← Budget batch open models
SaladCloud vs Chutes for Budget batch open models (Oct 2026)
Depot Pick for this job: SaladCloud. Chutes is a ranked runner-up. Both have a sourced price in usd_per_gpu_hour, so this comparison is like for like on price. Prices are each provider's lowest sourced SKU in that unit only (no blending across units, input/output or context tiers), not quality-adjusted.
Scores as of 2026-10-19 / 2026-09-14 (8 / 43 days; stale after 30). Prices carry their own dates.
| SaladCloud (Depot Pick) | Chutes | |
|---|---|---|
| Job-weighted overall | 7.17 | 7.58 |
| Capability fit | 6.5 | 7.4 |
| Price / performance | 9.5 | 9.2 |
| Latency / reliability | 5 | 6.8 |
| Developer & agent DX | 7 | 7.6 |
| Privacy / data retention | 4.5 | 5.8 |
| Lock-in risk (higher = worse) | 3.5 | 4 |
| Maturity / track record | 6.8 | 6.2 |
| Lowest sourced SKU (usd_per_gpu_hour) | $0.09 (RTX 3090 24GB (Lowest priority, batch)) source · as of 2026-10-19 | $1.8 (RTX Pro 6000 96GB) source · as of 2026-10-27 · re-checked 2026-10-27 |
| Free option for this job | none listed | none listed |
| Score kind / confidence | curated_estimate / high | curated_estimate / high |
When not to use SaladCloud
Need predictable enterprise GPU (CoreWeave/Nebius) or TEE (Chutes).
Lock-in
Stored lock-in risk (0–10, higher = more lock-in): SaladCloud 3.5, Chutes 4. Self-host fallback for this job: SmolLM2-1.7B-Instruct, MLX, llamafile.
Agents: GET /api/compare?providers=salad,chutes&jtbd=on-device-edge-batch · full job page · methodology