or compute service?
You can apply for a free listing on OpenTencor — a factual profile page where people comparing GPU compute can find you, reviewed by hand first.