# DeepInfra vs Modal

> DeepInfra sells cheap per-token access to 150+ hosted open models. Modal sells per-second GPU containers for models you bring yourself.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/deepinfra-vs-modal · By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026

## How they compare

DeepInfra is a shared API. You pick a model from its catalog of 150+ open models and pay per token, from $0.02 per million on Llama 3.1 8B, with no minimums or contracts. Modal hosts nothing by default. A developer writes a Python function, names the GPU it needs, and Modal builds the container, autoscales it and scales it back to zero, billing per second from $0.59 an hour for a T4 to $3.95 for an H100 at list. So the first question is whether the model you need already sits in a catalog. If it does, DeepInfra's token pricing is hard to beat and needs no serving code. If it is a private fine-tune, an OCR model or an embedding pipeline you own, Modal is the one that can run it.

Training splits them further. DeepInfra has no managed fine-tuning, while Modal runs any training code on the same platform it uses for inference. Cost behavior differs too. Modal's per-second billing wins on bursty load, but non-preemptible US production runs about 3.75x list, and keeping containers warm to avoid cold starts turns the bill into an always-on one. DeepInfra handles serving and scaling itself, though teams should check the precision each model runs at, since it quantizes heavily by default.

## What each one does

### 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.

### Modal

Modal is serverless compute with GPUs attached. A developer decorates a Python function with the hardware it needs, such as gpu="H100", and Modal builds the container, schedules it, autoscales it and scales it back to zero. Billing runs per second with no minimum increment, from $0.59 an hour for a T4 to $3.95 for an H100 at list. Containers can hold up to 8 GPUs across T4 through B300.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose DeepInfra for

- Bulk extraction or tagging on a popular open model at the lowest token price
- Teams that want no serving code, contracts or minimums
- Budget chat backends on stock catalog models

### Choose Modal for

- Private fine-tunes and custom models no catalog carries
- Spiky embedding, transcription or OCR jobs billed by the second
- Running training and inference on one platform

## At a glance

| Attribute | DeepInfra | Modal |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Bring your own weights |
| Flagship models | DeepSeek V4 Flash, Llama 3.1 8B | None hosted |
| Speed | ~33 tok/s on DeepSeek V4 Pro (FP4) | ~1s container boot |
| Price | From $0.02 per 1M | Per second; H100 $3.95/hr list |
| Customization | No managed fine-tuning | Run any training code |
| Deployment | Shared API, no contracts | Serverless GPU containers |
| Long context | 66K on FP4 DeepSeek V4 Pro | Depends on the model you deploy |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between DeepInfra and Modal?

DeepInfra sells cheap per-token access to 150+ hosted open models. Modal sells per-second GPU containers for models you bring yourself.

### When should I choose DeepInfra over Modal?

Bulk extraction or tagging on a popular open model at the lowest token price; Teams that want no serving code, contracts or minimums; Budget chat backends on stock catalog models.

### When should I choose Modal over DeepInfra?

Private fine-tunes and custom models no catalog carries; Spiky embedding, transcription or OCR jobs billed by the second; Running training and inference on one platform.

### Is DeepInfra or Modal cheaper?

DeepInfra: From $0.02 per 1M. Modal: Per second; H100 $3.95/hr list. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, DeepInfra or Modal?

DeepInfra: 66K on FP4 DeepSeek V4 Pro. Modal: Depends on the model you deploy.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs DeepInfra](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-deepinfra.md), [Subconscious vs Modal](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-modal.md).

Full profiles: [DeepInfra](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/deepinfra.md), [Modal](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/modal.md).