Paperspace vs Vagon (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Vagon grades higher than Paperspace: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Paperspace grades higher on platforms. Vagon grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Paperspace
Cloud desktops and GPU machines you rent by the hour or month
Vagon
Cloud workstations with GPUs, billed by the minute
Which one is for you
Pick Paperspace if
- Fits if you need a GPU machine for design, video or machine learning
- Works for people who prefer paying by the hour
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want a monthly desktop: Air is $22 and Pro is $120
- Watch out: hourly machines add a monthly storage fee, and its amount isn't on the pricing page
- Watch out: the pricing page lists no refunds, and exceptions go through a support ticket
- Watch out: the Gradient plan shows both $8 and $12 for Pro on the same page
- Tight if you want the wider GPU range, as the site points to DigitalOcean for it
Pick Vagon if
- Fits if you need a high-spec machine for a few hours at a time
- Works for people who like paying only for minutes used
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a flat monthly bill, as usage and storage are charged separately
- Watch out: data sent out is free for the first 10 GB a month, then $1.5 for each extra 10 GB
- Watch out: usage is paid from a prepaid balance, and rates can vary by region
- Tight if you want a free trial, as the trial starts from $0.99
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAPaperspaceWeak | 2.2GPAVagonFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DAir desktop is $22 a month, above the category's $18 dearer-quarter line, rising to $120 for Pro. Hourly machines start at $0.0045 an hour. | CStorage is $7.99 a month, with usage from $0.25 an hour on top, so a month's cost depends on hours used. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is listed for the desktops on the pricing page. | DThe pricing page offers a trial from $0.99, so there is a payment up front, and no free plan. |
| Features | BBrowser and desktop-app access, hourly or monthly billing, GPU machines, team management and an API are listed. | BPay-per-minute use, GPU and CPU machines, preinstalled apps, AI agents and team workspaces are listed. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You pick a machine type, billing mode and storage before you start. | BNo store rating on record. It opens in a browser with apps already installed, so there is little to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Windows, Mac and Linux are listed, with an API and Jupyter Notebooks. No phone apps are listed. | CWeb only. No desktop or phone apps are listed, though Blender, Unreal, Unity and Premiere Pro are named. |
| Best for | cloud desktops and GPU machines by the hour or month | pay-per-minute cloud computers in a browser |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Paperspace and Vagon. How we grade
Price against what you get
Paperspace starts at $22 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Vagon starts at $7.99 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Vagon starts $14.01 a month lower. Of the other remote desktop apps on the chart, 5 score higher than Paperspace for less, and 2 score higher than Vagon for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Vagon also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Paperspace | Vagon | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $22 per month for the Air desktop; hourly machines from $0.0045 per hour | $7.99 per month for storage, plus usage from $0.25 per hour |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Trial offered from $0.99, per the pricing page |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Paperspace (DigitalOcean) | Vagon |
| Price read from | paperspace.com | vagon.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Paperspace
- The pricing page lists no refunds and says exceptional cases go through a support ticket.
- Hourly machines add a monthly storage fee on top of the running time; the fee amount is not on the pricing page.
- The Gradient machine-learning platform has its own plans, and its Pro plan shows both $8 and $12 per month on the same page.
- Paperspace is now part of DigitalOcean, and the site points to DigitalOcean for its wider GPU range.
Vagon
- Costs are split between a monthly storage fee and minute-based usage, so a monthly bill depends on hours used.
- Data sent out of Vagon is free for the first 10 GB a month, then $1.5 for each extra 10 GB.
- Usage is paid from a prepaid account balance, and rates can vary by region.
- Only a browser client is described; no separate desktop or mobile apps were found.
Key features
Paperspace
- Browser and desktop-app access
- The vendor says its streaming technology works directly in a web browser, and Core also has a desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Hourly or monthly billing
- Hourly machines pay a flat monthly fee for storage and access plus a per-hour rate while running. Monthly machines are a flat rate.
- GPU machines
- Machine types range from a P4000 at $0.51 per hour to an H100 at $3.09 per hour, with dedicated monthly GPU options listed.
- Team management
- Core for teams has user management, shared drives, private networking and IPsec VPN, with SAML SSO and consolidated billing listed for business.
- API
- A full API gives programmatic access to machines for scripted or larger workloads.
Vagon
- Pay per minute
- Each performance option has its own hourly rate, charged by the minute, and you can switch between options as you like.
- GPU and CPU machines
- Options include RTX-enabled A10G machines from $1.67 per hour, Tesla T4 machines from $0.99 per hour and CPU machines from $0.25 per hour.
- Works in the browser
- The vendor says Vagon runs on PC, Mac, Linux, tablets and phones with only a browser and internet connection.
- Preinstalled apps
- You pick applications from a catalog when creating a computer, and they come preinstalled, with drag-and-drop file transfer.
- AI agents and team workspaces
- The homepage describes running Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode on a dedicated GPU computer, and team workspaces for companies.
Plans
Paperspace
Air desktop$22
per month, flat rate for unlimited access
2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 512 MB GPU and 50 GB SSD, with a Windows license included.
Standard desktop$35
per month, flat rate for unlimited access
4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 512 MB GPU and 50 GB SSD, for office work and browsing. Windows license included.
Advanced desktop$65
per month, flat rate for unlimited access
6 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 2 GB GPU and 50 GB SSD, for mid-range apps and 2D CAD. Windows license included.
Pro desktop$120
per month, flat rate for unlimited access
8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 4 GB GPU and 50 GB SSD, for 3D CAD and Photoshop. Windows license included.
Vagon
Personal storage$7.99
per month, plus usage charged by the minute
75 GB disk and 5 GB of Vagon Files storage. Usage runs from $0.25 per hour (Sand CPU) to $11.97 per hour (Lava GPU).
Premium storage$19.99
per month, plus usage charged by the minute
75 GB disk and 25 GB of Vagon Files storage. The pricing page marks a tier as available soon, so check this one.
Ways to pay less
Paperspace
- Education
Education discount for Core
The Core page lists an education discount among its affordability points; the terms were not stated on the page.
Vagon
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Paperspace or Vagon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Vagon is cheaper to start with: $7.99 a month, against $22 a month for Paperspace. Paperspace starts at $22 per month for the Air desktop; hourly machines from $0.0045 per hour, and Vagon starts at $7.99 per month for storage, plus usage from $0.25 per hour.
Which has a free plan, Paperspace or Vagon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Paperspace nor Vagon has a free plan. Vagon has a free trial.
Which platforms do Paperspace and Vagon run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Paperspace lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.