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Cloud · head to head

Lambda vs Scaleway

Lambda logo

Lambda

Cloud

GPU supercomputers for AI training and inference at enterprise scale

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Scaleway logo

Scaleway

Cloud

European cloud for developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Scaleway has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Lambda no free tier or trial, requiring immediate commitment for testing; Scaleway no free tier or trial period mentioned on homepage
  • They diverge on capability: Lambda covers Superclusters, Scaleway covers Virtual Instances.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lambda and Scaleway actually diverge.

Attributes where Lambda and Scaleway differ
AttributeLambdaScaleway
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPay-as-you-go hourly pricing with volume discounts for reserved capacityusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloudWeb, Api, Cli
Founded20121999

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

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 Lambda

  • Superclusters
  • 1-Click Clusters
  • On-demand instances
  • Liquid cooling
  • InfiniBand networking
  • Managed orchestration
  • Co-engineering support

Only in Scaleway

  • Virtual Instances
  • Bare Metal
  • Kubernetes Kapsule
  • Object Storage
  • Serverless Functions
  • Managed Databases
  • Container Registry
  • Load Balancer

What people use each for

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

Lambda

  • Training foundation models at scale with dedicated GPU infrastructurenot Scaleway
  • Large-scale inference serving on enterprise-grade hardwarenot Scaleway
  • Multi-GPU distributed training with InfiniBand networkingnot Scaleway
  • Single-tenant secure compute for regulated industriesnot Scaleway
  • AI lab infrastructure for frontier model developmentnot Scaleway

Scaleway

  • Web hostingnot Lambda
  • Container orchestrationnot Lambda
  • Development environmentsnot Lambda
  • Data storagenot Lambda

Where each one falls short

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

Lambda

  • No free tier or trial, requiring immediate commitment for testing
  • Single-tenant Superclusters require custom pricing discussions
  • Pricing complexity across multiple GPU types and cluster sizes
  • Less suitable for experimentation or small teams with tight budgets

Scaleway

  • No free tier or trial period mentioned on homepage
  • Specific pricing requires navigating to individual product category pages
  • Base pricing starts at 4.99 EUR per month but varies significantly by service type

Pricing, plan by plan

Lambda

On request
  • 1-Click Clusters B200$undefined/hourly
    • 16 GPUs: $9.86/GPU/hour
    • 256+ GPUs: $8.87/GPU/hour
    • 1-year+ reserved discounts available
  • 1-Click Clusters H100$undefined/hourly
    • 16 GPUs: $6.16/GPU/hour
    • 256+ GPUs: $5.54/GPU/hour
  • On-Demand Instances B200$undefined/hourly
    • SXM6: $6.69/GPU/hour
  • On-Demand Instances H100$undefined/hourly
    • SXM: $3.99/GPU/hour

Scaleway

Free
  • DEV1-S$7.99/month
    • 2 vCPU
    • 2GB RAM
    • 20GB SSD

Which should you pick?

Choose Lambda if

  • You need superclusters.
  • You work on Cloud.
  • You also want 1-click clusters.
Lambda review

Choose Scaleway if

  • You need virtual instances.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli.
  • You also want bare metal.
Scaleway review

Questions people ask

Is Lambda or Scaleway better?
Neither clearly leads. Lambda starts at On request and Scaleway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lambda or Scaleway?
Scaleway has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Lambda and Free for Scaleway.
Does Lambda or Scaleway run on more platforms?
Lambda runs on Cloud. Scaleway runs on Web, Api, Cli.
Can I use Scaleway for free?
Yes. Scaleway has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lambda starts at On request.
What is Lambda best used for?
Lambda is most often used for training foundation models at scale with dedicated gpu infrastructure, large-scale inference serving on enterprise-grade hardware, multi-gpu distributed training with infiniband networking, single-tenant secure compute for regulated industries. Of those, training foundation models at scale with dedicated gpu infrastructure and large-scale inference serving on enterprise-grade hardware are not what Scaleway is typically brought in for.
What can Lambda do that Scaleway cannot?
Lambda covers Superclusters, 1-Click Clusters, On-demand instances, Liquid cooling. Scaleway covers Virtual Instances, Bare Metal, Kubernetes Kapsule, Object Storage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lambda: What makes Lambda's infrastructure different?

Lambda offers single-tenant Superclusters with exclusive GPU access, liquid cooling, and NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking. The company is 100% focused on AI infrastructure with co-engineering support from teams who built infrastructure for major AI labs.

Source
Scaleway: Does Scaleway have a free tier?

Scaleway does not mention a free tier or trial period on its pricing or homepage. Users must select specific services to see rates.

Source
Lambda: How does pricing work for large clusters?

1-Click Clusters pricing ranges from $5.54-$9.86 per GPU/hour depending on GPU type and cluster size, with volume discounts for 256+ GPUs. Reserved capacity is available at custom pricing for 1-year+ commitments.

Source
Scaleway: What is Scaleway's pricing model?

Scaleway uses transparent, usage-based pricing that varies by service. Different categories (bare metal, compute, AI, storage, network) have separate pricing. Dedibox servers start at 4.99 EUR per month.

Source
Lambda: Which GPU types are available?

Lambda offers NVIDIA B200, H100, A100, and Tesla V100 GPUs. Individual instances range from V100 at $0.79/hour to B200 SXM6 at $6.69/hour. Newer models like Vera Rubin are available in Superclusters.

Source
Scaleway: How does Scaleway billing work?

Scaleway emphasizes transparent, predictable billing where customers know exactly what they'll pay. Users must select products and view pricing within each category.

Source
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