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DeepInfra vs Crusoe
DeepInfra sets the price floor across 150+ open models. Crusoe starts at $0.05 in on a shorter list, then adds fine-tuning, dedicated endpoints and GPUs.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
DeepInfra vs Crusoe: key differences
On pure token price DeepInfra is hard to beat. Llama 3.1 8B costs $0.02 per million and DeepSeek V4 Flash $0.14 in and $0.28 out, across a 150+ model catalog with no minimums or contracts. Crusoe's serverless prices start at $0.05 in and $0.20 out and run to $1.74 in and $4.40 out, on a smaller list of DeepSeek, GLM, Kimi, Gemma, gpt-oss and Nemotron models. DeepInfra's catch is quantization. It serves DeepSeek V4 Pro in FP4 with context capped at 66K and roughly 33 tokens per second, and some reviewers report weaker output unless FP8 variants are pinned. Crusoe bills cached input well below list and reuses KV cache across its cluster through MemoryAlloy.
Crusoe covers what DeepInfra leaves out. DeepInfra has no managed fine-tuning, while Crusoe added serverless LoRA fine-tuning in July 2026. Crusoe also sells self-serve dedicated deployments per GPU-hour, tailored deployments with SLAs and raw H100, H200, B200 and GB200 capacity with Kubernetes or Slurm. Its speed claim, up to 9.9x faster time to first token versus vLLM on prefix-heavy work, is its own benchmark. DeepInfra's strengths are breadth and fast intake of new Hugging Face releases. For bulk extraction, tagging and synthetic data where cost is the only metric, DeepInfra wins. For agents that resend long context, need a fine-tune, or need the full stack from one vendor, Crusoe is the better fit.
What DeepInfra and Crusoe do
DeepInfra
DeepInfra is the price floor for open-model inference. Developers treat it as the reference point for what a token should cost, with small models like Llama 3.1 8B at $0.02 per million and DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.14 in and $0.28 out. The catalog covers 150+ open models across text, image and speech behind a fully OpenAI-compatible API. There are no minimums, setup fees or contracts on the shared API.
Example models: DeepSeek V4 Flash, Llama 3.1 8B
Full DeepInfra profileCrusoe
Crusoe started in 2018 turning wasted natural gas into power for computing and has since become a vertically integrated AI infrastructure company: it sources energy, builds data centers and rents GPUs through Crusoe Cloud. It designed and built the Abilene, Texas campus behind the OpenAI and Oracle Stargate project, planned at 1.2 GW, and in March 2026 announced an adjacent 900 MW campus for Microsoft. On September 17, 2026 it closed the first part of a $3.9B Series F at a $30.9B post-money valuation, and it reports over 6 GW of contracted capacity. Crusoe Cloud lists GB200 NVL72, B200 and AMD MI355X by quote, with H100 at $3.90 and H200 at $4.29 per GPU-hour on demand.
Example models: DeepSeek V4 Pro, GLM 5.3, Kimi K2.6
Full Crusoe profileShould you choose DeepInfra or Crusoe?
DeepInfra
Choose DeepInfra for
- Bulk tagging and extraction at the lowest price
- Trying new Hugging Face releases quickly
- Budget chat backends with no contracts
Crusoe
Choose Crusoe for
- Agents that resend the same long context
- Fine-tuning and serving an open model together
- Moving from shared tokens to dedicated GPUs on one account
DeepInfra vs Crusoe at a glance
| Attribute | DeepInfra | Crusoe |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights |
| Flagship models | DeepSeek V4 Flash, Llama 3.1 8B | DeepSeek V4, GLM 5.3, Kimi K2.6, Nemotron 3 |
| Speed | ~33 tok/s on DeepSeek V4 Pro (FP4) | Up to 9.9x faster TTFT vs vLLM (vendor claim) |
| Price | From $0.02 per 1M | $0.05–$1.74 in, $0.20–$4.40 out per 1M |
| Customization | No managed fine-tuning | Serverless LoRA fine-tuning |
| Deployment | Shared API, no contracts | Serverless, self-serve and tailored dedicated, raw GPUs |
| Long context | 66K on FP4 DeepSeek V4 Pro | Varies by model; cluster-wide KV cache |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between DeepInfra and Crusoe?
DeepInfra sets the price floor across 150+ open models. Crusoe starts at $0.05 in on a shorter list, then adds fine-tuning, dedicated endpoints and GPUs.
When should I choose DeepInfra over Crusoe?
Bulk tagging and extraction at the lowest price; Trying new Hugging Face releases quickly; Budget chat backends with no contracts.
When should I choose Crusoe over DeepInfra?
Agents that resend the same long context; Fine-tuning and serving an open model together; Moving from shared tokens to dedicated GPUs on one account.
Is DeepInfra or Crusoe cheaper?
DeepInfra: From $0.02 per 1M. Crusoe: $0.05–$1.74 in, $0.20–$4.40 out per 1M. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, DeepInfra or Crusoe?
DeepInfra: 66K on FP4 DeepSeek V4 Pro. Crusoe: Varies by model; cluster-wide KV cache.
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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.