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Developer Tools · head to head

Depot vs Fireworks AI

Depot logo

Depot

Developer Tools

Cloud-based builds and CI runs 55x faster with less cost

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Fireworks AI logo

Fireworks AI

Cloud

Fast inference and fine-tuning platform for open and custom AI models

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Depot developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development; Fireworks AI reserved and enterprise-tier pricing is not published and requires sales contact.
  • They diverge on capability: Depot covers Depot CI, Fireworks AI covers Serverless inference.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Depot and Fireworks AI actually diverge.

Attributes where Depot and Fireworks AI differ
AttributeDepotFireworks AI
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
PlatformsCloud, GitHub, CLIweb, api
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCloud
Founded2022Unknown

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

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 Depot

  • Depot CI
  • Container builds
  • GitHub Actions runners
  • Distributed caching
  • Build API
  • Depot Registry
  • Cross-platform builds
  • SSH debugging

Only in Fireworks AI

  • Serverless inference
  • On-demand and reserved deployments
  • Managed fine-tuning
  • OpenAI/Anthropic API compatibility
  • Nexus router
  • Long context models

What people use each for

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

Depot

  • Accelerating Docker builds for container-based developmentnot Fireworks AI
  • Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster infrastructurenot Fireworks AI
  • Distributing cache across Monorepo buildsnot Fireworks AI
  • Debugging failed CI builds interactively with SSHnot Fireworks AI

Fireworks AI

  • Deploying open-source LLMs behind an OpenAI-compatible APInot Depot
  • Fine-tuning models with LoRA or full-parameter trainingnot Depot
  • Routing AI coding assistant traffic to cheaper models via Nexusnot Depot
  • Reserving dedicated GPU capacity for production trafficnot Depot

Where each one falls short

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

Depot

  • Developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
  • Startup plan at $200/mo is expensive for smaller teams
  • Business plan requires custom pricing consultation
  • macOS M2 runners not available on Developer plan

Fireworks AI

  • Reserved and enterprise-tier pricing is not published and requires sales contact.
  • Model catalog is curated to ~30 models, smaller than DeepInfra's 100+ model library.
  • On-demand GPU rates are scheduled to increase from September 1, adding cost unpredictability for locked-in workloads.

Pricing, plan by plan

Depot

Free
  • Developer$20/month
    • 1 user
    • 500 Docker build minutes per month
    • 2,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • Startup$200/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 5,000 Docker build minutes per month
    • 20,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • Business$undefined/custom
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited users
    • Custom monthly compute

Fireworks AI

Free
  • Serverless$undefined/mo
    • Pay-per-token from $0.07 to $1.74 per million input tokens
    • $1 free credit to start
  • On-Demand$7/month
    • Dedicated GPU instances from $7/hour for H100/H200
  • Reserved$undefined/mo
    • Guaranteed capacity and priority hardware access
    • Custom pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose Depot if

  • You need depot ci.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, GitHub, CLI.
  • You also want container builds.
Depot review

Choose Fireworks AI if

  • You need serverless inference.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want on-demand and reserved deployments.
Fireworks AI review

Questions people ask

Is Depot or Fireworks AI better?
Neither clearly leads. Depot starts at Free and Fireworks AI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Depot or Fireworks AI?
Depot starts at Free and Fireworks AI at Free.
Does Depot or Fireworks AI run on more platforms?
Depot runs on Cloud, GitHub, CLI. Fireworks AI runs on web, api.
Can I use Depot for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Depot best used for?
Depot is most often used for accelerating docker builds for container-based development, replacing github actions runners with faster infrastructure, distributing cache across monorepo builds, debugging failed ci builds interactively with ssh. Of those, accelerating docker builds for container-based development and replacing github actions runners with faster infrastructure are not what Fireworks AI is typically brought in for.
What can Depot do that Fireworks AI cannot?
Depot covers Depot CI, Container builds, GitHub Actions runners, Distributed caching. Fireworks AI covers Serverless inference, On-demand and reserved deployments, Managed fine-tuning, OpenAI/Anthropic API compatibility.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Depot: How much faster are Depot runners compared to GitHub Actions?

Depot runners offer 30% faster CPUs and 10x faster networking than standard GitHub-hosted runners, enabling builds to complete significantly faster.

Source
Fireworks AI: How is Fireworks AI billing calculated?

Serverless inference uses postpaid, pay-per-token billing across Standard, Priority, and Fast tiers, with rates from $0.07 to $1.74 per million tokens depending on model.

Source
Depot: What is included in the Developer plan?

Developer plan ($20/month) includes 500 Docker build minutes, 2,000 Depot CI minutes, 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes, 25 GB storage, unlimited concurrency, and community support.

Source
Fireworks AI: Is there a free tier or trial credit?

New accounts receive $1 in free credit to try serverless inference before adding a payment method.

Source
Depot: Can I use Depot with my own AWS account?

Yes, Depot Managed allows deployment within customer AWS accounts. This is available to interested customers; contact sales for details.

Source
Fireworks AI: How much do on-demand GPU deployments cost?

Dedicated on-demand instances range from $7-8/hour for H100/H200 GPUs up to $18-20/hour for GB300, billed per GPU second with no start-up surcharge.

Source
Fireworks AI: How is fine-tuning priced?

Managed training is billed per 1 million training tokens for supervised or preference tuning, while reinforcement tuning is billed per GPU hour.

Source
Fireworks AI: Does region selection affect pricing?

Yes, region-restricted on-demand deployments carry a 1.5x premium over standard regional pricing.

Source
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