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Machine Learning & Data Science · head to head

Google Vertex AI vs Together AI

Google Vertex AI logo

Google Vertex AI

Machine Learning & Data Science

Unified ML platform to build, deploy, and scale AI models

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Together AI logo

Together AI

AI Tools

Open-source AI at scale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Together AI has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Google Vertex AI vendor lock-in to Google Cloud ecosystem makes migration to other platforms difficult; Together AI fine tuning carries a minimum charge of $4.00 per job regardless of dataset size
  • They diverge on capability: Google Vertex AI covers AutoML, Together AI covers Open-source models.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Vertex AI and Together AI actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Vertex AI and Together AI differ
AttributeGoogle Vertex AITogether AI
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, WebApi, Cloud
CategoryMachine Learning & Data ScienceAI Tools
Founded20082022

Identical on both: 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 Google Vertex AI

  • AutoML
  • Custom training
  • Feature Store
  • Model monitoring
  • Prediction serving
  • BigQuery
  • Cloud Storage
  • TensorFlow

Only in Together AI

  • Open-source models
  • Fine-tuning
  • Fast inference
  • Embeddings
  • REST API
  • Python SDK
  • OpenAI compatible
  • Api support

What people use each for

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

Google Vertex AI

  • Machine learningnot Together AI
  • Data analysisnot Together AI
  • Model trainingnot Together AI
  • Predictive analyticsnot Together AI

Together AI

  • Serverless inference against open source chat, vision, embedding, image and video modelsnot Google Vertex AI
  • Renting dedicated single tenant H100, H200 or B200 GPU clusters by the hournot Google Vertex AI
  • Fine tuning open weight models on a per token basisnot Google Vertex AI

Where each one falls short

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

Google Vertex AI

  • Vendor lock-in to Google Cloud ecosystem makes migration to other platforms difficult
  • Requires familiarity with Google Cloud Platform infrastructure and concepts
  • Cost can escalate quickly with large training and inference workloads

Together AI

  • Fine tuning carries a minimum charge of $4.00 per job regardless of dataset size
  • Reserved GPU commitments beyond 180 days are priced by contacting sales with no published rate
  • Volume and enterprise discounts are quote only with no published threshold
  • Reserved dedicated inference pricing is contact sales while only on demand rates of $5.49 to $8.99 per GPU hour are published

Pricing, plan by plan

Google Vertex AI

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Google Vertex AI review.

Together AI

Free
  • FreeFree
    • $5 credits
    • API access
  • Pay-per-use$0.2/per-million-tokens
    • All models
    • Fine-tuning

Which should you pick?

Choose Google Vertex AI if

  • You need automl.
  • You work on Cloud, Web.
  • You also want custom training.
Google Vertex AI review

Choose Together AI if

  • You need open-source models.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Cloud.
  • You also want fine-tuning.
Together AI review

Questions people ask

Is Google Vertex AI or Together AI better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Vertex AI starts at On request and Together AI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Vertex AI or Together AI?
Together AI has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Google Vertex AI and Free for Together AI.
Does Google Vertex AI or Together AI run on more platforms?
Google Vertex AI runs on Cloud, Web. Together AI runs on Api, Cloud.
Can I use Together AI for free?
Yes. Together AI has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Google Vertex AI starts at On request.
What is Google Vertex AI best used for?
Google Vertex AI is most often used for machine learning, data analysis, model training, predictive analytics. Of those, machine learning and data analysis are not what Together AI is typically brought in for.
What can Google Vertex AI do that Together AI cannot?
Google Vertex AI covers AutoML, Custom training, Feature Store, Model monitoring. Together AI covers Open-source models, Fine-tuning, Fast inference, Embeddings.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Google Vertex AI: What is the pricing model for Google Vertex AI?

Vertex AI uses a pay-as-you-go model with no upfront costs or lock-in fees. Costs vary by service: training is billed by compute resources and time (30-second increments), online predictions by machine type per hour, and batch predictions by compute time or per-record for specific AutoML types.

Source
Google Vertex AI: What types of data can Vertex AI handle?

Vertex AI supports image, video, text, and tabular data types with tools for uploading, storing, and managing large datasets.

Source
Google Vertex AI: Does Vertex AI support custom model training?

Yes. Vertex AI supports both AutoML for automated machine learning and custom training code in Python, R, and other languages.

Source
Google Vertex AI: What deployment options are available in Vertex AI?

Vertex AI supports online predictions for real-time use cases and batch predictions for large-scale processing.

Source
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