FAQ

Is any of this real money?

Not yet. Credits are bought in Stripe test mode and host payouts are a test ledger. Every checkout and payout page says so. Real money is a switch we have not flipped.

What will I earn as a host?

Nobody can tell you, and Ballast will not guess. You earn 80 percent of what renters pay for work your GPU actually does. The estimator on your dashboard shows what is left after electricity for each busy hour, and it is an estimate, not a promise. See How payouts work.

Which GPUs and computers work?

Linux on x86_64 with an NVIDIA GPU that has 8 GB of VRAM or more. Windows, macOS, AMD, Apple GPUs and CPU-only machines are not supported yet.

Can a host read my prompts?

Yes, technically. Ballast hides who you are from the host and deletes your text when the job ends, but the host's computer does see the text while it works. Read Trust and privacy before you send anything sensitive.

Can I run my own model or container?

No. Serverless and dedicated both run catalog models only. That keeps hosts from running renter code.

What if a host disappears mid-request?

Before the first token, the job moves to another host and you pay once. After the first token, the stream ends with finish_reason: "error" and you pay only for what arrived. A dedicated rental moves to another GPU in the class, and the gap is not billed. See Streaming and Rent a whole GPU.

Is there a free tier?

No. You buy credits, from $5, and spend them down. Because payments are in test mode, the test card costs nothing.

Can I get my credits refunded?

Not in v1.

How do I delete my account?

Open your account while signed in. It lists what is removed and what is kept, and asks you to type DELETE. If you are a host with an unpaid balance, you have to agree to give it up first.

Where do I get help?

Use the form on Support. It also shows how many hosts are online right now.