Google Vertex AI Pricing 2026
Plans, hidden costs, and cheaper alternatives compared
Is Google Vertex AI worth the price?
Google Vertex AI's pricing is generally fair, offering a generous free tier with $300 credits for 90 days, which is excellent for initial exploration.
The pay-as-you-go model for custom models at ~$0.22/hour is competitive, though AutoML at ~$3.47/node hour can add up quickly for complex tasks. This pricing is best for startups and enterprises looking for scalable, on-demand ML infrastructure.
Pricing Plans
Free TrialFree Tier
Free
- $300 free credits for 90 days
- 5 GB online prediction/month
- Limited custom training hours
- Vertex AI Studio access
Pay-as-you-go
Usage-based
- AutoML: ~$3.47/node hour
- Custom models: ~$0.22/hour
- Forecasting: $0.20/1K data points
- Image generation: $0.13-0.24/image
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Data storage costs not included
Egress fees for data transfer
Higher costs for specialized hardware
Increased costs with complex AutoML models
Which Plan Do You Need?
ML developers and data scientists
Startups exploring AI/ML solutions
Enterprises needing scalable ML ops
How Google Vertex AI Compares to Competitors
Compared to AWS SageMaker, Vertex AI's custom model training costs are similar, with SageMaker's on-demand instances starting around $0.20/hour for comparable compute. Azure Machine Learning also offers pay-as-you-go, with training compute often in a similar range. Vertex AI's AutoML pricing can be higher than competitors for certain use cases, where more granular control over instance types might offer cost savings.
Google Vertex AI Pricing FAQ
How much does Google Vertex AI cost?
Google Vertex AI uses custom pricing. Contact Google Vertex AI directly for a quote based on your team size and requirements.
Does Google Vertex AI have a free plan?
Yes. Google Vertex AI offers a free plan called "Free Tier". It includes: $300 free credits for 90 days, 5 GB online prediction/month, Limited custom training hours.
Does Google Vertex AI offer a free trial?
Yes, Google Vertex AI offers a free trial. No credit card is typically required to start the trial, though this may vary.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Google Vertex AI?
Yes. Popular alternatives to Google Vertex AI include Hugging Face, Snowflake, Kubeflow. Free alternatives include Hugging Face, Kubeflow. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.
Cheaper alternatives to Google Vertex AI
2 of 3 direct competitors below offer a free plan. Per-seat pricing varies up to 60% across this set.
