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AI · head to head

CoreWeave vs Terra

CoreWeave logo

CoreWeave

AI

Specialized cloud for GPU compute

From
$0.35/per-hour
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Terra logo

Terra

Research

Open biomedical research platform for genomic analysis, priced only by the cloud you consume

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Terra has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CoreWeave gPU nodes are sold as full 8 GPU instances rather than single cards, so the entry cost for an H100 node is $49.24 an hour on demand; Terra the absence of a licence fee hides the real cost driver: an idle notebook virtual machine left running overnight, or a workspace bucket full of intermediate workflow outputs, quietly consumes grant money with no vendor invoice to prompt a review.
  • They diverge on capability: CoreWeave covers NVIDIA H100/A100, Terra covers No platform licence fee.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CoreWeave and Terra actually diverge.

Attributes where CoreWeave and Terra differ
AttributeCoreWeaveTerra
Starting price$0.35/per-hourFree
Pricing modelusage-basedOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloudWeb, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure
CategoryAIResearch
Founded2017Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CoreWeave

  • NVIDIA H100/A100
  • Kubernetes native
  • High bandwidth
  • Object storage
  • Kubernetes
  • Terraform
  • Cloud APIs
  • Cloud support

Only in Terra

  • No platform licence fee
  • Cloud pass-through billing
  • WDL workflow execution
  • Notebook environments
  • Controlled-access data
  • Workspace sharing
  • Compliance posture
  • Multi-cloud

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CoreWeave

  • Renting GPU compute for model training and inferencenot Terra
  • Running large scale AI workloads without buying hardwarenot Terra

Terra

  • A genomics lab running whole-genome alignment and variant calling pipelines without provisioning or maintaining a local clusternot CoreWeave
  • A consortium sharing controlled-access human data across institutions where the data cannot be copied to each sitenot CoreWeave
  • A health system analysing patient genomic data under a HIPAA business associate agreementnot CoreWeave
  • A federal or federally funded project needing FedRAMP Moderate authorisation for its analysis environmentnot CoreWeave

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CoreWeave

  • GPU nodes are sold as full 8 GPU instances rather than single cards, so the entry cost for an H100 node is $49.24 an hour on demand
  • Spot pricing is roughly 40% of on demand, at $19.71 an hour for the same H100 node, so predictable capacity carries a large premium
  • The newest hardware carries no published price and requires contacting sales
  • Discounts of up to 60% require committed usage agreements negotiated with sales
  • Only the GH200 is offered as a single GPU instance

Terra

  • The absence of a licence fee hides the real cost driver: an idle notebook virtual machine left running overnight, or a workspace bucket full of intermediate workflow outputs, quietly consumes grant money with no vendor invoice to prompt a review.
  • Cost governance is entirely the customer responsibility, and grant-funded groups without a cloud engineer routinely overspend before anyone reads the Google or Azure bill in enough detail to find the cause.
  • It assumes genuine bioinformatics competence: writing or adapting WDL workflows, managing data tables and debugging failed tasks are all on you, so a wet lab without computational staff cannot use it productively.
  • Feature parity between the Google Cloud and Azure deployments is not identical, so a decision on cloud provider constrains which capabilities and datasets you can reach and is expensive to reverse later.
  • It is a research platform rather than a regulated clinical system: it is not a validated GxP environment and does not carry the qualification package a diagnostic or submission workflow would require, so clinical use needs additional infrastructure and validation you provide yourself.

Pricing, plan by plan

CoreWeave

$0.35/per-hour
  • Standard$0.35/per-hour
    • Various GPU types
    • Kubernetes
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Dedicated clusters
    • Custom solutions

Terra

Free
  • Terra platformFree
    • No charge for the platform, administration, security controls or frontline support
    • Workspaces, workflow execution and notebook environments included
    • Available on Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure
  • Cloud consumption$undefined/month
    • Google Cloud or Azure charges passed through at cost with no markup
    • Running notebook virtual machines around 0.22 USD per hour, roughly 0.027 USD per hour when paused
    • Storage billed continuously on workspace buckets and intermediate workflow outputs

Which should you pick?

Choose CoreWeave if

  • You need nvidia h100/a100.
  • You work on Cloud.
  • You also want kubernetes native.
CoreWeave review

Choose Terra if

  • You need no platform licence fee.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure.
  • You also want cloud pass-through billing.
Terra review

Questions people ask

Is CoreWeave or Terra better?
Neither clearly leads. CoreWeave starts at $0.35/per-hour and Terra at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CoreWeave or Terra?
Terra has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.35/per-hour for CoreWeave and Free for Terra.
Does CoreWeave or Terra run on more platforms?
CoreWeave runs on Cloud. Terra runs on Web, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure.
Can I use Terra for free?
Yes. Terra has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CoreWeave starts at $0.35/per-hour.
What is CoreWeave best used for?
CoreWeave is most often used for renting gpu compute for model training and inference, running large scale ai workloads without buying hardware. Of those, renting gpu compute for model training and inference and running large scale ai workloads without buying hardware are not what Terra is typically brought in for.
What can CoreWeave do that Terra cannot?
CoreWeave covers NVIDIA H100/A100, Kubernetes native, High bandwidth, Object storage. Terra covers No platform licence fee, Cloud pass-through billing, WDL workflow execution, Notebook environments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CoreWeave: How much does CoreWeave cost?

CoreWeave does not publish pricing on its website. The company uses a quote-based pricing model and directs customers to contact their sales team directly to discuss pricing options and customized solutions.

Source
Terra: Is Terra really free?

The platform is. There is no licence fee. Everything you pay is Google Cloud or Azure compute, storage and egress, passed through at cost.

CoreWeave: How can I get a quote from CoreWeave?

To obtain CoreWeave pricing, you must contact their sales team directly through the Contact Us option on their website. They will provide a customized quote based on your specific compute and infrastructure requirements.

Source
Terra: What actually drives the bill?

Running virtual machines and stored data. Pausing notebooks drops a virtual machine from about 0.22 to about 0.027 dollars an hour, and deleting intermediate workflow outputs is the other main saving.

Terra: Can I use it with protected health information?

Yes. Terra signs HIPAA business associate agreements and GDPR data processing agreements, and the Azure deployment holds FedRAMP Moderate authorisation.

Terra: Is it validated for clinical or GxP use?

No. It is a research platform. Regulated clinical or submission workflows need validation and controls you build yourself.

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