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Baseten vs Infron
Baseten serves curated models with the lowest measured TTFT and custom deployments. Infron routes across 400+ models from many providers.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Baseten vs Infron: key differences
Baseten's Model APIs cover 13 curated open models with the lowest measured time to first token, and Truss deploys any model on dedicated GPUs or self-hosted. Infron is a gateway: one OpenAI-compatible API in front of 400+ models from 100+ providers, at provider rates plus a 3% to 5% fee on credit top-ups, with fallbacks, region pinning and a 99.9% uptime SLA on dedicated throughput.
Baseten is for latency-sensitive production and custom models. Infron is for breadth: closed and open models, failover and one bill. Baseten owns its serving and can tune latency; Infron's latency depends on the provider it routes to.
What Baseten and Infron 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 profile
Infron
Infron is a US-based AI gateway and inference platform. One OpenAI-compatible API reaches 400+ models from 100+ providers, including DeepSeek, Qwen, Claude, Gemini and GPT through what Infron calls official partner routes, plus media and search models. Teams set provider preferences and fallbacks, see usage and billing in one place, and can bring their own provider keys at no fee. Lawrence Xu is CEO and co-founder Andrew Zheng is CTO.
Example models: DeepSeek, Qwen, Claude, Gemini, GPT
Full Infron profileShould you choose Baseten or Infron?
Baseten vs Infron at a glance
| Attribute | Baseten |  Infron |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights, 13 curated | Closed and open, 400+ models |
| Flagship models | GLM 5.2, DeepSeek V4, Kimi K3, gpt-oss 120B | DeepSeek, Qwen, Claude, Gemini, GPT |
| Speed | 0.49s TTFT, lowest measured | Unknown |
| Price | H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated | Provider rates; 3–5% top-up fee |
| Customization | Deploy any model with Truss | Custom deployments |
| Deployment | Model APIs, dedicated, self-host | Gateway API, dedicated, BYOK |
| Long context | Varies by model | Varies by model |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Baseten and Infron?
Baseten serves curated models with the lowest measured TTFT and custom deployments. Infron routes across 400+ models from many providers.
When should I choose Baseten over Infron?
Lowest time to first token; Deploying any model with Truss; Self-hosted options.
When should I choose Infron over Baseten?
Closed and open models on one key and one bill; Automatic failover across providers; Multi-model products that switch models often.
Is Baseten or Infron cheaper?
Baseten: H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated. Infron: Provider rates; 3–5% top-up fee. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, Baseten or Infron?
Baseten: Varies by model. Infron: Varies by model.
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