GPU clouds / Vultr Cloud GPU alternative

A Vultr Cloud GPU alternative for the Linux agent around GPU work

Vultr Cloud GPU provides operating-system instances accessible through SSH, console or Windows RDP. Stopping an instance stops its OS and processes while keeping its configuration and continuing normal billing. Its current GPU-specific upgrade rules differ from general Cloud Compute resizing.

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Reviewed 2026-10-19 · Published by the Sandbox0 team

When Vultr Cloud GPU fits

Vultr Cloud GPU fits workloads requiring its accelerator instances, operating systems, networking and regional cloud integrations. Preserve required GPU and cloud services when moving an agent’s execution layer.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for compatible Linux agents needing a complete durable writable RootFS, automatic online growth and supported file operations while compute remains paused. Retain appropriate GPU capacity separately.

Capabilities

Vultr Cloud GPU and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeVultr Cloud GPUNot established in this reviewSandbox0ttl and hard_ttl default to 0 (disabled). Configure idle pause and deletion policies for the same persistent sandbox identity; an idle running sandbox still accrues compute charges.Read documentation →
Persistent filesVultr Cloud GPUThe stopped GPU instance remains allocated with its OS configuration; destruction is the separate resource-removal action.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSVultr Cloud GPUThe retained OS instance supports installed system tools and files across an ordinary power stop, excluding separate runtime/ephemeral mounts.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Persistence extends beyond /workspace to paths such as /usr/local, /etc, and /home. Runtime tmpfs and virtual filesystems are excluded.Read documentation →
Release compute, keep stateVultr Cloud GPUStop/start is an OS shutdown lifecycle with continued normal billing; it is not an established saved-process resume.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateVultr Cloud GPUThe stop guide says the operating system and all running processes stop; it does not retain their executing memory state.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Experimental memory checkpoints can preserve compatible process state. Use memory: true on both pause and resume on a compatible deployment. A filesystem checkpoint alone does not preserve running processes.Read documentation →

Online RootFS growth

On growth-enabled images, Sandbox0 automatically expands the writable RootFS as free space runs low, within a configured sparse logical ceiling up to 64 TiB. Agent processes keep running. Growth is enabled in the qualified Cloud region; confirm activation for other regions. Existing images and snapshots retain their captured storage geometry. The ceiling is logical capacity, not preallocated host disk.

The current Cloud GPU FAQ excludes instance upgrades and GPU-device changes. That differs from Sandbox0 automatically enlarging an enabled complete writable RootFS; separately attached storage and other Vultr product families have their own policies.

Files while compute is paused

Sandbox0's Files API reads persistent files without resuming compute. Filesystem-only pauses also permit edits; retained-memory pauses are read-only and reject mutations with 409. SSH, SFTP, file watching, and runtime-only mounts require running compute.

See paused file operations →

Stopping compute execution does not stop the invoice

The current stop guide says the operating system and all processes stop and the main network interface loses connectivity. Normal instance billing continues until destruction. The billing guide states that stopped servers still reserve resources and require destruction to end server charges.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

GPU instances have a different monthly cap

Vultr’s billing guide caps GPU instance billing at 730 hours per month, while other listed server families use 672 hours. The minimum billing unit is one hour. Do not apply a generic 672-hour Cloud Compute cap to a GPU estimate.

Source 1 ↗

Current GPU instances cannot be upgraded in place

The October 2026 GPU FAQ says Cloud GPU instances cannot be upgraded and their GPU device type cannot be changed after deployment. General Cloud Compute upgrade instructions do not establish the same behavior for GPU instances. Plan migration and data retention for the chosen GPU shape.

Source 1 ↗

Pricing

Compare billing models, then price your workload

CPU allocation, memory, billing minimums, disk, plan fees, and supported workload differ. These meters are not equal-performance machine quotes. Confirm region, resource units, and included allowances before estimating a total.

Vultr Cloud GPU

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

Current GPU plan amount
Confirm the selected plan, region and resource quote
Rate source ↗
GPU monthly billing cap
730 billable hours per month
Rate source ↗
Minimum server billing unit
One hour
Rate source ↗
Stopped GPU instance
Normal running charges continue until destruction
Rate source ↗

No verified current numeric plan rate is substituted from an archive or another cloud. Confirm the selected accelerator, CPU/RAM/disk shape and region. The one-hour minimum, GPU-specific monthly cap and continued stopped charges materially affect the total.

Check current Vultr Cloud GPU pricing ↗

Sandbox0

$0.015/GiB-hour compute (billed by the second at approximately $0.000004167/GiB-second), plus $0.02/GiB-month of retained incremental RootFS and memory checkpoint data. Shared base images and platform recovery retention are excluded; paused sandboxes accrue storage charges only.

Compute / GiB-hour
$0.015
Retained data / GiB-month
$0.02
Paused compute
$0.00

A 4 GiB agent, 100 running hours

$6.00 compute

4 GiB × 100 hours, billed by the second. Keeping 20 GiB of billable incremental data for a full billing month adds $0.40. CPU is derived from memory by the platform; choose a tier that fits your workload.

Understand storage billing →

Before migrating from Vultr Cloud GPU

  1. Record the exact GPU plan, region, boot/data files, network dependencies, billing cap and required operating system.
  2. Export data before destruction and retain GPU/cloud functionality that remains necessary; plan a new shape rather than an unsupported GPU upgrade.
  3. Port compatible Linux agents and test system retention, online growth, paused files and stopped-versus-destroyed billing separately.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Vultr Cloud GPU replacement?

Evaluate API compatibility and product scope. These products serve different core workflows, so a change may require a different architecture.

Does keeping files also keep a running agent?

Filesystem state and volatile process state are separate. Sandbox0 requires explicit compatible memory checkpoints to preserve running processes; its default filesystem resume starts fresh processes.

Sources and review scope

The Boat team's Battleships directory is the discovery source. References below describe the product and plan discussed on this page. Check current availability, regional terms and billing units before migrating. Where the cited material does not establish a capability or price, the comparison identifies that uncertainty.

Battleships research record ↗docs.vultr.com/products/compute/instances/cloud-gpu/management/stop-instance ↗docs.vultr.com/support/platform/billing/how-am-i-billed-for-my-servers ↗docs.vultr.com/products/compute/instances/cloud-gpu/faq ↗www.vultr.com/pricing/ ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

Related comparisons

Azure GPU VMs (NC_A100_v4 reference) vs Sandbox0 →Cerebrium Serverless Compute vs Sandbox0 →Crusoe vs Sandbox0 →DigitalOcean GPU Droplets vs Sandbox0 →Fluidstack vs Sandbox0 →Google Compute Engine GPU VMs vs Sandbox0 →