Comparison
FrameTrain vs. Google Colab. Your machine or Google's notebook?
For many people Colab is their first contact with machine learning: a notebook in the browser, a GPU from the cloud. FrameTrain takes the other route – an app on your own computer, without code and without uploads.
14 days · No payment details · Ends on its own
At a glance
The differences that matter day to day.
- Where training runs
- FrameTrainon your computer
- Google Colabon Google's servers
- Coding required
- FrameTrainNo
- Google ColabYes
- Upload your data
- FrameTrainNo
- Google ColabYes
- Sessions end after time or inactivity
- FrameTrainNo
- Google ColabYes
- Works without your own GPU
- FrameTrainPartly
- Google ColabYes
- Label datasets in the app
- FrameTrainYes
- Google ColabNo
- Share and co-edit notebooks
- FrameTrainNo
- Google ColabYes
- Cost
- FrameTrainfrom €3.33 a month
- Google Colabfree with limits, paid plans
| FrameTrain | Google Colab | |
|---|---|---|
| Where training runs | on your computer | on Google's servers |
| Coding required | No | Yes |
| Upload your data | No | Yes |
| Sessions end after time or inactivity | No | Yes |
| Works without your own GPU | Partly | Yes |
| Label datasets in the app | Yes | No |
| Share and co-edit notebooks | No | Yes |
| Cost | from €3.33 a month | free with limits, paid plans |
As of October 2026. Colab's terms change; check Google for current plans.
Deciding
Which one fits you?
Choose FrameTrain if …
- your data is confidential
- you have a machine with an NVIDIA GPU or Apple Silicon
- you want to work without code
- trainings run long and shouldn't be cut off
- you still need to build and label datasets
Choose Colab if …
- you don't have a GPU of your own
- you already work in Python
- you want to share notebooks with others
- your data is public or not sensitive
- you only want to try something quickly
Why local
What changes when you stop training in the cloud.
No uploads
Large datasets are already on your machine. Pick the folder – done.
No cut-off sessions
A training run keeps going until it's finished. No browser tab that has to stay open.
Models stay put
Every version is stored locally with its parameters and metrics, ready to test.
Predictable cost
A fixed monthly or yearly price instead of compute credits.
Frequently asked questions
Colab has a free tier with limited, varying GPU availability and time-limited sessions. Paid plans offer more compute. FrameTrain starts at €3.33 a month and uses your own hardware.
Yes, training then runs on the CPU – fine for small models and datasets, much slower for larger ones. If you have no suitable hardware at all, a cloud notebook like Colab is the better choice.
Not directly. If you want to use your own Python scripts, you can run them in FrameTrain's Dev Train mode.
Train without uploads and without time limits.
14 days free, no payment details. If it isn't for you, the trial simply ends.
