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Cloud · head to head

Fireworks AI vs Vellum

Fireworks AI logo

Fireworks AI

Cloud

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Vellum logo

Vellum

AI

Personalized AI assistant with persistent memory and autonomous action-taking

From
Free
Free plan
Yes

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fireworks AI reserved and enterprise-tier pricing is not published and requires sales contact.; Vellum pricing varies significantly by computational tier, making budget planning difficult
  • They diverge on capability: Fireworks AI covers Serverless inference, Vellum covers Persistent AI identity.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Fireworks AI and Vellum differ
AttributeFireworks AIVellum
Pricing modelusage-basedFreemium with paid plans and pay-as-you-go credits
Platformsweb, apiWeb, macOS, iOS, Slack, Telegram, Terminal
CategoryCloudAI

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 Fireworks AI

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

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.

Fireworks AI

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

Vellum

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

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

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 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.

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.

Questions people ask

Is Fireworks AI or Vellum better?
Neither clearly leads. Fireworks AI starts at Free and Vellum at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fireworks AI or Vellum?
Fireworks AI starts at Free and Vellum at Free.
Does Fireworks AI or Vellum run on more platforms?
Fireworks AI runs on web, api. Vellum runs on Web, macOS, iOS, Slack, Telegram, Terminal.
Can I use Fireworks AI for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Fireworks AI best used for?
Fireworks AI is most often used for deploying open-source llms behind an openai-compatible api, fine-tuning models with lora or full-parameter training, routing ai coding assistant traffic to cheaper models via nexus, reserving dedicated gpu capacity for production traffic. Of those, deploying open-source llms behind an openai-compatible api and fine-tuning models with lora or full-parameter training are not what Vellum is typically brought in for.
What can Fireworks AI do that Vellum cannot?
Fireworks AI covers Serverless inference, On-demand and reserved deployments, Managed fine-tuning, OpenAI/Anthropic API compatibility. Vellum covers Persistent AI identity, Long-term memory, Email automation, Calendar management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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
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
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
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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