Software · head to head
Banana vs Modal
The short version
- Only Modal has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Banana banana shut down its serverless GPU infrastructure on 31 March 2024 at noon PST and told customers to migrate to another provider by that time; Modal the Team plan carries a $250 monthly base fee and returns only $100 of that as free credits, so $150 is a flat charge before any compute
- They diverge on capability: Banana covers GPU inference, Modal covers Serverless GPUs.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Banana and Modal actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (usage-based), platforms (Cloud, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2021).
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 Banana
- GPU inference
- Docker deployment
- Low latency
- REST API
Only in Modal
- Serverless GPUs
- Python functions
- Fast cold starts
- GitHub Actions
- Cloud storage
Both cover
- Auto-scaling
- Python SDK
- Cloud support
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Banana
- Historically, serverless GPU inference for machine learning modelsnot Modal
- Migration reference for teams that ran models on Banana before the 2024 shutdownnot Modal
Modal
- Running serverless GPU workloads for model inference and trainingnot Banana
- Executing Python functions on cloud compute without managing serversnot Banana
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Banana
- Banana shut down its serverless GPU infrastructure on 31 March 2024 at noon PST and told customers to migrate to another provider by that time
- The vendor's own sunset notice names limited runway, retention problems and GPU supply constraints as the reasons for closing
- The banana.dev site still displays pricing tiers, but every tier links to the sunset notice rather than to a purchase
Modal
- The Team plan carries a $250 monthly base fee and returns only $100 of that as free credits, so $150 is a flat charge before any compute
- Compute is billed per second across separate GPU and CPU meters, so total cost depends on execution time rather than any fixed rate
- The Starter plan's $30 monthly free credit is the only allowance below the paid base fee
- Enterprise volume discounts are custom and unpublished
Pricing, plan by plan
Banana
$0.0005/per-second- Starter$0.0005/per-second
- A10G GPU
- Basic support
- ScaleFree
- Volume discounts
- Dedicated support
Modal
Free- FreeFree
- $30/month credits
- Community support
- TeamFree
- Pay for compute
- Team features
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose Banana if
- You need gpu inference.
- You work on Cloud, Api.
- You also want docker deployment.
Choose Modal if
- You need serverless gpus.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, Api.
- You also want python functions.
Questions people ask
- Is Banana or Modal better?
- Neither clearly leads. Banana starts at $0.0005/per-second and Modal at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Banana or Modal?
- Modal has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.0005/per-second for Banana and Free for Modal.
- Does Banana or Modal run on more platforms?
- Both run on Cloud, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Modal for free?
- Yes. Modal has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Banana starts at $0.0005/per-second.
- What is Banana best used for?
- Banana is most often used for historically, serverless gpu inference for machine learning models, migration reference for teams that ran models on banana before the 2024 shutdown. Of those, historically, serverless gpu inference for machine learning models and migration reference for teams that ran models on banana before the 2024 shutdown are not what Modal is typically brought in for.
- What can Banana do that Modal cannot?
- Banana covers GPU inference, Docker deployment, Low latency, REST API. Modal covers Serverless GPUs, Python functions, Fast cold starts, GitHub Actions. Both handle Auto-scaling, Python SDK, Cloud support, Api support.