{"id":"open-model-inference","slug":"open-model-inference","name":"Hosted open-weight model inference","shortName":"Hosted open-weight model inference","problemStatement":"Run Llama/Qwen/DeepSeek/etc. without owning GPUs, with production DX.","whenNotTopPick":"Need Hub-native custom model endpoints (HF) or ultra-low latency on narrow SKUs (Groq).","categoryIds":["cat-inference-apis","cat-train-finetune"],"depotPickProviderId":"fireworks","depotPickRationale":"Catalog freshness, tokens/sec, OpenAI-compat DX, and pricePerf.","runnersUpIds":["together","groq","deepinfra","huggingface-inference","chutes","friendli"],"weights":{"capabilityFit":0.25,"pricePerformance":0.18,"latencyReliability":0.15,"developerDx":0.15,"privacyPosture":0.1,"lockInRisk":0.07,"maturity":0.1},"methodologyNotes":"Catalog freshness, tokens/sec, OpenAI-compat DX, and pricePerf.","tags":["open"],"depth":{"whenNotToUse":{"text":"Need Hub-native custom model endpoints (HF) or ultra-low latency on narrow SKUs (Groq).","source":"editorial `whenNotTopPick` (data/jtbds.json)"},"whenNotToUseReason":null,"runnerUp":{"providerId":"together","name":"Together AI","overallForJob":8.2,"pickOverallForJob":8.35,"beatsPickOn":["pricePerformance","maturity"],"source":"first resolvable entry of the job's editorially ranked `runnersUpIds`; scores are stored job-weighted scores"},"runnerUpReason":null,"lockIn":{"pickLockInRisk":3.5,"runnerUpLockInRisk":3.5,"scale":"0–10 stored curated estimate; higher = more lock-in (worse)","pickExitSignals":["serves open-weight models (provider tag `open-models`)"],"runnerUpExitSignals":["serves open-weight models (provider tag `open-models`)"],"pickNotes":[],"selfHostFallback":[{"id":"qwen3-0.6b-base","name":"Qwen3-0.6B-Base","license":"Apache-2.0","sourceUrl":"https://huggingface.co/Qwen/Qwen3-0.6B-Base/raw/main/LICENSE"},{"id":"deepseek-v3.2-weights","name":"DeepSeek-V3.2 weights","license":"MIT","sourceUrl":"https://huggingface.co/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V3.2/raw/main/LICENSE"},{"id":"gemma-terms-of-use","name":"Gemma models under the Gemma Terms of Use","license":"Gemma Terms of Use","sourceUrl":"https://ai.google.dev/gemma/terms"}],"migration":"Pick exit signals: serves open-weight models (provider tag `open-models`). Self-host fallback listed for this job: Qwen3-0.6B-Base, DeepSeek-V3.2 weights, Gemma models under the Gemma Terms of Use.","migrationReason":null,"derivedFrom":"stored lockInRisk scores, provider tags (oss, self-host, openai-compat, open-models), free rows that list this job, and verbatim provider notes. No migration guide was invented."}},"freshness":{"pick":{"score":{"asOf":"2026-09-14","ageDays":43,"stale":true,"staleAfterDays":30,"reason":null},"lastReviewed":{"asOf":"2026-09-14","ageDays":43,"stale":true,"staleAfterDays":30,"reason":null},"sourceCheck":{"checkedAt":"2026-10-27","sourceUrls":2,"sourcesReachable":2,"pricingRows":10,"pricingRowsReconfirmed":6,"note":"A source re-check confirms the page is reachable and, for pricing rows, that the stored amount and SKU name appear on it. It does not re-derive or change the score.","reason":null}}},"depotPick":{"id":"fireworks","slug":"fireworks","name":"Fireworks AI","tagline":"Top pick for production open-model serving with real DX. Prefer over random GPU DIY when you want tokens not…","overall":8.35},"runnersUp":[{"id":"together","slug":"together","name":"Together AI","tagline":"Best catalog breadth for OSS models. Watch minimums and lifetime spend gates before you design around a gated…","overall":8.2},{"id":"groq","slug":"groq","name":"Groq","tagline":"Use when latency is the product. Do not build your whole company on one Groq model SKU — they rotate.","overall":7.95},{"id":"deepinfra","slug":"deepinfra","name":"DeepInfra","tagline":"Budget open-model workhorse and one of the cheapest large-catalog hosts. Great for evals and high-volume…","overall":7.95},{"id":"huggingface-inference","slug":"huggingface-inference","name":"Hugging Face Inference","tagline":"Perfect for Hub-native workflows and custom models. For hard production latency, graduate to…","overall":7.95},{"id":"chutes","slug":"chutes","name":"Chutes","tagline":"Budget open-model overflow with a now-pinned public TEE matrix. Depot open-model production pick stays…","overall":7.29},{"id":"friendli","slug":"friendli","name":"FriendliAI","tagline":"Open-model production peer when latency/tool-calling matter. Fireworks remains depot open-model default…","overall":8.03}]}