Modal

Serverless GPU compute platform for AI model training, inference, and data pipelines

Fireworks AI

Fast, affordable open-source LLM inference API for production AI applications

Modal

Caution

9/25

Fireworks AI

Caution

10/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionModalFireworks AI

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Modal: US-only infrastructure. No EU data centre options. Not suitable for GDPR personal data processing without SCCs and TIA.

Fireworks AI: US-only data centres. No EU data residency available. Personal data inference requires GDPR SCCs and transfer impact assessment.

1/5

US-only infrastructure. No EU data centre options. Not suitable for GDPR personal data processing without SCCs and TIA.

1/5

US-only data centres. No EU data residency available. Personal data inference requires GDPR SCCs and transfer impact assessment.

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Modal: Delaware incorporation, US jurisdiction, CLOUD Act applies. Basic GDPR privacy documentation. No EU subsidiary.

Fireworks AI: California incorporation, subject to US law and CLOUD Act. GDPR DPA available for enterprise customers. No EU legal structure.

2/5

Delaware incorporation, US jurisdiction, CLOUD Act applies. Basic GDPR privacy documentation. No EU subsidiary.

2/5

California incorporation, subject to US law and CLOUD Act. GDPR DPA available for enterprise customers. No EU legal structure.

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Modal: Customer compute workloads are isolated and not used for shared training. Workload outputs are customer-controlled. Data governance documentation is lighter than enterprise-focused providers.

Fireworks AI: Inference data not used for shared model training per privacy policy. Minimal logging for API requests. Reasonable baseline for a developer-focused inference API.

3/5

Customer compute workloads are isolated and not used for shared training. Workload outputs are customer-controlled. Data governance documentation is lighter than enterprise-focused providers.

4/5

Inference data not used for shared model training per privacy policy. Minimal logging for API requests. Reasonable baseline for a developer-focused inference API.

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Modal: No published independent certifications. Developer-focused startup with self-attested security practices. Not yet suitable for regulated industry enterprise procurement.

Fireworks AI: No published ISO 27001 or SOC 2 Type II certifications as of early 2026. Early-stage company with self-attested security posture. Not yet suitable for enterprise regulated-industry procurement.

1/5

No published independent certifications. Developer-focused startup with self-attested security practices. Not yet suitable for regulated industry enterprise procurement.

1/5

No published ISO 27001 or SOC 2 Type II certifications as of early 2026. Early-stage company with self-attested security posture. Not yet suitable for enterprise regulated-industry procurement.

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Modal: Suited to AI developers and startups building non-personal-data workloads. US jurisdiction and absence of certifications limit suitability for regulated EU industries. Good for R&D and prototyping contexts.

Fireworks AI: Suitable for development, prototyping, and non-personal-data inference workloads. US jurisdiction and lack of certifications make it unsuitable for regulated EU industries without significant additional controls.

2/5

Suited to AI developers and startups building non-personal-data workloads. US jurisdiction and absence of certifications limit suitability for regulated EU industries. Good for R&D and prototyping contexts.

2/5

Suitable for development, prototyping, and non-personal-data inference workloads. US jurisdiction and lack of certifications make it unsuitable for regulated EU industries without significant additional controls.

Total Score

9/25

10/25

Best For

Modal

Best for privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls.

Fireworks AI

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Detailed Comparison

Fireworks AI vs Modal: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Fireworks AI (Fireworks AI, US) scores 10/25 overall with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. Fast, affordable open-source LLM inference API for production AI applications. Modal (Modal Labs, US) scores 9/25 with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. Serverless GPU compute platform for AI model training, inference, and data pipelines.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Both score equally at 1/5.

●Fireworks AI (1/5): US-only data centres. No EU data residency available. Personal data inference requires GDPR SCCs and transfer impact assessment.

●Modal (1/5): US-only infrastructure. No EU data centre options. Not suitable for GDPR personal data processing without SCCs and TIA.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Both score equally at 2/5.

●Fireworks AI (2/5): California incorporation, subject to US law and CLOUD Act. GDPR DPA available for enterprise customers. No EU legal structure.

●Modal (2/5): Delaware incorporation, US jurisdiction, CLOUD Act applies. Basic GDPR privacy documentation. No EU subsidiary.

#### Data Retention & Training

Fireworks AI leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●Fireworks AI (4/5): Inference data not used for shared model training per privacy policy. Minimal logging for API requests. Reasonable baseline for a developer-focused inference API.

●Modal (3/5): Customer compute workloads are isolated and not used for shared training. Workload outputs are customer-controlled. Data governance documentation is lighter than enterprise-focused providers.

#### Certifications

Both score equally at 1/5.

●Fireworks AI (1/5): No published ISO 27001 or SOC 2 Type II certifications as of early 2026. Early-stage company with self-attested security posture. Not yet suitable for enterprise regulated-industry procurement.

●Modal (1/5): No published independent certifications. Developer-focused startup with self-attested security practices. Not yet suitable for regulated industry enterprise procurement.

#### Regulatory Fit

Both score equally at 2/5.

●Fireworks AI (2/5): Suitable for development, prototyping, and non-personal-data inference workloads. US jurisdiction and lack of certifications make it unsuitable for regulated EU industries without significant additional controls.

●Modal (2/5): Suited to AI developers and startups building non-personal-data workloads. US jurisdiction and absence of certifications limit suitability for regulated EU industries. Good for R&D and prototyping contexts.

Overall Verdict

Fireworks AI and Modal are closely matched on trust and compliance, with scores of 10/25 and 9/25 respectively. The right choice depends on your specific regulatory requirements and existing technology stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Modal or Fireworks AI?

Modal has a TrustKit score of 9/25 while Fireworks AI scores 10/25. Fireworks AI currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Modal and Fireworks AI compare on data residency?

Modal scores 1/5 for data residency (US-only infrastructure. No EU data centre options. Not suitable for GDPR personal data processing without SCCs and TIA.), while Fireworks AI scores 1/5 (US-only data centres. No EU data residency available. Personal data inference requires GDPR SCCs and transfer impact assessment.).

Are Modal and Fireworks AI GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Modal has a regulatory fit score of 2/5 and Fireworks AI scores 2/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

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