# Paperspace review (2026): is it worth $22 a month? > Cloud desktops and GPU machines you rent by the hour or month Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Paperspace Core rents Windows desktops and Linux servers, including GPU machines, that you reach from a browser or a desktop app. Machines are billed either by the hour while running or at a flat monthly rate. Paperspace is now part of DigitalOcean, and the same site also sells the Gradient machine-learning platform. - **Category:** Remote Desktop - **Made by:** Paperspace (DigitalOcean) - **Website:** https://www.paperspace.com - **Runs on:** Web, Windows, macOS, Linux - **Who should skip it:** Pricey if you want a monthly desktop: Air is $22 and Pro is $120. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Paperspace is a paid product, starting at $22 per month for the Air desktop; hourly machines from $0.0045 per hour. - **Pricing model:** Paid - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | Read from https://www.paperspace.com/pricing on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Paperspace before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Education discount for Core** (Education): The Core page lists an education discount among its affordability points; the terms were not stated on the page. Source: https://www.paperspace.com/core ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Running a Windows desktop with a GPU for CAD or rendering - Developers who need Linux machines billed by the hour - Teams that want shared drives and a private network ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 1.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Paperspace rents cloud desktops by the month and GPU machines by the hour, and it is now part of DigitalOcean. The Air desktop is $22 a month, hourly machines add a storage fee, and refunds aren't offered as a rule. - **Value for money: D.** Air 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. - **Free plan and trial: F.** No free plan and no trial is listed for the desktops on the pricing page. - **Features: B.** Browser and desktop-app access, hourly or monthly billing, GPU machines, team management and an API are listed. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. You pick a machine type, billing mode and storage before you start. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web, Windows, Mac and Linux are listed, with an API and Jupyter Notebooks. No phone apps are listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Paperspace's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among remote desktop apps - Paperspace's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 6 of the 85 other remote desktop apps we grade, and level with 6. - It stands best on features (B, above 55 of 85) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $22 a month, against a middle price of $8.33 for the category: 36 of the 44 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/remote-access ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Paperspace you would be making a fast, secure link to another computer through any network. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 73 of the 85 other remote desktop apps grade higher. It costs $264 a year. - You could not: A fast, secure link to another computer through any network. - You could not: An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Jupyter Notebooks among them, and has an API. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Jupyter Notebooks **Tags:** Remote desktop, Public API, AI agents ## Alternatives - [Shadow PC](https://toolgpa.com/tools/shadow-pc): A full Windows PC in the cloud for gaming and creative work. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/paperspace-vs-shadow-pc) - [Vagon](https://toolgpa.com/tools/vagon): Cloud workstations with GPUs, billed by the minute. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/paperspace-vs-vagon) - [Shells](https://toolgpa.com/tools/shells): A personal cloud computer you open from any device. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/paperspace-vs-shells) - [Parsec](https://toolgpa.com/tools/parsec): Low-latency remote desktop for games and creative work. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/paperspace-vs-parsec) - [Cameyo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/cameyo): Virtual app delivery that serves Windows apps as web apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cameyo-vs-paperspace) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.paperspace.com/pricing - https://www.paperspace.com/core - https://www.paperspace.com/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/paperspace Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).