# Fireworks AI vs OpenScale

> Fireworks sells fast open-model inference plus SFT, DPO and RL fine-tuning. OpenScale sells DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at a lower promotional price.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/fireworks-vs-openscale · By The Subconscious Team · Updated October 11, 2026

## How they compare

Fireworks serves 400+ models with one of the fastest GPU stacks around, keeps the full 1M context on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3 and Kimi K3, and serves fine-tunes at base-model prices. It holds SOC 2, HIPAA and ISO certifications and offers dedicated GPUs. OpenScale serves DeepSeek V4.1 Flash with a 1M window at $0.06 in and $0.24 out under a 50% promotion, at 200+ tokens per second, with a faster tier at about twice the speed.

Fireworks is the pick for production teams that need certifications, many models or a post-training path. OpenScale is the pick for cost-first coding agents on one model, with setup guides for Claude Code, Codex and a dozen other agents.

## 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.

### OpenScale

OpenScale is a Y Combinator-backed inference API built by LatentSpace and run out of Singapore. It sells open models behind one endpoint that speaks Chat Completions, the OpenAI Responses API and Anthropic Messages, so Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cline, GitHub Copilot, Zed and other coding agents can point at it with a base URL and key. Its public catalog today is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash in two versions, standard and fast, both with a 1M token context window and up to 384K output tokens.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Fireworks AI for

- Reinforcement fine-tuning open models
- Compliance-heavy production workloads
- A wide catalog with full 1M context

### Choose OpenScale for

- Lower per-token price on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
- Quick setup in popular coding agents
- Small teams on prepaid credits

## At a glance

| Attribute | Fireworks AI | OpenScale |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights |
| Flagship models | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3, Kimi K3 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash |
| Speed | 167–174 tok/s on DeepSeek V4 Pro | 200+ tok/s; fast tier ~2x |
| Price | Fine-tunes served at base price | $0.06 in, $0.24 out (promo, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash) |
| Customization | SFT, DPO, RFT; Training API | N/A |
| Deployment | Serverless, dedicated GPUs | Serverless API |
| Long context | Full 1M on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3 | 1M context |

## FAQ

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

Fireworks sells fast open-model inference plus SFT, DPO and RL fine-tuning. OpenScale sells DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at a lower promotional price.

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

Reinforcement fine-tuning open models; Compliance-heavy production workloads; A wide catalog with full 1M context.

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

Lower per-token price on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash; Quick setup in popular coding agents; Small teams on prepaid credits.

### Is Fireworks AI or OpenScale cheaper?

Fireworks AI: Fine-tunes served at base price. OpenScale: $0.06 in, $0.24 out (promo, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash). The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

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

Fireworks AI: Full 1M on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3. OpenScale: 1M context.

## 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 OpenScale](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-openscale.md).

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