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Fly.io vs Modal
Fly.io runs full-stack apps close to users but does not provide per-second GPU billing for AI workloads
Fly.ioRun full-stack apps close to your users
ModalServerless cloud for AI and GPU workloads in PythonWhich to pick
Pick Fly.io if you want…
- Hardware-isolated edge VMs for agents
- Low-latency full-stack hosting
- Integrations with OpenRouter, GitHub or Slack (on Fly.io's list, not Modal's)
Pick Modal if you want…
- Serverless GPU-accelerated AI workloads
- Integrations with Python or GCP Marketplace (on Modal's list, not Fly.io's)
Side by side
- What it is
- Fly.io:Fly.io provides hardware-isolated Linux VMs (Sprites and Machines) that run close to users for AI agents and full-stack apps.
- Modal:Modal provides serverless cloud infrastructure for building, training, and serving Python AI workloads with on-demand GPU and CPU compute.
- Best for
- Fly.io:Hardware-isolated edge VMs for agents
- Modal:Serverless GPU-accelerated AI workloads
- Who it’s for
- Fly.io:Developers building AI agents, personal assistants, or apps that need low-latency edge compute.
- Modal:AI engineers and data scientists building scalable Python models and pipelines
- Pricing
- Fly.io:Freemium
- Modal:Freemium
- Plans
- Fly.io:Machines shared-cpu-1x $0.0027 per hour · Machines performance-2x $0.0861 per hour · Sprites compute $0.07 / CPU-hour · Support Standard $29 per month · Support Premium $199 per month
- Modal:Starter $0 + compute · Team $250 + compute
- Works with
- Fly.io:OpenRouter, GitHub, Slack, any HTTP API
- Modal:Python, GCP Marketplace
Fly.io features
- Sprites. Sleep-aware VMs that checkpoint filesystem and services, allowing instant wake-up and rollback.
- Machines. Fast-booting, hardware-isolated VMs that scale to tens of thousands of users.
- Block Device Storage. Object-storage backed block device with automatic checkpointing and unlimited scaling.
- Connectors. Configure a credential once and share it across all Sprites with granular permissions and auto-rotation.
- Zero-Management Disk. Disk grows automatically up to 100 GB per Sprite, billed only for used bytes.
- Global Edge Network. Deploy in 18+ regions with <1 s boot time and 99.9 % SLA.
Modal features
- Pay-per-second billing. Charges only for actual CPU, GPU, memory, and network usage, billed by the second.
- Instant autoscaling. Containers spin up/down in 1-2 seconds based on request volume.
- GPU-focused compute. Supports a range of Nvidia GPUs (A100, H100, RTX PRO 6000, etc.) with per-second pricing.
- Python-first containers. Deploy any containerized Python app, ideal for inference, training, and data pipelines.
- Integrated notebooks & sandboxes. Serverless notebooks and sandboxes that burst resources only when needed.
- Enterprise features. Custom domains, static IP proxy, RBAC, SSO, audit logs, and HIPAA compliance.
Fly.io vs Modal FAQ
Is Fly.io or Modal free?+
Fly.io has a free plan; paid plans start at $29/month (Support Standard). Modal has a free plan (Starter) and paid plans.
Do Fly.io and Modal integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Fly.io lists OpenRouter, GitHub, Slack and any HTTP API; Modal lists Python and GCP Marketplace.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.