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Baseten vs Runware
Runware sells very cheap image, video, audio and 3D generation. Baseten serves text models, speech and embeddings. They cover different parts of a product.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Baseten vs Runware: key differences
Runware is a media generation API. One request schema covers image, video, audio, 3D and text across 300+ priced models, with images from fractions of a cent and Seedance 2.5 video at about $0.10 a second at 480p. Its custom Sonic Inference Engine and a Model Lake of 400K+ resident models are behind prices Runware says land around 10x lower. Baseten's modalities are text, speech and embeddings, and its strength is the lowest measured time to first token on curated open LLMs. Runware's own downside says LLM hosting is a side line, so text workloads fit better on a host like Baseten.
Raw GPU rental is the one overlap. Runware rents H100s by the second at $2.76 an hour. Baseten's dedicated H100 runs about $6.50 an hour billed per minute, but it comes with Truss packaging, scale to zero, HIPAA and a 99.99% SLA. A consumer app might generate images on Runware and run its chat model on Baseten. Runware output URLs expire after seven days by default, so that app also needs its own storage.
What Baseten and Runware 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 profileRunware
Runware sells what it calls the lowest-cost API for media generation, and it claims more than 1M developers. One endpoint covers image, video, audio, 3D and text. Every request is a task with the same shape, so switching from a Kling video to a Seedream image mostly means changing the model ID. The published rate sheet lists 300+ priced models, with images from fractions of a cent to a few cents each and video billed per second, like Seedance 2.5 at about $0.10 a second at 480p.
Example models: Seedance 2.5, Qwen-Image-3.0
Full Runware profileShould you choose Baseten or Runware?
Baseten
Choose Baseten for
- Chat and agent LLMs behind a media app
- Speech and embedding models with an SLA
- Regulated text workloads needing HIPAA
Runware
Choose Runware for
- High-volume image and short video generation
- Serving fine-tuned diffusion checkpoints at scale
- Cheap per-second GPU rental for media jobs
Baseten vs Runware at a glance
| Attribute | Baseten | Runware |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights, 13 curated | Hosted media models |
| Flagship models | GLM 5.2, DeepSeek V4, Kimi K3, gpt-oss 120B | Seedance 2.5, Qwen-Image-3.0 |
| Speed | 0.49s TTFT, lowest measured | Unknown |
| Price | H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated | Images from fractions of a cent |
| Customization | Deploy any model with Truss | Fine-tuned diffusion checkpoints |
| Deployment | Model APIs, dedicated, self-host | Unified API, raw GPUs |
| Long context | Varies by model | Not applicable |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Baseten and Runware?
Runware sells very cheap image, video, audio and 3D generation. Baseten serves text models, speech and embeddings. They cover different parts of a product.
When should I choose Baseten over Runware?
Chat and agent LLMs behind a media app; Speech and embedding models with an SLA; Regulated text workloads needing HIPAA.
When should I choose Runware over Baseten?
High-volume image and short video generation; Serving fine-tuned diffusion checkpoints at scale; Cheap per-second GPU rental for media jobs.
Is Baseten or Runware cheaper?
Baseten: H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated. Runware: Images from fractions of a cent. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, Baseten or Runware?
Baseten: Varies by model. Runware: Not applicable.
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