Pick Modal if
python teams with spiky GPU/CPU jobs who will read a per-second table.
Read the Modal pageModal vs Runpod
Our take
Pick Modal if python teams with spiky GPU/CPU jobs who will read a per-second table. Pick Runpod if engineers who will pick a GPU row and pay by the second. Skip Modal if people who want a hosted chat playground (Together AI) or a one-click image studio (Replicate). Skip Runpod if teams that want a managed Ray workspace instead of a raw container (Anyscale).
Best for
Modal Run a containerized function on burst GPUs
Runpod Rent a GPU by the second
Free plan
Modal $0 · / month + compute. Up to 3 seats. Included compute $30 / month. 1-day logs. 5 deployed crons
Runpod No free plan
Lowest paid
Modal CPU $0.0000131/mo
Runpod RTX A5000 $0.27
Next step up
Modal Example GPU list (per second) $0.001097
Runpod RTX 4090 $0.89
Watch out
Modal $0 is the seat, not the GPU
Runpod You pay while the Pod exists
Last checked
Modal 2026-10-21 · modal.com/pricing
Runpod 2026-10-22 · runpod.io/pricing
Which one, then?
Pick Runpod if
engineers who will pick a GPU row and pay by the second.
Read the Runpod page