# Together AI vs Fireworks AI

> Two open-model platforms at price parity. Fireworks sells measured speed and served-at-base-price fine-tunes; Together sells breadth, from serverless tokens to reserved GPU clusters.

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

## How they compare

On per-token price there is little to separate them, since Together's list sits at parity with Fireworks. The split is in what surrounds the tokens. Fireworks built a custom serving stack that third parties clocked at 167 to 174 tokens per second on DeepSeek V4 Pro, and it keeps the full 1M context on that model. Together counters with range: batch, provisioned throughput with a 99% SLA, dedicated deployments, code sandboxes and raw GPU clusters on a single bill. Both carry DeepSeek V4 and Kimi K3. Fireworks lists a larger catalog at 400+ models, while Together's text lineup runs past thirty plus image, video, speech and embeddings.

Post-training is close to a draw. Fireworks offers SFT, DPO and reinforcement fine-tuning, serves fine-tunes at base price and now has a GA Training API for custom RL loops. Together offers LoRA and full SFT from $0.48 per million training tokens, with RL still in closed beta. The clearer gap is hardware: Fireworks raised dedicated H100s to $8 an hour, while Together reserves H100 clusters from $3.19. Pick Fireworks for latency-bound agents and compliance-heavy buyers (SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO). Pick Together when the roadmap includes cluster time or mid-training.

## What each one does

### Together AI

Together AI is the broadest open-model platform in the category. One bill covers per-token serverless inference, batch at up to 50% off, provisioned throughput with a 99% SLA, dedicated deployments, raw GPU clusters, managed fine-tuning and code sandboxes for agents. The text catalog runs past thirty open models, including DeepSeek V4, Kimi K3, GLM 5.2, Qwen 3.8 and MiniMax M3, plus image, video, speech and embedding models. Token prices sit at parity with Fireworks and Baseten.

### 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.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Together AI for

- Reserved H100 clusters from $3.19 an hour for training runs
- Canary, blue-green and shadow-traffic rollouts on production endpoints
- One bill spanning serverless, batch, dedicated and raw GPUs

### Choose Fireworks AI for

- Latency-sensitive tool-calling agents on DeepSeek V4 Pro
- Reinforcement fine-tuning through a generally available Training API
- Buyers who need SOC 2, HIPAA and ISO paperwork

## At a glance

| Attribute | Together AI | Fireworks AI |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights |
| Flagship models | Kimi K3, DeepSeek V4, GLM 5.2, Qwen 3.8 | DeepSeek V4 Pro, Kimi K3 |
| Speed | 0.99s TTFT on DeepSeek V4 Pro | 167–174 tok/s on DeepSeek V4 Pro |
| Price | Parity with Fireworks and Baseten | Fine-tunes served at base price |
| Customization | LoRA and full SFT; RL in beta | SFT, DPO, RFT; Training API |
| Deployment | Serverless, dedicated, GPU clusters | Serverless, dedicated GPUs |
| Long context | 512K on DeepSeek V4 Pro | Full 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro |

## FAQ

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

Two open-model platforms at price parity. Fireworks sells measured speed and served-at-base-price fine-tunes; Together sells breadth, from serverless tokens to reserved GPU clusters.

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

Reserved H100 clusters from $3.19 an hour for training runs; Canary, blue-green and shadow-traffic rollouts on production endpoints; One bill spanning serverless, batch, dedicated and raw GPUs.

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

Latency-sensitive tool-calling agents on DeepSeek V4 Pro; Reinforcement fine-tuning through a generally available Training API; Buyers who need SOC 2, HIPAA and ISO paperwork.

### Is Together AI or Fireworks AI cheaper?

Together AI: Parity with Fireworks and Baseten. Fireworks AI: Fine-tunes served at base price. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

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

Together AI: 512K on DeepSeek V4 Pro. Fireworks AI: Full 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro.

## Running long-horizon agents?

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

Full profiles: [Together AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/together-ai.md), [Fireworks AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/fireworks.md).