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AI21 Labs vs Together AI

AI21 Labs logo

AI21 Labs

AI

Enterprise language AI solutions

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Together AI logo

Together AI

AI

Open-source AI at scale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AI21 Labs the free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier; Together AI free tier limits not clearly specified in pricing documentation
  • They diverge on capability: AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Together AI covers Open-source models.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AI21 Labs and Together AI actually diverge.

Attributes where AI21 Labs and Together AI differ
AttributeAI21 LabsTogether AI
Founded20172022

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), platforms (Api, Cloud), user rating (Not yet rated), category (AI).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AI21 Labs

  • Jamba models
  • Long context
  • RAG engine
  • Writing tools
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • Cloud platforms

Only in Together AI

  • Open-source models
  • Fine-tuning
  • Fast inference
  • Embeddings
  • Python SDK
  • OpenAI compatible

Both cover

  • REST API
  • Api support
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AI21 Labs

  • Running long-context tasks on the Jamba model familynot Together AI
  • Building and optimising production AI agents with Maestronot Together AI
  • Routing between models to control cost and accuracynot Together AI
  • Long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspacesnot Together AI

Together AI

  • LLM inference for production AI applicationsnot AI21 Labs
  • Content generation at scalenot AI21 Labs
  • Code execution and embeddingsnot AI21 Labs
  • Model fine-tuning and trainingnot AI21 Labs
  • Startup and enterprise AI deploymentnot AI21 Labs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AI21 Labs

  • The free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier
  • Jamba Large is $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output, so output-heavy work costs four times as much as input
  • Volume discounts, private cloud hosting and higher rate limits require a custom plan
  • Standard rate limits are not published

Together AI

  • Free tier limits not clearly specified in pricing documentation
  • Pricing varies significantly by model and use case
  • Requires account setup for production access
  • Batch API discounts apply only to non-urgent workloads

Pricing, plan by plan

AI21 Labs

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • 10 USD credits
    • 7-day trial period
    • No credit card required
  • Pay As You Go$undefined/mo
    • Usage-based pricing model
    • Access to all Foundation model APIs and SDK
    • Unlimited seats
  • Custom Plan$undefined/mo
    • Volume discounts on token pricing
    • Premium API rate limits
    • Private cloud hosting option

Together AI

Free
  • Serverless Inference$0.03/1M input tokens
    • Chat and Vision models
    • Image generation
    • Video generation
  • Provisioned Throughput$21600/month
    • Up to 83% savings vs commercial alternatives
    • Reserved capacity
    • Guaranteed throughput
  • Dedicated Inference$5.49/hour
    • H100 GPU instance
    • Single-tenant deployment
    • No resource sharing
  • GPU Clusters$3.99/GPU-hour
    • On-demand capacity
    • Volume discounts available
    • Reserved options with up to 35% savings

Which should you pick?

Choose AI21 Labs if

  • You need jamba models.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Cloud.
  • You also want long context.
AI21 Labs review

Choose Together AI if

  • You need open-source models.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Cloud.
  • You also want fine-tuning.
Together AI review

Questions people ask

Is AI21 Labs or Together AI better?
Neither clearly leads. AI21 Labs starts at Free and Together AI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AI21 Labs or Together AI?
AI21 Labs starts at Free and Together AI at Free.
Does AI21 Labs or Together AI run on more platforms?
Both run on Api, Cloud, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use AI21 Labs for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AI21 Labs best used for?
AI21 Labs is most often used for running long-context tasks on the jamba model family, building and optimising production ai agents with maestro, routing between models to control cost and accuracy, long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspaces. Of those, running long-context tasks on the jamba model family and building and optimising production ai agents with maestro are not what Together AI is typically brought in for.
What can AI21 Labs do that Together AI cannot?
AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Long context, RAG engine, Writing tools. Together AI covers Open-source models, Fine-tuning, Fast inference, Embeddings. Both handle REST API, Api support, Cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AI21 Labs: How much do AI21's Jamba Mini and Jamba Large models cost?

Jamba Mini costs $0.2 per 1M input tokens and $0.4 per 1M output tokens. Jamba Large is priced at $2 per 1M input tokens and $8 per 1M output tokens. Both models use usage-based billing with no monthly minimums.

Source
Together AI: Does Together AI offer a free tier?

Yes, Together AI advertises 'Start for free, scale on demand,' but specific free tier usage limits are not detailed on the pricing page.

Source
AI21 Labs: Does AI21 offer a free trial?

Yes, AI21 provides a free trial with 10 USD in credits for 7 days, no credit card required. The trial grants access to all Foundation models via API and SDK.

Source
Together AI: What are Together AI's highest model prices?

Serverless inference pricing ranges from free for base models up to $4.40 per 1M input tokens for premium models. Video generation costs $0.14 to $3.20 per video depending on resolution.

Source
AI21 Labs: How do AI21's custom plans and volume discounts work?

Custom plans with volume discounts are available for enterprises but require contacting sales. These plans can include premium API rate limits, private cloud hosting, priority support, dedicated account managers, and expert consultancy.

Source
Together AI: How much can I save with Provisioned Throughput?

Together AI offers up to 83% savings compared to commercial alternatives when using their Provisioned Throughput option with reserved capacity.

Source
AI21 Labs: What does AI21 mean by 30% token efficiency savings?

AI21 claims their tokenization delivers approximately 30% more text per token compared to other providers, which can reduce effective costs by roughly 30%. This applies primarily to English-language text averaging 1 word or 6 characters per token.

Source
Together AI: What is Together AI's fine-tuning pricing?

Standard fine-tuning costs $0.48 to $2.90 per 1M tokens depending on model size, with a minimum charge of $4.00 per job.

Source
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