# Amazon Bedrock vs Baseten

> Bedrock is AWS's governed multi-model control plane. Baseten serves 13 curated open models with the lowest measured time to first token, plus dedicated deployments of any model you package.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/aws-bedrock-vs-baseten · By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026

## How they compare

Baseten is built around latency and custom deployment. It posted the lowest time to first token on the Artificial Analysis provider board in August 2026, 0.49 seconds, and its Model APIs speak both OpenAI and Anthropic formats across 13 curated models like GLM 5.2, DeepSeek V4 and Kimi K3. Anything else runs as a dedicated deployment packaged with Truss, billed per GPU minute. Bedrock is broader and more governed: 100+ models including closed Claude and GPT, IAM, PrivateLink and KMS on every call, and the AgentCore runtime around it.

Both can serve regulated buyers. Baseten offers self-hosting, HIPAA, data residency options and a 99.99% uptime SLA, while Bedrock inherits AWS's security posture and never lets provider models train on customer data. The choice usually follows the model. Closed frontier models point to Bedrock. Private fine-tunes, speech or embedding models, or a white-label API for a model lab point to Baseten. Bedrock's markup of 20 to 35% on most models matters at scale; Baseten's H100 at about $6.50 an hour does too.

## What each one does

### Amazon Bedrock

Amazon Bedrock is AWS's managed model service and has become the default AI control plane for many enterprises. One API reaches 100+ models from 18+ providers, including Anthropic's Claude family, Meta, Mistral, DeepSeek, Amazon's own Nova models, and, since an April 2026 partnership expansion, OpenAI models up to GPT-6 Astra. Switching models is usually just a new model ID. Every call inherits IAM, PrivateLink, KMS encryption and CloudTrail logging, and provider models never train on customer data.

### Baseten

Baseten runs two products. Model APIs serve a curated set of 13 open models, including DeepSeek V4, GLM 5.2, Kimi K3 and gpt-oss 120B, over endpoints that speak both the OpenAI Chat Completions shape and the Anthropic Messages shape. That dual compatibility means an existing OpenAI or Claude SDK, or a coding agent, points at Baseten with a base URL change. Dedicated deployments take any model you package with the open-source Truss CLI and bill per GPU minute, with an H100 at about $6.50 an hour.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Amazon Bedrock for

- Closed and open models under AWS IAM and KMS.
- Managed RAG, Guardrails and agent runtime.
- Switching models by changing a model ID.

### Choose Baseten for

- The lowest time to first token on open models.
- Private fine-tunes and custom speech or embedding models.
- White-label APIs for model labs.

## At a glance

| Attribute | Amazon Bedrock | Baseten |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Closed and open, 100+ models | Open weights, 13 curated |
| Flagship models | Claude, GPT-6 Astra, Nova, DeepSeek | GLM 5.2, DeepSeek V4, Kimi K3, gpt-oss 120B |
| Speed | Latency-optimized option on some models | 0.49s TTFT, lowest measured |
| Price | ~20–35% above direct; Claude at parity | H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated |
| Customization | Fine-tuning, Custom Model Import | Deploy any model with Truss |
| Deployment | Managed on AWS, AgentCore | Model APIs, dedicated, self-host |
| Long context | Varies by model | Varies by model |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Amazon Bedrock and Baseten?

Bedrock is AWS's governed multi-model control plane. Baseten serves 13 curated open models with the lowest measured time to first token, plus dedicated deployments of any model you package.

### When should I choose Amazon Bedrock over Baseten?

Closed and open models under AWS IAM and KMS; Managed RAG, Guardrails and agent runtime; Switching models by changing a model ID.

### When should I choose Baseten over Amazon Bedrock?

The lowest time to first token on open models; Private fine-tunes and custom speech or embedding models; White-label APIs for model labs.

### Is Amazon Bedrock or Baseten cheaper?

Amazon Bedrock: ~20–35% above direct; Claude at parity. Baseten: H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, Amazon Bedrock or Baseten?

Amazon Bedrock: Varies by model. Baseten: Varies by model.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs Amazon Bedrock](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-aws-bedrock.md), [Subconscious vs Baseten](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-baseten.md).

Full profiles: [Amazon Bedrock](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/aws-bedrock.md), [Baseten](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/baseten.md).