Softwr

AI · head to head

Banana vs Vellum

Banana logo

Banana

AI

ML inference at scale

From
$1200/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vellum logo

Vellum

AI

Personalized AI assistant with persistent memory and autonomous action-taking

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Vellum 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; Vellum pricing varies significantly by computational tier, making budget planning difficult
  • They diverge on capability: Banana covers GPU inference, Vellum covers Persistent AI identity.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Banana and Vellum actually diverge.

Attributes where Banana and Vellum differ
AttributeBananaVellum
Starting price$1200/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFreemium with paid plans and pay-as-you-go credits
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, ApiWeb, macOS, iOS, Slack, Telegram, Terminal
Founded2021Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Banana

  • GPU inference
  • Auto-scaling
  • Docker deployment
  • Low latency
  • REST API
  • Python SDK
  • Cloud support
  • Api support

Only in Vellum

  • Persistent AI identity
  • Long-term memory
  • Email automation
  • Calendar management
  • Autonomous task execution
  • Multi-device synchronization
  • Custom plugins
  • Open-source deployment

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 Vellum
  • Migration reference for teams that ran models on Banana before the 2024 shutdownnot Vellum

Vellum

  • Personal productivity automation across email and calendarnot Banana
  • CRM updates and pipeline managementnot Banana
  • Expense report generation and managementnot Banana
  • Document drafting and content creationnot Banana
  • Meeting scheduling and calendar coordinationnot 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

Vellum

  • Pricing varies significantly by computational tier, making budget planning difficult
  • Requires explicit permission for sensitive actions, limiting autonomy
  • Self-hosting option may intimidate non-technical users
  • Learning curve to develop customizations with plugins

Pricing, plan by plan

Banana

$1200/month
  • Team$1200/month
    • 10 team members
    • 5 projects
    • 50 max parallel GPUs
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Custom seat limit
    • Custom GPU configuration

Vellum

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Starter credits included
    • Basic features
  • Mighty$30/month
    • 1 vCPU, 2 GiB RAM
    • 10 GB storage
    • Included usage allowance
  • Super$100/month
    • 2.5 vCPU, 5 GiB RAM
    • 30 GB storage
    • Assistant email and subdomain
  • Ultra$200/month
    • 4 vCPU, 8 GiB RAM
    • 60 GB storage
    • Assistant email and subdomain

Which should you pick?

Choose Banana if

  • You need gpu inference.
  • You work on Cloud, Api.
  • You also want auto-scaling.
Banana review

Choose Vellum if

  • You need persistent ai identity.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, iOS, Slack, Telegram, Terminal.
  • You also want long-term memory.
Vellum review

Questions people ask

Is Banana or Vellum better?
Neither clearly leads. Banana starts at $1200/month and Vellum at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Banana or Vellum?
Vellum has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1200/month for Banana and Free for Vellum.
Does Banana or Vellum run on more platforms?
Banana runs on Cloud, Api. Vellum runs on Web, macOS, iOS, Slack, Telegram, Terminal.
Can I use Vellum for free?
Yes. Vellum has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Banana starts at $1200/month.
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 Vellum is typically brought in for.
What can Banana do that Vellum cannot?
Banana covers GPU inference, Auto-scaling, Docker deployment, Low latency. Vellum covers Persistent AI identity, Long-term memory, Email automation, Calendar management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Banana: How much does Banana's Team plan cost?

The Team plan costs $1,200 per month plus the cost of compute resources at cost with zero markup applied.

Source
Vellum: How does Vellum protect my data privacy?

Vellum uses permission-based controls requiring explicit approval for sensitive actions. Data is encrypted and the option for self-hosting provides complete data control. Open-source deployment option allows hosting on your own infrastructure.

Source
Banana: What is the maximum team size on Banana's Team plan?

The Team plan includes 10 team members and supports a maximum of 5 projects with up to 50 parallel GPUs.

Source
Vellum: Can I use Vellum for business team collaboration?

Vellum is primarily designed as a personal assistant with persistent identity. For team collaboration, platforms like Lindy offer better multi-user features with shared credit pools and Slack workspace integration.

Source
Banana: Does Banana offer an Enterprise plan with custom pricing?

Banana offers an Enterprise plan with custom pricing plus at-cost compute, including SAML SSO, automation API, and dedicated support.

Source
Vellum: What does the free tier include?

Vellum offers free starter credits to begin using the platform. Beyond that, it operates on a pay-as-you-go credit model with paid tiers starting at $30/month for increased computational resources and bundled credits.

Source
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