kitio.aiRunPod vs Modal
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. RunPod starts at See pricing page and Modal starts at $250/mo. 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
- On-demand GPU pods
- Serverless endpoints
- Ready-made templates
- Community Cloud
- Instant Clusters
- Infrastructure as Python code
- Fast container starts
- Per-second GPU billing
- Agent sandboxes
- Scheduled jobs
| Feature | RunPod | Modal |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | On-demand GPU pods and serverless endpoints for AI workloads | Serverless cloud for running Python and GPU workloads on demand |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | $250/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Made by | RunPod | Modal Labs |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
RunPod starts at See pricing page and Modal starts at $250/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
5 plans
RTX 4090
$0.89 / hour
- 24 GB VRAM
- On-demand GPU pod
A100 PCIe
$1.79 / hour
- 80 GB VRAM
- On-demand GPU pod
H100 SXM
$3.99 / hour
- 80 GB VRAM, 20 vCPUs
- On-demand GPU pod
H200
$5.29 / hour
- 141 GB VRAM, 24 vCPUs
- On-demand GPU pod
Reserved Clusters
Contact sales
- Dedicated clusters with SLA
- Discounted committed rates
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
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
RunPod
- Low GPU hourly prices
- Easy templates for common tools
- Per-second serverless billing
- Community hosts vary in reliability
- Popular GPUs sell out
- Support is slower on small accounts
Modal
- Excellent developer experience
- Scales to zero
- Monthly free credits
- Python-centric
- GPU prices above bare rentals
- Vendor-specific code patterns
Which one should you choose?
Choose RunPod if you want:
- Low GPU hourly prices
- Easy templates for common tools
- Per-second serverless billing
Watch out: community hosts vary in reliability.
Choose Modal if you want:
- Excellent developer experience
- Scales to zero
- Monthly free credits
Watch out: python-centric.
RunPod vs Modal FAQ
What is the difference between RunPod and Modal?
RunPod: On-demand GPU pods and serverless endpoints for AI workloads. Modal: Serverless cloud for running Python and GPU workloads on demand. Both are models & apis tools.
Is RunPod or Modal cheaper?
RunPod starts at See pricing page and Modal starts at $250/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do RunPod and Modal have free plans?
RunPod: No. Modal: Yes.
Who makes RunPod?
RunPod is made by RunPod, based in United States.
Who makes Modal?
Modal is made by Modal Labs, based in United States.
Which should I choose, RunPod or Modal?
Choose RunPod if you value low gpu hourly prices and easy templates for common tools. Choose Modal if you value excellent developer experience and scales to zero.