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Baseten vs Cerebras
Cerebras has the fastest published decode on a two-model shared catalog. Baseten trades raw tokens per second for the lowest measured first token and room for custom models.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Baseten vs Cerebras: key differences
Cerebras builds a wafer-scale chip and lists GPT-OSS 120B near 3,000 tokens per second at $0.35 in and $0.75 out per million. No GPU host matches that decode rate, Baseten included. But the shared Cerebras catalog holds just GPT-OSS 120B and Gemma 4 31B, and most other models require a dedicated endpoint, a partner or a sales call. Baseten's shared Model APIs cover 13 open models, among them DeepSeek V4, GLM 5.2 and Kimi K3, and its 0.49 second time to first token led the Artificial Analysis board in August 2026. For a long streamed answer on GPT-OSS, Cerebras finishes first. For short turns on a broader set of models, Baseten's fast start carries more weight.
Customization separates them further. Baseten deploys any model packaged with Truss, bills per GPU minute and scales to zero, and it sells HIPAA and data residency options. Cerebras's own downside list notes that its speed does little when an agent mostly waits on tools or hidden reasoning. Cerebras holds one unique card: OpenAI's Ultrafast preview of GPT-5.6 Sol, a closed frontier model running at up to 750 output tokens per second on its wafers.
What Baseten and Cerebras do
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.
Example models: GLM 5.2, gpt-oss 120B
Full Baseten profileCerebras
Cerebras builds a single chip the size of a silicon wafer, and its inference cloud is the fastest public host on the models it serves. Its developer table lists GPT-OSS 120B near 3,000 tokens per second, about six times Groq on the same weights, at $0.35 in and $0.75 out per million. The public shared catalog is thin, just GPT-OSS 120B and Gemma 4 31B as of August 2026. More model families live on dedicated endpoints and through partners like OpenRouter, Hugging Face, Vercel and AWS Marketplace.
Example models: GPT-OSS 120B, Gemma 4 31B
Full Cerebras profileShould you choose Baseten or Cerebras?
Baseten
Choose Baseten for
- Custom or fine-tuned models deployed with Truss
- Short interactive turns where time to first token dominates
- Open models beyond GPT-OSS and Gemma on a shared API
Cerebras
Choose Cerebras for
- Long streamed outputs on GPT-OSS 120B
- Live code autocomplete and voice where generation is the wait
- Teams wanting a wafer-scale path to GPT-5.6 Sol Ultrafast
Baseten vs Cerebras at a glance
| Attribute | Baseten | Cerebras |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights, 13 curated | Open weights |
| Flagship models | GLM 5.2, DeepSeek V4, Kimi K3, gpt-oss 120B | GPT-OSS 120B, Gemma 4 31B |
| Speed | 0.49s TTFT, lowest measured | ~3,000 tok/s on GPT-OSS 120B |
| Price | H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated | $0.35 in, $0.75 out (GPT-OSS 120B) |
| Customization | Deploy any model with Truss | Unknown |
| Deployment | Model APIs, dedicated, self-host | Shared API, dedicated, partners |
| Long context | Varies by model | Unknown |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Baseten and Cerebras?
Cerebras has the fastest published decode on a two-model shared catalog. Baseten trades raw tokens per second for the lowest measured first token and room for custom models.
When should I choose Baseten over Cerebras?
Custom or fine-tuned models deployed with Truss; Short interactive turns where time to first token dominates; Open models beyond GPT-OSS and Gemma on a shared API.
When should I choose Cerebras over Baseten?
Long streamed outputs on GPT-OSS 120B; Live code autocomplete and voice where generation is the wait; Teams wanting a wafer-scale path to GPT-5.6 Sol Ultrafast.
Is Baseten or Cerebras cheaper?
Baseten: H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated. Cerebras: $0.35 in, $0.75 out (GPT-OSS 120B). The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
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Running long-horizon agents?
If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious. Our inference stack treats a long-horizon trace as the primary workload, so speed, cost, and accuracy hold up deep into the trace.