kitio.aiOllama vs Beam
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Ollama starts at $20/mo and Beam 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
- One-command model runs
- OpenAI-compatible local API
- Model library
- Desktop chat app
- Ollama Cloud
- Serverless GPU functions
- Fast cold starts
- Code sandboxes
- Open-source runtime
- Per-second billing
| Feature | Ollama | Beam |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Run open models locally with one command, plus optional cloud models | Serverless GPUs and sandboxes for AI inference and agents |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Ollama | Beam |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Ollama starts at $20/mo and Beam starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
5 plans
Pay as you go
Free
- Run models locally for free
- Pay per token for cloud models
- 3 concurrent requests
Pro
$20/mo
- $60 of usage credits per month
- Access to larger pro models
Max
$100/mo
- $300 of usage credits per month
- 10 concurrent requests
- Early access to new models
Team
$500/mo
- Unlimited users
- $1,000 shared credits per month
- Centralized billing, priority support
Enterprise
Custom
- Cost budgets per user and key
- Dedicated Slack support
5 plans
Virtual Machines
From $0.0306 / hr
- 1 vCPU, 1 GiB RAM base
- 50 GiB root disk included
Sandboxes
From $0.319 / hr
- Isolated environments for untrusted code
- Billed by the millisecond
Serverless GPU
From $0.000192 / sec
- RTX 4090, 5090, H100 and more
- Pay only while code runs
On-demand GPUs
H100 from $1.83 / hr
- Flat price per machine
- vCPU, RAM and NVMe included
Clusters
Contact sales
- Multi-node GPU with InfiniBand
- Reserved monthly or yearly
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
Ollama
- Very easy local setup
- Huge tool ecosystem
- Free for local use
- Fewer tuning options than llama.cpp
- Large models need strong hardware
- Cloud limits can change
Beam
- Quick container start times
- Self-hostable runtime
- Simple Python API
- Smaller company than rivals
- Python-focused
- Fewer GPU regions
Which one should you choose?
Choose Ollama if you want:
- Very easy local setup
- Huge tool ecosystem
- Free for local use
Watch out: fewer tuning options than llama.cpp.
Choose Beam if you want:
- Quick container start times
- Self-hostable runtime
- Simple Python API
Watch out: smaller company than rivals.
Ollama vs Beam FAQ
What is the difference between Ollama and Beam?
Ollama: Run open models locally with one command, plus optional cloud models. Beam: Serverless GPUs and sandboxes for AI inference and agents. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Ollama or Beam cheaper?
Ollama starts at $20/mo and Beam starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Ollama and Beam have free plans?
Ollama: Yes. Beam: Yes.
Who makes Ollama?
Ollama is made by Ollama, based in United States.
Who makes Beam?
Beam is made by Beam, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Ollama or Beam?
Choose Ollama if you value very easy local setup and huge tool ecosystem. Choose Beam if you value quick container start times and self-hostable runtime.