Is Modal or Wasabi better?

Neither clearly leads. Modal starts at Free and Wasabi at $7.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Modal or Wasabi?

Modal has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Modal and $7.99/month for Wasabi.

Does Modal or Wasabi run on more platforms?

Modal runs on Cloud, Api. Wasabi runs on Web, API.

Can I use Modal for free?

Yes. Modal has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Wasabi starts at $7.99/month.

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 Wasabi is typically brought in for.

What can Modal do that Wasabi cannot?

Modal covers Serverless GPUs, Python functions, Auto-scaling, Fast cold starts. Wasabi covers Hot Cloud Storage, S3 Compatible API, Object Lock, Versioning. Both handle Api support.

AI · head to head

Modal vs Wasabi

Modal

Cloud functions for AI and ML

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Wasabi

Cloud

Hot cloud storage without egress fees

From: $7.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Modal has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
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; Wasabi 90-day minimum storage duration with no option to delete before full period without penalty
They diverge on capability: Modal covers Serverless GPUs, Wasabi covers Hot Cloud Storage.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Modal and Wasabi actually diverge.

Attributes where Modal and Wasabi differ
Attribute	Modal	Wasabi
Starting price	Free	$7.99/month
Pricing model	usage-based	Unknown
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Cloud, Api	Web, API
Category	AI	Cloud
Founded	2021	2015

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 Modal

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

Only in Wasabi

Hot Cloud Storage
S3 Compatible API
Object Lock
Versioning
Multi-region
Data Migration Tools
Immutability
Ransomware Protection

Both cover

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 Wasabi
Executing Python functions on cloud compute without managing serversnot Wasabi

Wasabi

Backup and recoverynot Modal
Media storagenot Modal
Archive replacementnot Modal
Ransomware protectionnot 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

Wasabi

90-day minimum storage duration with no option to delete before full period without penalty
Significantly smaller global footprint than AWS with only 16 regions, resulting in higher latency for users in underserved regions
Performance can degrade with high-volume transactions requiring throughput management strategies
Hot storage only, no cold/archival storage tier for long-term data at lower cost
Support responsiveness gaps with teams experiencing multi-day waits for critical issue resolution

Pricing, plan by plan

Modal

Free

StarterFree
- 3 seats
- 100 containers
- 10 GPU concurrency
Team$250/month
- Unlimited seats
- 5,000 containers
- 50 GPU concurrency
Enterprise$null/custom
- Custom seats, containers, and GPU concurrency

Wasabi

$7.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Wasabi review.

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 Wasabi if

You need hot cloud storage.
You work on Web, API.
You also want s3 compatible api.

Wasabi review

Questions people ask

Is Modal or Wasabi better?: Neither clearly leads. Modal starts at Free and Wasabi at $7.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Modal or Wasabi?: Modal has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Modal and $7.99/month for Wasabi.
Does Modal or Wasabi run on more platforms?: Modal runs on Cloud, Api. Wasabi runs on Web, API.
Can I use Modal for free?: Yes. Modal has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Wasabi starts at $7.99/month.
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 Wasabi is typically brought in for.
What can Modal do that Wasabi cannot?: Modal covers Serverless GPUs, Python functions, Auto-scaling, Fast cold starts. Wasabi covers Hot Cloud Storage, S3 Compatible API, Object Lock, Versioning. Both handle Api support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Modal: How much does Modal cost?

Modal uses pay-as-you-go pricing with Team plan at 250 USD/month base. Starter includes 30 USD/month free credits; Team includes 100 USD/month free credits. Compute charges per second for CPU cores, memory, and GPU instances.

Source

Wasabi: What is Wasabi's pricing structure?

Wasabi offers pay-as-you-go pricing at $7.99 per TB per month as of July 2026, with no egress or API request fees. Reserved capacity plans are available for multi-year terms with volume discounts.

Source

Modal: Is there a free tier?

Yes, Starter plan is free plus 30 USD/month in compute credits included monthly for new users.

Source

Wasabi: Does Wasabi charge for data downloads or API calls?

No. Wasabi includes zero egress fees and zero API request fees, which is a major cost advantage over AWS S3. Customers can plan their budget to the penny without worrying about surprise data transfer charges.

Source

Modal: What are the seat limits?

Starter plan includes 3 seats; Team plan provides unlimited seats; Enterprise tier has custom seat allocations.

Source

Wasabi: Is there a minimum storage duration requirement?

Yes. Wasabi enforces a 90-day minimum storage term. Users who delete data before 90 days are still charged for the full 90-day period.

Source

Wasabi: Is Wasabi S3-compatible?

Yes. Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage is fully S3-compatible, meaning organizations can integrate it into existing workflows without rewriting application code used with AWS S3.

Modal vs Wasabi

Modal

Wasabi

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Modal

Only in Wasabi

Both cover

What people use each for

Modal

Wasabi

Where each one falls short

Modal

Wasabi

Pricing, plan by plan

Modal

Wasabi

Which should you pick?

Choose Modal if

Choose Wasabi if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Modal

More on Wasabi

Keep looking

Other head to heads