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Modal vs Infron
Modal runs your own code on serverless GPUs. Infron sells access to 400+ hosted models through one API.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Modal vs Infron: key differences
Modal is serverless GPU compute for Python: bring your own model, pay by the second, with an H100 at $3.95 an hour list. Infron is a gateway: one OpenAI-compatible API in front of 400+ models from 100+ providers, at provider rates plus a 3% to 5% fee on credit top-ups, with fallbacks, region pinning and a 99.9% uptime SLA on dedicated throughput.
Modal is for teams that run their own weights and code. Infron is for teams that want to call hosted models without managing any GPUs. They often coexist: custom models on Modal, frontier and popular open models through a gateway.
What Modal and Infron do
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.
Example models: none hosted by default; teams deploy their own, such as open LLMs on vLLM or Whisper
Full Modal profile
Infron
Infron is a US-based AI gateway and inference platform. One OpenAI-compatible API reaches 400+ models from 100+ providers, including DeepSeek, Qwen, Claude, Gemini and GPT through what Infron calls official partner routes, plus media and search models. Teams set provider preferences and fallbacks, see usage and billing in one place, and can bring their own provider keys at no fee. Lawrence Xu is CEO and co-founder Andrew Zheng is CTO.
Example models: DeepSeek, Qwen, Claude, Gemini, GPT
Full Infron profileShould you choose Modal or Infron?
Modal vs Infron at a glance
| Attribute | Modal |  Infron |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Bring your own weights | Closed and open, 400+ models |
| Flagship models | None hosted | DeepSeek, Qwen, Claude, Gemini, GPT |
| Speed | ~1s container boot | Unknown |
| Price | Per second; H100 $3.95/hr list | Provider rates; 3–5% top-up fee |
| Customization | Run any training code | Custom deployments |
| Deployment | Serverless GPU containers | Gateway API, dedicated, BYOK |
| Long context | Depends on the model you deploy | Varies by model |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Modal and Infron?
Modal runs your own code on serverless GPUs. Infron sells access to 400+ hosted models through one API.
When should I choose Modal over Infron?
Running your own models and code; Training and batch jobs; Per-second GPU billing.
When should I choose Infron over Modal?
Hosted models with no GPUs to manage; Closed and open models on one key and one bill; Automatic failover across providers.
Is Modal or Infron cheaper?
Modal: Per second; H100 $3.95/hr list. Infron: Provider rates; 3–5% top-up fee. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, Modal or Infron?
Modal: Depends on the model you deploy. Infron: Varies by model.
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