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Baseten vs Nebius
Nebius pairs 60+ managed open models with raw GPUs and EU placement. Baseten has fewer models but the lowest measured first token and a higher uptime SLA.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Baseten vs Nebius: key differences
Nebius is a full AI cloud headquartered in Amsterdam. It rents raw NVIDIA GPUs, from H100s at $2.15 an hour preemptible up to GB300 racks, and runs Token Factory, a managed service with 60+ open models from $0.06 per million input tokens. Uploaded fine-tunes serve at the same token prices. Baseten is an inference specialist: 13 curated models, Truss for anything custom, and an H100 at about $6.50 an hour on dedicated deployments. On catalog size and raw GPU cost, Nebius comes out ahead. On first-token latency, Baseten led the Artificial Analysis board in August 2026, while Nebius ranks among the top hosts on raw throughput.
Both address regulated buyers in different ways. Nebius offers EU or US placement and a 99.9% SLA on dedicated endpoints, which makes it the default for European data sovereignty. Baseten offers HIPAA, data residency, self-hosting and a 99.99% SLA. Nebius also lets a team grow from tokens into training on one account. It has no free trial and requires a $25 minimum first payment, while Baseten scales to zero and bills per minute.
What Baseten and Nebius 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 profileNebius
Nebius is an Amsterdam-headquartered AI cloud and the strongest European alternative to the US hyperscalers. It sells raw NVIDIA GPU compute, from H100s at $2.15 an hour preemptible up to GB300 NVL72 racks, and it has begun adding Vera Rubin. Hyperscale buyers back it: a Microsoft capacity deal worth about $17.4B in September 2025, then a Meta agreement worth up to about $27B in March 2026.
Example models: DeepSeek V3, GPT-OSS
Full Nebius profileShould you choose Baseten or Nebius?
Baseten
Choose Baseten for
- HIPAA workloads with a 99.99% uptime SLA
- Short interactive turns sensitive to first-token latency
- Model labs wanting a white-label API
Nebius
Choose Nebius for
- European teams that need EU data placement
- Serving uploaded fine-tunes at token prices
- Growing from managed inference into raw GPU training
Baseten vs Nebius at a glance
| Attribute | Baseten | Nebius |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights, 13 curated | Open weights, 60+ models |
| Flagship models | GLM 5.2, DeepSeek V4, Kimi K3, gpt-oss 120B | DeepSeek, Qwen, GLM, Kimi, GPT-OSS |
| Speed | 0.49s TTFT, lowest measured | Among top hosts on throughput |
| Price | H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated | From $0.06 per 1M input |
| Customization | Deploy any model with Truss | Serve uploaded fine-tunes |
| Deployment | Model APIs, dedicated, self-host | Token Factory, dedicated, raw GPUs |
| Long context | Varies by model | Varies by model |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Baseten and Nebius?
Nebius pairs 60+ managed open models with raw GPUs and EU placement. Baseten has fewer models but the lowest measured first token and a higher uptime SLA.
When should I choose Baseten over Nebius?
HIPAA workloads with a 99.99% uptime SLA; Short interactive turns sensitive to first-token latency; Model labs wanting a white-label API.
When should I choose Nebius over Baseten?
European teams that need EU data placement; Serving uploaded fine-tunes at token prices; Growing from managed inference into raw GPU training.
Is Baseten or Nebius cheaper?
Baseten: H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated. Nebius: From $0.06 per 1M input. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, Baseten or Nebius?
Baseten: Varies by model. Nebius: Varies by model.
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