# Fireworks AI vs Baseten

> Two tuned open-model hosts that measure well on different numbers: Fireworks on throughput, training and a 400+ model catalog, Baseten on time to first token and custom deployments.

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

## How they compare

Fireworks and Baseten sit in the same tier of open-model hosting, and each runs a serious custom serving stack. They win on different metrics. Fireworks has posted 167 to 174 tokens per second on DeepSeek V4 Pro in third-party tests, while Baseten posted the lowest time to first token on the Artificial Analysis board in August 2026, at 0.49 seconds. Catalog size splits them further. Fireworks serves 400+ models. Baseten's Model APIs cover a curated 13, and anything off that list means packaging it yourself with Truss on a dedicated deployment. Baseten also speaks the Anthropic Messages shape next to OpenAI's, so Claude SDKs and coding agents repoint with a base URL change.

Customization is where Fireworks pulls ahead for teams that train. SFT, DPO and reinforcement fine-tuning run on the platform, the Training API is GA, and a fine-tune serves at its base model's price. Baseten's answer is to deploy whatever you bring, including speech and embedding models, billed per GPU minute with scale to zero and a 99.99% SLA. Dedicated H100s cost about $6.50 an hour on Baseten against $8 on Fireworks after its September increase. Baseten also offers self-hosting and white-label APIs for model labs.

## What each one does

### Fireworks AI

Fireworks AI was founded in 2022 by former Meta PyTorch engineers led by CEO Lin Qiao, and it sells speed on open models. Its custom serving stack has posted 167 to 174 tokens per second on DeepSeek V4 Pro in third-party measurements, several times what most GPU peers hit on the same model. The catalog holds 400+ models across text, vision, audio and embeddings, served through an OpenAI-compatible API. In July 2026 it raised a $1.505B Series D at a $17.5B valuation, with a reported $1B+ run rate and 40T+ tokens a day.

### 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.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Fireworks AI for

- Fine-tuning with SFT, DPO or RL, then serving at base price
- Picking from 400+ open models without packaging your own
- High-throughput output on DeepSeek V4 Pro at full 1M context

### Choose Baseten for

- Interactive apps where time to first token is the key metric
- Serving custom speech, embedding or private models via Truss
- Self-hosted or white-label deployments for regulated teams or labs

## At a glance

| Attribute | Fireworks AI | Baseten |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights, 13 curated |
| Flagship models | DeepSeek V4 Pro, Kimi K3 | GLM 5.2, DeepSeek V4, Kimi K3, gpt-oss 120B |
| Speed | 167–174 tok/s on DeepSeek V4 Pro | 0.49s TTFT, lowest measured |
| Price | Fine-tunes served at base price | H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated |
| Customization | SFT, DPO, RFT; Training API | Deploy any model with Truss |
| Deployment | Serverless, dedicated GPUs | Model APIs, dedicated, self-host |
| Long context | Full 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro | Varies by model |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Fireworks AI and Baseten?

Two tuned open-model hosts that measure well on different numbers: Fireworks on throughput, training and a 400+ model catalog, Baseten on time to first token and custom deployments.

### When should I choose Fireworks AI over Baseten?

Fine-tuning with SFT, DPO or RL, then serving at base price; Picking from 400+ open models without packaging your own; High-throughput output on DeepSeek V4 Pro at full 1M context.

### When should I choose Baseten over Fireworks AI?

Interactive apps where time to first token is the key metric; Serving custom speech, embedding or private models via Truss; Self-hosted or white-label deployments for regulated teams or labs.

### Is Fireworks AI or Baseten cheaper?

Fireworks AI: Fine-tunes served at base price. Baseten: H100 about $6.50/hr dedicated. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, Fireworks AI or Baseten?

Fireworks AI: Full 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro. Baseten: Varies by model.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs Fireworks AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-fireworks.md), [Subconscious vs Baseten](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-baseten.md).

Full profiles: [Fireworks AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/fireworks.md), [Baseten](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/baseten.md).