Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head
DeepInfra vs Linode
DeepInfra
Cloud & Infrastructure
Low-cost cloud API for running open-source AI models
- From
- $0.08/month
- Rated
- -
Linode
Cloud & Infrastructure
Affordable cloud hosting and infrastructure
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Linode 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.; Linode linode.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to akamai.com/cloud/pricing; the service is now sold as Akamai Cloud
- They diverge on capability: DeepInfra covers Open model hosting, Linode covers Compute instances.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DeepInfra and Linode actually diverge.
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 Linode
- Compute instances
- Object storage
- Block storage
- Kubernetes
- Managed database
- Load balancers
- Firewalls
- Private networks
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 Linode
- Serving speech and image generation models via APInot Linode
- Cost-sensitive production inference at scalenot Linode
- Reserved GPU capacity via DeepCluster for steady workloadsnot Linode
Linode
- Running Linux virtual machines on hourly billed shared or dedicated CPU plansnot DeepInfra
- Managed Kubernetes, block storage and object storage on a single cloud accountnot DeepInfra
- Hosting workloads in a specific one of the listed global regionsnot 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.
Linode
- linode.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to akamai.com/cloud/pricing; the service is now sold as Akamai Cloud
- Charges accrue for any service on the account even when it is powered off, because RAM and network capacity stay reserved; only deleting the service stops billing
- Network transfer beyond the monthly allotment is billed from $0.005 per GB and the rate varies by region
- The Akamai Cloud pricing landing page shows no rates and directs visitors to regional pricing pages or sales
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
Linode
Free- Nanode 1GB$5/month
- 1GB RAM
- 1 vCPU
- 25GB SSD
- Linode 4GB$20/month
- 4GB RAM
- 2 vCPU
- 80GB 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 Linode if
- You need compute instances.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli.
- You also want object storage.
Questions people ask
- Is DeepInfra or Linode better?
- Neither clearly leads. DeepInfra starts at $0.08/month and Linode at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, DeepInfra or Linode?
- Linode has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.08/month for DeepInfra and Free for Linode.
- Does DeepInfra or Linode run on more platforms?
- DeepInfra runs on web, api. Linode runs on Web, Api, Cli.
- Can I use Linode for free?
- Yes. Linode 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 Linode is typically brought in for.
- What can DeepInfra do that Linode cannot?
- DeepInfra covers Open model hosting, Pay-per-token pricing, Long context support, DeepCluster. Linode covers Compute instances, Object storage, Block storage, Kubernetes.
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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