Modal startup credits: free GPU credits (2026)

I quick answer

Modal's startup offer: amount not published (Modal says 'thousands of free GPU credits'; set per applicant).

No equity, no fees. No referral needed; apply directly.

Stage fit: Seed to Series A. Difficulty: moderate.

II key facts

Modal at a glance

Max value: Amount not published (Modal says 'thousands of free GPU credits'; set per applicant)
Stage fit: Seed to Series A
Takes equity: No
Who files it: You (no code needed)
Geography: No geographic restriction stated on the program page or application form.
Referral needed: No
Difficulty: Moderate
Review time: Not published
Credits expire: Credits last 1 year and cannot be reinstated if they expire (Modal FAQ).

III available programs and tiers

What Modal actually gives you

Seed to Series A
Free compute credits. Dollar amount not published: the official page says 'Unlock thousands of free GPU credits', and the FAQ says the amount depends on traction, amount of funding raised, and whether you are a portfolio company of a VC or accelerator Modal partners with.
New-to-Modal startups that raised any amount of VC funding from Modal's VC partner network, OR raised VC funding of more than $1M from any fund
Scaling and Series B+
Custom credit amount for rapidly growing AI-native companies; no figure published
Raised VC funding of more than $30M or post-Series B, AND a VC on the cap table is part of Modal's partner network
Modal for Academics (separate program)
Up to $10,000 ('Unlock up to $10k of credits')
Graduate students, labs and researchers; see modal.com/academics, not the startup form

IV eligibility

Who qualifies

You likely qualify if

New to Modal: only customers new to Modal can apply. Credits are a one-time grant and you cannot reapply once you have received credits in a given tier.
Seed to Series A tier: raised any amount of VC funding from one of Modal's 40+ partner VCs and accelerators, OR raised more than $1M in VC funding from any fund. The application form says it only accepts applicants funded by Modal's partners or with more than $1M raised, counting funding for the current company only.
Scaling and Series B+ tier: raised more than $30M or completed a Series B, AND a VC on the cap table is in Modal's partner network.
Provide a proof-of-funding link (Crunchbase, press article, VC portfolio page, or a Google Drive screenshot; YC and speedrun founders give their verification link). The form states credits cannot be granted without it.
Sign up for Modal and create a workspace for the company; the form asks for the lowercase workspace name. Pages from 2025 said credits are not granted to personal workspaces; current Modal docs say all new workspaces are shared.
Use a personal founder email that is tied to that workspace (not team@ or info@).
Provide a company or organization website (required form field) and describe what you will run on Modal.
Have a payment method on file: Modal's FAQ says it is required so your apps are not interrupted after credits run out.

You won't qualify if

Existing Modal customers (the program is for customers new to Modal)
Startups with no partner-VC or accelerator backing and under $1M of VC funding raised. The earlier Bootstrapped tier (up to $5k) was removed by May 2026.
Startups that already received credits in the same tier (one-time grant per tier)
Academic labs, students and researchers, who are routed to the separate Modal for Academics program (up to $10k)
Team or Enterprise plan fees and Shared Endpoint (per-token) charges: credits cover compute only, and the form says they cannot be applied to plan fees or endpoint charges
AWS, GCP or Azure credits cannot be applied to Modal usage (AWS Activate startups may unlock additional Modal credits through the startup program)

Geography. No geographic restriction stated on the program page or application form. Modal is a US company.

V how to apply

How to apply to Modal for Startups (Modal Startup Credits)

01Sign up at modal.com/signup and create a workspace for your company; note the lowercase workspace name shown in the top left of the dashboard (not the ID that starts with 'ac').
02Add a payment method to the workspace; Modal requires one.
03Collect a proof-of-funding link: Crunchbase, press coverage, your VC's portfolio page, or your YC or speedrun verification link.
04Go to modal.com/startups, click Apply Now, and complete the embedded form: name, personal LinkedIn, role, workspace-linked email, company website, workspace name, funding source, amount raised, proof link, and what you will use Modal for.
05If you have not heard back within 2 weeks, email startups@modal.com (per the FAQ). The form also directs questions to Modal's community Slack or support@modal.com.
06After approval, check the credit balance and expiration date on your billing page; credits last 1 year and cannot be reinstated.

