Lightning AI: The Top Pick for Devs to Make and Share AI Apps
Lightning AI builds, trains, and shares AI apps without needing a gigabrain.
What Makes It Great
- Works with the Best: Lightning AI integrates with the popular ML tools, so you can keep using what you love in one place.
- Fast and Lean: Train your AI on tons of GPUs and use 16-bit training to make it quick and save memory.
- Easy to Use: Lightning 2.0’s new API keeps things simple and tidy, making your code clean and reusable.
- Have It Your Way: Choose PyTorch Lightning for a smooth ride or Lightning Fabric to get hands-on with your AI projects.
- Learn from the Best: The Lightning AI community has great AI apps to try, tweak, and learn from to boost your skills.
What You’ll Pay
| Features | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $50/month |
| Credits per month | 15 | 40 |
| Free AI app | 1 | ✓ |
| Max GPUs | 1 | 4 |
| Max CPU cores | – | 96 |
| Storage space | 100GB | 2TB |
| Share with friends | ✓ | ✓ |
| Public & private AIs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Preset apps | ✓ | ✓ |
| DIY with code | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-node training | – | Up to 3 nodes |
| Link your S3 | – | ✓ |
| Data prep on multiple nodes | – | Up to 4 nodes |
| Book hardware ahead | – | ✓ |
| Help via Discord | ✓ | ✓ |
| Features | Teams |
|---|---|
| Price | $140/user/month |
| Monthly credits included | 50 |
| GPU availability | A100, H100 |
| Use Lightning GPU quotas or your own | ✓ |
| Multi-node training | Up to 4 machines |
| Use via AWS marketplace | ✓ |
| Storage | Unlimited |
| Real-time cost controls | ✓ |
| SAML/SSO | ✓ |
| Uptime SLA | 99.90% (+ Slack support) |
Note that the Teams plan is designed for teams and startups, offering additional features and resources compared to the Free and Pro plans. These include higher monthly credits, access to A100 and H100 GPUs, multi-node training on up to 4 machines, unlimited storage, real-time cost controls, SAML/SSO support, and a higher uptime SLA with Slack support. Check out Lightning AI’s pricing page for complete details, including their custom enterprise plan.
Pros
- Refreshing Interface: Lightning AI looks clean and has many guides, so anyone can jump in and start developing AI.
- Free and Clear: Lightning AI is open-source, so devs can add to it, make it their own, and trust what’s under the hood.
- Cloud-Powered: Make, train, and share your AI on the cloud with Lightning AI. No setup, no BS, just results.
- Built for Speed: With features like 16-bit training, Lightning AI gets you to the finish line faster without overworking your computer.
Cons
- Bit of a Climb: Lightning AI has a ton of great stuff, but it might take some time for non-technical people to understand.
- Relatively new: Lightning AI came out of nowhere in the AI game, so it might not have the same clout as the big names.
- Needs to Branch Out: To shine, Lightning AI could use some love for the non-tech crowd, like managers calling the shots.
Lightning AI is perfect for anyone who wants to take and create AI to the next level. It’s easy to use and gets devs hyped to create and share. If you want to dive headfirst into AI, give Lightning AI a go and see where it takes you.