kitio.aiFireworks AI vs Petals
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Petals is completely free, while Fireworks AI is paid.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Serverless model API
- Dedicated GPU deployments
- Reinforcement fine-tuning
- Multi-LoRA serving
- Function calling
- Distributed LLM inference
- Fine-tuning support
- PyTorch and Transformers API
- Access to hidden states
- Colab quickstart
| Feature | Fireworks AI | Petals |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Fast inference and fine-tuning platform for open models | Run large language models together over a BitTorrent-style network |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Paid | Free |
| Starting price | See pricing page | Free |
| Free plan | No | Yes, fully free |
| Made by | Fireworks AI | Petals open-source project |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Petals is completely free, while Fireworks AI is paid.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Serverless
Per 1M tokens
- No setup, no cold starts
- Fine-tuned models at base price
On-demand GPUs
$8.00 / hr (H100)
- Billed per GPU second
- H100, H200, B200, B300 options
- No charge for start-up time
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Higher rate limits
- Faster speeds, lower costs
- Region-restricted deployments
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Fireworks AI
- Low latency on popular models
- Strong fine-tuning tools
- Quick support for new open models
- Dedicated GPUs are costly
- Fewer image models than rivals
- Docs assume ML experience
Petals
- Runs very large models without owning big GPUs
- Full control over sampling and fine-tuning
- Free and open source
- Speed is only a few tokens per second
- Depends on volunteer servers
- Not suited to production traffic
Which one should you choose?
Choose Fireworks AI if you want:
- Low latency on popular models
- Strong fine-tuning tools
- Quick support for new open models
Watch out: dedicated gpus are costly.
Choose Petals if you want:
- Runs very large models without owning big GPUs
- Full control over sampling and fine-tuning
- Free and open source
Watch out: speed is only a few tokens per second.
Fireworks AI vs Petals FAQ
What is the difference between Fireworks AI and Petals?
Fireworks AI: Fast inference and fine-tuning platform for open models. Petals: Run large language models together over a BitTorrent-style network. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Fireworks AI or Petals cheaper?
Petals is completely free, while Fireworks AI is paid.
Do Fireworks AI and Petals have free plans?
Fireworks AI: No. Petals: Yes, fully free.
Who makes Fireworks AI?
Fireworks AI is made by Fireworks AI, based in United States.
Who makes Petals?
Petals is made by Petals open-source project.
Which should I choose, Fireworks AI or Petals?
Choose Fireworks AI if you value low latency on popular models and strong fine-tuning tools. Choose Petals if you value runs very large models without owning big gpus and full control over sampling and fine-tuning.