Here are the Top 5 Model Serving Frameworks as of 2025, with a direct and honest comparison to help you understand where each one excels and what trade-offs they have.
Top 5 Model Serving Frameworks (2025)
1. KServe (formerly KFServing)
2. Seldon Core
3. TorchServe
4. Triton Inference Server
5. BentoML
Detailed Comparison Table
| Feature | KServe | Seldon Core | TorchServe | Triton Inference Server | BentoML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framework Support | Multi-framework (TF, PT, SKL, XGB, ONNX, HuggingFace, custom) | Multi-framework (any ML/Custom) | PyTorch only | Multi-framework (TF, PT, ONNX, TensorRT, etc.) | Multi-framework (Python-based, any ML) |
| Kubernetes Native | Yes | Yes | No (but can be containerized) | Yes | No (but container-ready) |
| Deployment Mode | K8s CRD (InferenceService) | K8s CRD (SeldonDeployment) | CLI/REST/gRPC | REST/gRPC/HTTP, K8s/containers | Python CLI, REST/gRPC, containers |
| Autoscaling | Yes (including scale to zero) | Yes (K8s HPA/Pod Autoscale) | No native (via infra) | Yes (K8s/Pod autoscale) | Via infra (K8s/Cloud) |
| Model Versioning | Yes (via revisions) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Advanced Routing | Canary, traffic split | A/B, Canary, Ensembles | No native | No native | No native |
| Batching | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (dynamic, best-in-class) | Yes |
| Monitoring/Explainability | Yes (integrates with Prometheus, logging, explainers) | Yes (drift, outlier, explainers) | Basic (Prometheus metrics) | Yes (Prometheus, advanced stats) | Basic, via extensions |
| Pre/Post Processing | Python/Container | Inference graphs, custom nodes | Custom handler | Limited (focused on inference) | Python code, easy |
| GPU Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (multi-GPU, best-in-class) | Yes |
| Community/Support | Kubeflow/Google, large OSS | Seldon, large OSS | AWS/Meta, PyTorch | NVIDIA, strong for deep learning | Growing, dev-friendly |
| Best For | Enterprise K8s, ML platform teams | Complex ML pipelines, enterprises | PyTorch production APIs | High-performance, GPU, DL workloads | Quick deploys, ML startups |
Framework Highlights & When to Use Each
1. KServe
- Best For: Large-scale, enterprise-grade model serving on Kubernetes; mixed ML environments; organizations needing scale-to-zero and advanced rollout strategies.
- Standout: Native support for autoscaling, traffic splitting, and multi-framework serving.
2. Seldon Core
- Best For: Enterprises wanting advanced inference graphs (ensembles, A/B testing), full monitoring, and explainability; users with custom or complex pipelines.
- Standout: Flexible inference graphs, built-in explainers/drift detectors.
3. TorchServe
- Best For: Teams deploying PyTorch models at scale; want easy REST/gRPC APIs, batch inference, and native PyTorch support.
- Standout: Official PyTorch support, mature API, model versioning.
4. Triton Inference Server
- Best For: Deep learning at massive scale, especially with GPUs (NVIDIA stack); mixed-framework, high-throughput, low-latency inference.
- Standout: Dynamic batching, concurrent model execution, multi-GPU, multi-framework.
5. BentoML
- Best For: Fast, flexible model packaging and API serving for any Python ML framework; startups, POCs, developer-driven deployments.
- Standout: Easiest developer experience, CLI, integrates well with Docker/cloud.
At-a-Glance Summary Table
| Framework | Best Feature | Limitation | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| KServe | K8s native, scale-to-zero, multi-framework, advanced rollouts | Needs K8s expertise | Enterprises on Kubernetes |
| Seldon Core | Custom pipelines, explainability, A/B, drift/outlier detection | Steeper YAML, more complex | Enterprises, advanced teams |
| TorchServe | PyTorch native, batch, REST/gRPC, model versioning | Only PyTorch | PyTorch shops, production APIs |
| Triton | GPU, multi-framework, dynamic batching, high perf | Heavy for simple use-cases | DL, GPU, high-perf workloads |
| BentoML | Developer-friendly, easy packaging, cloud/CLI | Not as “enterprise-scale” out of the box | Startups, devs, rapid APIs |
Final Recommendation
- For K8s-native, multi-model, production environments:
KServe or Seldon Core - For PyTorch-only, production inference:
TorchServe - For high-performance, GPU-driven inference at scale:
Triton Inference Server - For fast API creation, developer-driven teams, or any ML model (Python):
BentoML