vs
Inference.net vs General Compute
Inference.net sells cheap batch on spare GPUs and turns traces into custom models. General Compute sells fast real-time decode on ASICs.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Inference.net vs General Compute: key differences
Inference.net runs work on idle GPU capacity across data centers. Its Batch API takes up to 1M requests per file with windows of 24 hours to 7 days, and its gateway captures traffic to build eval sets and fine-tune task-specific models on dedicated B200s at $9.98 an hour. General Compute serves MiniMax M2.7, DeepSeek V3.2, DeepSeek V3.1 and GPT-OSS 120B in real time from $0.21 in per million tokens, with ASIC decode that it measured at over 1,000 tokens per second on GPT-OSS 120B in its own benchmark. It accepts LoRA or fully fine-tuned checkpoints behind a private model ID.
Inference.net is the pick for large offline jobs and for distilling a narrow workload into a smaller custom model. General Compute fits interactive agents, voice and chat where each response needs to come back fast. A team could train a model with one and serve it for speed on the other.
What Inference.net and General Compute do
Inference.net
Inference.net started as a buyer of last resort for idle GPU time. Its scheduler aggregates small unused chunks of capacity across data centers and runs models on them, and it passes the steep discounts it gets from those data centers on to customers. That origin still shows in its OpenAI-compatible Batch API, which takes up to 1M requests per file with completion windows from 24 hours to 7 days and far higher headroom than synchronous limits.
Example models: GLM-5.2, Kimi K2.6, Schematron, customer fine-tunes
Full Inference.net profile
General Compute
General Compute is a San Francisco inference cloud built on alternative chips. It splits each request across hardware, with NVIDIA GPUs handling prefill and ASICs from Cerebras, SambaNova, Positron AI and d-Matrix handling decode. In its own open benchmark on GPT-OSS 120B it measured 1,025 to 1,234 output tokens per second against 100 to 121 on an unnamed GPU cloud, and up to 16.2x faster end to end. Founders Finn Puklowski and Jason Goodison raised a $15M seed led by FUSE, an up to $400M debt facility from Upper90 and, on October 27, 2026, a $100M Series A co-led by Blackbird and Abstract.
Example models: MiniMax M2.7, DeepSeek V3.2, GPT-OSS 120B
Full General Compute profileShould you choose Inference.net or General Compute?
Inference.net
Choose Inference.net for
- Large offline batch jobs
- Distilling traces into custom models
- Routing across open and closed models
General Compute
Choose General Compute for
- Fast real-time responses
- Interactive coding agents
- Serving fine-tunes at speed
Inference.net vs General Compute at a glance
| Attribute | Inference.net |  General Compute |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open, closed and custom | Open weights |
| Flagship models | Schematron, ClipTagger, customer fine-tunes | MiniMax M2.7, DeepSeek V3.2, GPT-OSS 120B |
| Speed | Batch windows of 24h to 7 days | 1,000+ tok/s on GPT-OSS 120B (vendor) |
| Price | Free pay-as-you-go; Growth $250/mo; B200 $9.98/hr | $0.21–$0.28 in, $0.38–$1.20 out per 1M |
| Customization | Distill traces into custom models | Custom LoRA and fine-tuned checkpoints |
| Deployment | Batch API, gateway, dedicated GPUs | Serverless API, dedicated racks, bare metal |
| Long context | Varies by model | 192K (MiniMax M2.7) |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Inference.net and General Compute?
Inference.net sells cheap batch on spare GPUs and turns traces into custom models. General Compute sells fast real-time decode on ASICs.
When should I choose Inference.net over General Compute?
Large offline batch jobs; Distilling traces into custom models; Routing across open and closed models.
When should I choose General Compute over Inference.net?
Fast real-time responses; Interactive coding agents; Serving fine-tunes at speed.
Is Inference.net or General Compute cheaper?
Inference.net: Free pay-as-you-go; Growth $250/mo; B200 $9.98/hr. General Compute: $0.21–$0.28 in, $0.38–$1.20 out per 1M. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, Inference.net or General Compute?
Inference.net: Varies by model. General Compute: 192K (MiniMax M2.7).
Related comparisons
Subconscious vs Inference.net
OpenAI vs Inference.net
Anthropic vs Inference.net
Google Vertex AI vs Inference.net
Amazon Bedrock vs Inference.net
Together AI vs Inference.net- Subconscious vs General Compute
- OpenAI vs General Compute
- Anthropic vs General Compute
- Google Vertex AI vs General Compute
- Amazon Bedrock vs General Compute
- Together AI vs General Compute
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.