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Cloud · head to head

Beam Cloud vs SST

Beam Cloud logo

Beam Cloud

Cloud

Serverless GPU computing with sub-second cold starts and multi-cloud support

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SST logo

SST

Cloud

Build full-stack apps on your own infrastructure

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Beam Cloud free tier limited to $30 monthly credits with 5 GPU containers; SST primarily optimized for AWS with Cloudflare support
  • They diverge on capability: Beam Cloud covers Sub-second cold starts, SST covers Single config file.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Beam Cloud and SST actually diverge.

Attributes where Beam Cloud and SST differ
AttributeBeam CloudSST
Pricing modelFreemium with pay-per-millisecond usage chargesUnknown
PlatformsCloud, PythonAWS, Cloudflare, Node.js

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud).

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 Beam Cloud

  • Sub-second cold starts
  • Inference endpoints
  • Task queues
  • Sandboxes
  • Python SDK
  • Global distribution
  • Massive parallelization

Only in SST

  • Single config file
  • Resource linking
  • Local development
  • Multiple deployment stages
  • VPC tunneling

Both cover

  • Multi-cloud support

What people use each for

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

Beam Cloud

  • Deploying ML models with minimal latency and setup timenot SST
  • Large-scale batch processing across thousands of concurrent tasksnot SST
  • Cost-effective inference serving with bursty workloadsnot SST
  • Multi-cloud AI deployments with global low-latency accessnot SST
  • Serverless AI development for rapid experimentationnot SST

SST

  • Deploying Next.js frontends with serverless backendsnot Beam Cloud
  • Managing databases and storage alongside application codenot Beam Cloud
  • Creating staging environments for feature testingnot Beam Cloud

Where each one falls short

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

Beam Cloud

  • Free tier limited to $30 monthly credits with 5 GPU containers
  • Massive parallelization complexity may require DevOps expertise
  • Per-millisecond pricing model requires careful cost monitoring
  • Smaller team relative to established cloud providers

SST

  • Primarily optimized for AWS with Cloudflare support
  • Learning curve for developers unfamiliar with infrastructure concepts
  • Limited documentation for some advanced use cases

Pricing, plan by plan

Beam Cloud

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • $30 monthly free credits
    • 5 GPU containers, 30 CPU containers
    • Community support
  • Team$89/month
    • $30 monthly free credits included
    • 50 GPU containers, 1,000 CPU containers
    • 3 seats included, $25 per additional
  • Growth$undefined/custom
    • 1,000+ GPU containers
    • Unlimited CPU containers
    • Unlimited seats
  • Serverless GPUs$undefined/per-millisecond
    • RTX 4090: $0.00019/sec

SST

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the SST review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Beam Cloud if

  • You need sub-second cold starts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Python.
  • You also want inference endpoints.
Beam Cloud review

Choose SST if

  • You need single config file.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js.
  • You also want resource linking.
SST review

Questions people ask

Is Beam Cloud or SST better?
Neither clearly leads. Beam Cloud starts at Free and SST at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Beam Cloud or SST?
Beam Cloud starts at Free and SST at Free.
Does Beam Cloud or SST run on more platforms?
Beam Cloud runs on Cloud, Python. SST runs on AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js.
Can I use Beam Cloud for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Beam Cloud best used for?
Beam Cloud is most often used for deploying ml models with minimal latency and setup time, large-scale batch processing across thousands of concurrent tasks, cost-effective inference serving with bursty workloads, multi-cloud ai deployments with global low-latency access. Of those, deploying ml models with minimal latency and setup time and large-scale batch processing across thousands of concurrent tasks are not what SST is typically brought in for.
What can Beam Cloud do that SST cannot?
Beam Cloud covers Sub-second cold starts, Inference endpoints, Task queues, Sandboxes. SST covers Single config file, Resource linking, Local development, Multiple deployment stages. Both handle Multi-cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Beam Cloud: What is included in the Developer plan?

The Developer plan includes $30 monthly free credits, 5 GPU containers, 30 CPU containers, and community support. No upfront commitment is required.

Source
SST: Is SST free?

Yes, SST is open source and free. You only pay for cloud resources from AWS and other providers.

Source
Beam Cloud: How fast are the cold starts?

Beam Cloud achieves sub-second cold starts through memory snapshots that restore GPU containers 35x faster than traditional cold boots.

Source
SST: What cloud providers does SST support?

SST supports over 150 providers through built-in AWS and Cloudflare components, plus Pulumi and Terraform providers.

Source
Beam Cloud: Can I deploy across multiple cloud providers?

Yes, Beam Cloud supports multi-cloud deployment across AWS, GCP, Azure, Hetzner, and other providers with 30+ global regions available.

Source
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