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Modal vs Runware
Runware is a low-cost media API with 300+ priced models and raw GPUs by the second. Modal is a serverless GPU platform for your own code. Cheap hosted generations versus custom pipelines.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Modal vs Runware: key differences
Runware and Modal both rent GPUs by the second, but Runware's main product sits on top. Its single request schema covers image, video, audio, 3D and text, with a rate sheet of 300+ priced models, images from fractions of a cent and Seedance 2.5 video at about $0.10 a second at 480p. Its H100s rent at $2.76 an hour. Modal lists an H100 at $3.95 an hour and has no hosted models, but it wraps the GPU in a Python developer experience with automatic containers, autoscaling and scale to zero.
For high-volume consumer image or short video generation on known models, Runware is likely cheaper and faster to adopt. Its output URLs expire after seven days by default, so apps need their own storage. Modal fits media pipelines with custom code, fine-tuned models that Runware does not host, or steps like OCR and transcription. Fine-tuning and agent sandboxes run there as well. For text workloads, Runware itself says LLM hosting is a side line, which leaves Modal the more flexible choice there.
What Modal and Runware 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 profileRunware
Runware sells what it calls the lowest-cost API for media generation, and it claims more than 1M developers. One endpoint covers image, video, audio, 3D and text. Every request is a task with the same shape, so switching from a Kling video to a Seedream image mostly means changing the model ID. The published rate sheet lists 300+ priced models, with images from fractions of a cent to a few cents each and video billed per second, like Seedance 2.5 at about $0.10 a second at 480p.
Example models: Seedance 2.5, Qwen-Image-3.0
Full Runware profileShould you choose Modal or Runware?
Modal
Choose Modal for
- Custom media pipelines with your own code.
- Mixing generation with OCR, transcription or batch jobs.
- Fine-tuning and serving on one platform.
Runware
Choose Runware for
- The cheapest hosted image and short video generation.
- One schema across image, video, audio and 3D.
- Cheaper raw H100 hours than Modal's list price.
Modal vs Runware at a glance
| Attribute | Modal | Runware |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Bring your own weights | Hosted media models |
| Flagship models | None hosted | Seedance 2.5, Qwen-Image-3.0 |
| Speed | ~1s container boot | Unknown |
| Price | Per second; H100 $3.95/hr list | Images from fractions of a cent |
| Customization | Run any training code | Fine-tuned diffusion checkpoints |
| Deployment | Serverless GPU containers | Unified API, raw GPUs |
| Long context | Depends on the model you deploy | Not applicable |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Modal and Runware?
Runware is a low-cost media API with 300+ priced models and raw GPUs by the second. Modal is a serverless GPU platform for your own code. Cheap hosted generations versus custom pipelines.
When should I choose Modal over Runware?
Custom media pipelines with your own code; Mixing generation with OCR, transcription or batch jobs; Fine-tuning and serving on one platform.
When should I choose Runware over Modal?
The cheapest hosted image and short video generation; One schema across image, video, audio and 3D; Cheaper raw H100 hours than Modal's list price.
Is Modal or Runware cheaper?
Modal: Per second; H100 $3.95/hr list. Runware: Images from fractions of a cent. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, Modal or Runware?
Modal: Depends on the model you deploy. Runware: Not applicable.
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