Google Vertex AI vs Nebius

A US hyperscaler's AI platform against a European AI cloud. Vertex offers closed Gemini and Claude with MLOps; Nebius offers open models, raw GPUs and EU placement at lower prices.

By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026

Google Vertex AI vs Nebius: key differences

Nebius is the strongest European alternative to the US hyperscalers, and that framing matters here. It sells raw NVIDIA GPUs, from H100s at $2.15 an hour preemptible up to GB300 NVL72 racks, and runs Token Factory, a managed service for 60+ open models from $0.06 per million input tokens. Dedicated endpoints carry a 99.9% SLA with optional EU or US placement. Vertex AI is Google Cloud's platform: Gemini 3.8, Claude and 200+ models, custom training on GPUs or TPUs, vector search, and an agent runtime with Memory Bank.

The choice follows model type and jurisdiction. Nebius serves open weights only, so a team that needs Gemini or Claude has to look elsewhere. A team that wants open models kept in the EU, fine-tuned checkpoints served at base token prices, and a path from tokens into training on raw GPUs gets a cleaner offer from Nebius. Vertex brings more tooling but also Vertex-native lock-in and hard-to-forecast pricing. Nebius has its own friction: no free trial and a $25 minimum first payment, where Vertex offers new accounts up to $300 in credits.

What Google Vertex AI and Nebius do

Google Vertex AI

Vertex AI is Google Cloud's enterprise AI platform. At Google Cloud Next on April 22, 2026, Google rebranded it the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform with an agent-first structure, though the API endpoint and most docs still say Vertex. Model Garden offers 200+ models, including Google's Gemini 3.8 family, Anthropic's Claude models and open models like Gemma, alongside Imagen, Veo and Chirp for media and speech. Google's own TPUs sit underneath much of its first-party serving.

Example models: Gemini 3.8, Claude

Full Google Vertex AI profile

Nebius

Nebius is an Amsterdam-headquartered AI cloud and the strongest European alternative to the US hyperscalers. It sells raw NVIDIA GPU compute, from H100s at $2.15 an hour preemptible up to GB300 NVL72 racks, and it has begun adding Vera Rubin. Hyperscale buyers back it: a Microsoft capacity deal worth about $17.4B in September 2025, then a Meta agreement worth up to about $27B in March 2026.

Example models: DeepSeek V3, GPT-OSS

Full Nebius profile

Should you choose Google Vertex AI or Nebius?

Google Vertex AI

Choose Google Vertex AI for

Closed Gemini and Claude models
A full MLOps and agent stack on one cloud
Teams with data already in BigQuery

Nebius

Choose Nebius for

European workloads that must stay in-region
Serving fine-tuned open models at base token prices
Growing from managed tokens into raw GPU training

Google Vertex AI vs Nebius at a glance

Attribute	Google Vertex AI	Nebius
Model access	Closed and open, 200+ models	Open weights, 60+ models
Flagship models	Gemini 3.8 Flash, Claude, Gemma	DeepSeek, Qwen, GLM, Kimi, GPT-OSS
Speed	Flash tier built for low latency	Among top hosts on throughput
Price	Gemini 3.8 Flash $0.75 in, $3.75 out	From $0.06 per 1M input
Customization	Custom training on GPUs or TPUs	Serve uploaded fine-tunes
Deployment	Managed on Google Cloud	Token Factory, dedicated, raw GPUs
Long context	1M on Gemini 3.8 Flash	Varies by model

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Google Vertex AI and Nebius?

A US hyperscaler's AI platform against a European AI cloud. Vertex offers closed Gemini and Claude with MLOps; Nebius offers open models, raw GPUs and EU placement at lower prices.

When should I choose Google Vertex AI over Nebius?

Closed Gemini and Claude models; A full MLOps and agent stack on one cloud; Teams with data already in BigQuery.

When should I choose Nebius over Google Vertex AI?

European workloads that must stay in-region; Serving fine-tuned open models at base token prices; Growing from managed tokens into raw GPU training.

Is Google Vertex AI or Nebius cheaper?

Google Vertex AI: Gemini 3.8 Flash $0.75 in, $3.75 out. Nebius: From $0.06 per 1M input. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

Which has more context, Google Vertex AI or Nebius?

Google Vertex AI: 1M on Gemini 3.8 Flash. Nebius: Varies by model.

Related comparisons

Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious. Our inference stack treats a long-horizon trace as the primary workload, so speed, cost, and accuracy hold up deep into the trace.

Subconscious vs Google Vertex AI Subconscious vs Nebius