Softwr

Software · head to head

Modal vs Together AI

Modal logo

Modal

Software

Cloud functions for AI and ML

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Together AI logo

Together AI

Software

Open-source AI at scale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Modal the Team plan carries a $250 monthly base fee and returns only $100 of that as free credits, so $150 is a flat charge before any compute; Together AI fine tuning carries a minimum charge of $4.00 per job regardless of dataset size
  • They diverge on capability: Modal covers Serverless GPUs, Together AI covers Open-source models.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Modal and Together AI actually diverge.

Attributes where Modal and Together AI differ
AttributeModalTogether AI
PlatformsCloud, ApiApi, Cloud
Founded20212022

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Modal

  • Serverless GPUs
  • Python functions
  • Auto-scaling
  • Fast cold starts
  • GitHub Actions
  • Cloud storage

Only in Together AI

  • Open-source models
  • Fine-tuning
  • Fast inference
  • Embeddings
  • REST API
  • OpenAI compatible

Both cover

  • Python SDK
  • Cloud support
  • Api support

What people use each for

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

Modal

  • Running serverless GPU workloads for model inference and trainingnot Together AI
  • Executing Python functions on cloud compute without managing serversnot Together AI

Together AI

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

Where each one falls short

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

Modal

  • The Team plan carries a $250 monthly base fee and returns only $100 of that as free credits, so $150 is a flat charge before any compute
  • Compute is billed per second across separate GPU and CPU meters, so total cost depends on execution time rather than any fixed rate
  • The Starter plan's $30 monthly free credit is the only allowance below the paid base fee
  • Enterprise volume discounts are custom and unpublished

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

Modal

Free
  • FreeFree
    • $30/month credits
    • Community support
  • TeamFree
    • Pay for compute
    • Team features
    • Priority support

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 Modal if

  • You need serverless gpus.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Api.
  • You also want python functions.
Modal 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 Modal or Together AI better?
Neither clearly leads. Modal starts at Free and Together AI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Modal or Together AI?
Modal starts at Free and Together AI at Free.
Does Modal or Together AI run on more platforms?
Modal runs on Cloud, Api. Together AI runs on Api, Cloud.
Can I use Modal for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Modal best used for?
Modal is most often used for running serverless gpu workloads for model inference and training, executing python functions on cloud compute without managing servers. Of those, running serverless gpu workloads for model inference and training and executing python functions on cloud compute without managing servers are not what Together AI is typically brought in for.
What can Modal do that Together AI cannot?
Modal covers Serverless GPUs, Python functions, Auto-scaling, Fast cold starts. Together AI covers Open-source models, Fine-tuning, Fast inference, Embeddings. Both handle Python SDK, Cloud support, Api support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Modal

More on Together AI

Keep looking

Other head to heads