Provider Overview
Strengths & Best For
AWS offers on-demand, reserved, and spot GPU instances across EC2 P4d (A100), P5 (H100), and G6 (L40S) families, spanning 30+ global regions with enterprise SLAs and deep ML tooling via SageMaker. H100 and A100 clusters are available with InfiniBand networking for distributed LLM training and large-scale AI inference. The broadest ecosystem of any GPU cloud provider, making it the default choice for enterprises already invested in the AWS stack.
- Widest global region coverage
- Deep ecosystem integrations
- Enterprise SLAs
- Reserved instance discounts
Modal is a serverless GPU cloud that lets Python developers run H100, A100, and T4 workloads with a simple decorator-based API and zero infrastructure management — cold starts measured in seconds. Per-second billing means you only pay for actual compute time, making it highly cost-efficient for bursty AI inference, LLM serving, and batch ML jobs. The go-to on-demand GPU cloud for ML engineers who want to ship fast without touching DevOps.
- Zero infra management
- Instant cold starts
- Python-native API
- Per-second billing
Live GPU Pricing
Region Coverage
Popular Comparisons
AWS — hyperscaler provider
AWS offers on-demand, reserved, and spot GPU instances across EC2 P4d (A100), P5 (H100), and G6 (L40S) families, spanning 30+ global regions with enterprise SLAs and deep ML tooling via SageMaker. H100 and A100 clusters are available with InfiniBand networking for distributed LLM training and large-scale AI inference. The broadest ecosystem of any GPU cloud provider, making it the default choice for enterprises already invested in the AWS stack.
Modal — specialist provider
Modal is a serverless GPU cloud that lets Python developers run H100, A100, and T4 workloads with a simple decorator-based API and zero infrastructure management — cold starts measured in seconds. Per-second billing means you only pay for actual compute time, making it highly cost-efficient for bursty AI inference, LLM serving, and batch ML jobs. The go-to on-demand GPU cloud for ML engineers who want to ship fast without touching DevOps.
Billing model comparison
AWS uses a On-demand, Reserved (1yr/3yr), Spot billing model with a minimum commitment of None (on-demand). Modal uses Per-second serverless billing with a None minimum. AWS's no-commitment on-demand model is more flexible for short-term or experimental workloads, while Modal's commitment requirement suits teams with predictable long-running jobs.
Which workloads each provider suits best
AWS is best suited for: Enterprise workloads, Production ML inference, Teams already on AWS. Its key strengths are widest global region coverage, deep ecosystem integrations, enterprise slas. Modal is best suited for: ML engineers, Serverless inference, Rapid prototyping, Python-first teams. Its key strengths are zero infra management, instant cold starts, python-native api. As a hyperscaler, AWS offers broader ecosystem integration and compliance certifications at a premium price. Modal as a specialist provider typically offers lower per-GPU rates for teams that don't need the full hyperscaler ecosystem.
Support tiers and region coverage
AWS offers Basic → Enterprise support across 5 regions (us-east-1, us-west-2, eu-west-1 and 2 more). Modal offers Community → Enterprise support across 2 regions (US-East, US-West). AWS's broader region footprint gives it an advantage for latency-sensitive workloads or teams with data residency requirements in specific geographies.
Provider background: AWS vs Modal
AWS was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Modal was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in New York, NY. AWS has 15 years more operational history than Modal, which may matter for teams evaluating provider stability and long-term contract risk. Use the live pricing table above to compare current on-demand and spot rates for specific GPU models, and the region map to verify coverage in your target geography.