Review time: Not published. Modal's FAQ says to email startups@modal.com if you have not heard back within 2 weeks.. Apply at modal.com/startups#apply.

VI what changed

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Tightened and then de-numbered across 2025 and 2026, confirmed from archived official pages. As of the 4 Nov 2025 archive the page advertised 'up to $50k' ($500 to $50k) for startups under 5 years old, new to Modal, with a website, a full-time team and a shared workspace. By the 7 Dec 2025 archive the cap was 'up to $25k' (bootstrapped up to $5k, partner-VC-funded up to $25k). The 16 Mar 2026 archive showed three tiers (Bootstrapped up to $5k, Seed to Series A up to $25k for partner-VC-backed companies with up to $30M raised, Series B+ custom) under a header already saying 'thousands of free GPU credits'. Between 1 Apr 2026 and 1 May 2026 the dollar figures and the Bootstrapped tier were removed; since then (archives through 28 Sep 2026, and the live page on 9 Oct 2026) eligibility is any partner-VC funding or more than $1M of VC funding from any fund, with Series B+ custom. The pricing page now also says AWS Activate startups can unlock additional Modal credits via the startup program (date added not verified). Separately, Shared Endpoint per-token billing took effect 1 Sep 2026 and is outside included compute.

May 2026Modal removed its published credit amounts

Dated change log for every program →

VII the AWS angle

Modal credits and your AWS bill

Modal is a serverless GPU/CPU cloud running on its own multi-cloud capacity pool, so it is an alternative to running GPU workloads on EC2 or SageMaker rather than an AWS service. Modal's pricing FAQ says AWS, GCP and Azure credits cannot currently be applied to Modal usage, but a special partnership with AWS lets eligible startups in AWS Activate unlock additional Modal credits; you check eligibility by applying to the startup credits program (amount not published). Modal can also be bought through the AWS Marketplace so spend counts toward committed AWS spend.

VIIIfaq

Modal startup credits, answered

How much does Modal give startups?

Modal's startup offer: amount not published (Modal says 'thousands of free GPU credits'; set per applicant). There are 3 tiers: Seed to Series A: Free compute credits; Scaling and Series B+: Custom credit amount for rapidly growing AI-native companies; Modal for Academics (separate program): Up to $10,000 ('Unlock up to $10k of credits').

Does Modal take equity?

No. Modal for Startups (Modal Startup Credits) is a credits program, not an investment; you keep 100% of your company. No referral needed; apply directly.

Who qualifies for Modal for Startups (Modal Startup Credits)?

Stage fit: Seed to Series A (custom tier for Series B+). You usually qualify if: new to Modal: only customers new to Modal can apply. Credits are a one-time grant and you cannot reapply once you have received credits in a given tier.; seed to Series A tier: raised any amount of VC funding from one of Modal's 40+ partner VCs and accelerators, OR raised more than $1M in VC funding from any fund. The application form says it only accepts applicants funded by Modal's partners or with more than $1M raised, counting funding for the current company only.; scaling and Series B+ tier: raised more than $30M or completed a Series B, AND a VC on the cap table is in Modal's partner network. You will not qualify if: existing Modal customers (the program is for customers new to Modal); startups with no partner-VC or accelerator backing and under $1M of VC funding raised. The earlier Bootstrapped tier (up to $5k) was removed by May 2026.

How long does Modal take to approve credits?

Not published. Modal's FAQ says to email startups@modal.com if you have not heard back within 2 weeks. Difficulty: moderate, a real application and usually some back and forth.

When do Modal credits expire?

Credits last 1 year and cannot be reinstated if they expire (Modal FAQ). The grant is one-time per tier, and credits and expiration dates are visible on your billing page.

Can I combine Modal credits with AWS credits?

Modal is a serverless GPU/CPU cloud running on its own multi-cloud capacity pool, so it is an alternative to running GPU workloads on EC2 or SageMaker rather than an AWS service. Modal's pricing FAQ says AWS, GCP and Azure credits cannot currently be applied to Modal usage, but a special partnership with AWS lets eligible startups in AWS Activate unlock additional Modal credits; you check eligibility by applying to the startup credits program (amount not published). On AWS, CloudRoute matches you for free with a vetted partner who can file MAP, POC or IW funding when the workload qualifies and AWS approves it. The Modal application you submit yourself.