We fine-tuned the same 8B-parameter Llama checkpoint on identical data across RunPod, Lambda Labs, and CoreWeave, using each provider's largest single-node 8×H100 offering, and tracked wall-clock time, total cost, and how much support friction it took to actually get a node.
| Provider | $/hr (8×H100) | Score |
|---|---|---|
| RunPod | $18.40 | 9.1 |
| Lambda Labs | $21.90 | 8.7 |
| CoreWeave | $24.10 | 8.5 |
CoreWeave's networking was the fastest of the three for multi-node jobs, but for a single 8×H100 fine-tune it's overkill — you're paying for interconnect you don't use. Lambda's onboarding was the smoothest if you've never rented a GPU cloud before.
Why we recommend RunPod
Best price-to-performance for single-node fine-tuning jobs under a few days. Move to CoreWeave once you're actually running multi-node distributed training.