Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head
DeepInfra vs Hetzner Cloud
DeepInfra
Cloud & Infrastructure
Low-cost cloud API for running open-source AI models
- From
- $0.08/month
- Rated
- -
Hetzner Cloud
Cloud & Infrastructure
Affordable cloud servers in Europe
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Hetzner Cloud has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: DeepInfra focuses on inference hosting rather than fine-tuning or full training pipelines that competitors like Fireworks AI offer.; Hetzner Cloud cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable
- They diverge on capability: DeepInfra covers Open model hosting, Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DeepInfra and Hetzner Cloud actually diverge.
| Attribute | DeepInfra | Hetzner Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $0.08/month | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | web, api | Web, Api, Cli |
| Founded | Unknown | 1997 |
Identical on both: pricing model (usage-based), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud & Infrastructure).
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 DeepInfra
- Open model hosting
- Pay-per-token pricing
- Long context support
- DeepCluster
- Zero retention policy
- Real-time metrics
Only in Hetzner Cloud
- Cloud servers
- Block storage
- Object storage
- Load balancers
- Networks
- Firewalls
- Floating IPs
- Backups
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
DeepInfra
- Running open-source LLM inference without managing GPUsnot Hetzner Cloud
- Serving speech and image generation models via APInot Hetzner Cloud
- Cost-sensitive production inference at scalenot Hetzner Cloud
- Reserved GPU capacity via DeepCluster for steady workloadsnot Hetzner Cloud
Hetzner Cloud
- Low-cost virtual servers for development and testingnot DeepInfra
- European hosting with data held in Germany or Finlandnot DeepInfra
- Workloads with heavy egress, where included traffic mattersnot DeepInfra
- Self-hosting applications away from the hyperscalersnot DeepInfra
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
DeepInfra
- Focuses on inference hosting rather than fine-tuning or full training pipelines that competitors like Fireworks AI offer.
- Model selection is limited to what DeepInfra chooses to host, unlike self-managed platforms.
- No published free tier; usage is billed from the first token.
Hetzner Cloud
- Cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable
- The shared-resource tiers are positioned for variable usage and development rather than sustained production workloads
- Regions are limited to Germany, Finland, the United States and Singapore, so latency to other markets is a real constraint
- The uptime guarantee is 99.9 percent, below what the large hyperscalers offer on comparable services
- Support is 24/7 by email, without a phone channel
Pricing, plan by plan
DeepInfra
$0.08/month- Pay-as-you-go$undefined/mo
- Per-model token pricing from $0.08 to $2.85 per million input tokens
- No long-term contract
- DeepCluster$1.98/month
- Dedicated NVIDIA B300 GPU clusters at $1.98/GPU-hour
Hetzner Cloud
Free- CX11$3.29/month
- 1 vCPU
- 1GB RAM
- 25GB SSD
- CX21$6.59/month
- 2 vCPU
- 4GB RAM
- 40GB SSD
Which should you pick?
Choose DeepInfra if
- You need open model hosting.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want pay-per-token pricing.
Choose Hetzner Cloud if
- You need cloud servers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli.
- You also want block storage.
Questions people ask
- Is DeepInfra or Hetzner Cloud better?
- Neither clearly leads. DeepInfra starts at $0.08/month and Hetzner Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, DeepInfra or Hetzner Cloud?
- Hetzner Cloud has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.08/month for DeepInfra and Free for Hetzner Cloud.
- Does DeepInfra or Hetzner Cloud run on more platforms?
- DeepInfra runs on web, api. Hetzner Cloud runs on Web, Api, Cli.
- Can I use Hetzner Cloud for free?
- Yes. Hetzner Cloud has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. DeepInfra starts at $0.08/month.
- What is DeepInfra best used for?
- DeepInfra is most often used for running open-source llm inference without managing gpus, serving speech and image generation models via api, cost-sensitive production inference at scale, reserved gpu capacity via deepcluster for steady workloads. Of those, running open-source llm inference without managing gpus and serving speech and image generation models via api are not what Hetzner Cloud is typically brought in for.
- What can DeepInfra do that Hetzner Cloud cannot?
- DeepInfra covers Open model hosting, Pay-per-token pricing, Long context support, DeepCluster. Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Block storage, Object storage, Load balancers.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
DeepInfra: Is there a free tier on DeepInfra?
No free tier is published; usage is billed pay-as-you-go from the first token, though a credit card or pre-payment is required before you can send requests.
SourceDeepInfra: How is usage priced?
Language models are billed per million input/output tokens, other models by inference execution time, and audio models per minute of audio processed, with no minimum commitment.
SourceDeepInfra: What are the Standard, Priority, and Flex tiers?
Standard is default best-effort pricing at 1x, Priority costs 1.5x for faster time-to-first-token during peak demand, and Flex costs 0.8x for non-production or asynchronous workloads.
SourceDeepInfra: How does billing scale with spend?
Accounts advance through usage tiers as cumulative payments cross $20, $100, $500, $2,000, and $10,000 thresholds, with invoices generated monthly or at each threshold.
SourceDeepInfra: Is there a limit on concurrent requests?
Yes, accounts are limited to 200 concurrent requests by default, though spending limits can also be configured to prevent unexpected charges.
SourceRelated pages
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