kitio.aiModal vs Baseten
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Modal starts at $250/mo and Baseten starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Infrastructure as Python code
- Fast container starts
- Per-second GPU billing
- Agent sandboxes
- Scheduled jobs
- Truss model packaging
- Autoscaling GPU endpoints
- Model APIs
- Multi-cloud capacity
- Training jobs
| Feature | Modal | Baseten |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Serverless cloud for running Python and GPU workloads on demand | Production inference platform for custom and open-source models |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $250/mo | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Made by | Modal Labs | Baseten |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Modal starts at $250/mo and Baseten starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
2 plans
Starter
Free
- Plus compute usage
- $30/month free credits
- 3 seats, 10 GPU concurrency
Team
$250/mo
- Plus compute usage
- $100/month free credits
- Unlimited seats, 50 GPU concurrency
- Custom domains, static IP proxy
2 plans
Basic
Pay as you go
- $0 per month base fee
- GPUs billed per minute (T4 $0.01052/min)
- Model APIs per 1M tokens
Pro
Contact sales
- Priority access to high-demand GPUs
- Dedicated compute
- Higher Model API rate limits
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
Modal
- Excellent developer experience
- Scales to zero
- Monthly free credits
- Python-centric
- GPU prices above bare rentals
- Vendor-specific code patterns
Baseten
- Strong production reliability
- Fast cold starts
- Good for custom models
- Costs rise with idle GPUs
- Needs engineering effort
- Less suited to hobby use
Which one should you choose?
Choose Modal if you want:
- Excellent developer experience
- Scales to zero
- Monthly free credits
Watch out: python-centric.
Choose Baseten if you want:
- Strong production reliability
- Fast cold starts
- Good for custom models
Watch out: costs rise with idle gpus.
Modal vs Baseten FAQ
What is the difference between Modal and Baseten?
Modal: Serverless cloud for running Python and GPU workloads on demand. Baseten: Production inference platform for custom and open-source models. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Modal or Baseten cheaper?
Modal starts at $250/mo and Baseten starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Modal and Baseten have free plans?
Modal: Yes. Baseten: No.
Who makes Modal?
Modal is made by Modal Labs, based in United States.
Who makes Baseten?
Baseten is made by Baseten, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Modal or Baseten?
Choose Modal if you value excellent developer experience and scales to zero. Choose Baseten if you value strong production reliability and fast cold starts.