Alternatives

Groq alternatives: six providers compared

For GPT-OSS 120B, choose DeepInfra for a lower estimated 10,000-input / 1,000-billed-output cost ($0.00054 vs Groq’s $0.00210), or Cerebras for about 3.7× Groq’s observed output speed (1,750 vs 474 tokens/s).

Updated · 19 sources · Methodology

Quick picks in this shortlist: listed prices and Artificial Analysis (AA) point estimates
NeedPickWhy
Lowest listed costDeepInfra$0.037 / $0.17 per 1M input / output tokens; the estimated request cost is $0.00054 vs $0.00210 on Groq.23
Fastest observed outputCerebras1,750 tokens/s vs 474 on Groq: about 3.7× Groq’s speed in the AA snapshot.1
Low-cost streamingNovita AI$0.00075 estimated per example request vs $0.00210 on Groq, with 218 tokens/s vs 35 on DeepInfra.431
Highest endpoint accuracy indexSambaNova99% on AA’s Endpoint Accuracy Index vs 90% on Groq, with 708 tokens/s output.1
Lowest observed first-chunk medianTogether AI0.43 s vs 0.44 s on Cerebras and 0.67 s on Groq; output is 164 vs Groq’s 474 tokens/s.1

Performance

Performance

Six measured GPT-OSS 120B endpoints in the AA snapshot from 2026-10-14, including Groq as the baseline.

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MetricNovita AIGroqCerebrasSambaNovaTogether AIDeepInfra
Output speed (tokens/s)2184741,75070816435
First-chunk median (s)0.920.670.441.280.430.67
Endpoint Accuracy Index93%90%92%99%81%98%

Sources: Artificial Analysis1 · Checked 2026-10-16

Pricing

Pricing

GPT-OSS 120B, uncached synchronous rates in USD. Cerebras figures are Developer-tier prices for development and evaluation; production pricing requires a sales quote.

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ProviderInput / 1M tokensOutput / 1M tokens
DeepInfra2$0.037$0.17
Novita AI4$0.05$0.25
Groq3$0.15$0.60
Fireworks AI5$0.15$0.60
Together AI6$0.15$0.60
SambaNova12$0.22$0.59
Cerebras (Developer)7$0.35$0.75

Sources: DeepInfra2, Novita AI4, Groq3, Fireworks AI5, Together AI6, SambaNova12, Cerebras7 · Checked 2026-10-16

Estimated cost: 10,000 input + 1,000 billed output tokens
DeepInfra$0.00054
Novita AI$0.00075
Groq$0.00210
Fireworks AI$0.00210
Together AI$0.00210
SambaNova$0.00279
Cerebras$0.00425
Lower is better; estimated from the uncached list prices above.

Provider details

Six Groq alternatives, ordered by example request cost

Cards run from the lowest to the highest estimated uncached cost for 10,000 input and 1,000 billed output tokens; Fireworks AI and Together AI have equal costs. This order is not an overall quality ranking.

  1. DeepInfra

    Low token prices and a 98% Endpoint Accuracy Index on the standard GPT-OSS 120B endpoint.

    Input / 1M tokens
    $0.037
    Output / 1M tokens
    $0.17
    Estimated request cost
    $0.00054

    Strengths

    • The estimated request cost is $0.00054, about 74% less than Groq.
    • The standard model page lists bfloat16 precision and zero data retention.

    Limitations

    • Standard output is 35 tokens/s vs 474 on Groq, so long generated answers take longer.1
    • The faster Turbo endpoint is a separate offering; the standard endpoint’s prices and accuracy do not describe it.

    Sources: DeepInfra GPT-OSS 120B2, Artificial Analysis1 · Checked 2026-10-16

  2. Novita AI

    Lower-cost streaming than Groq, with a 93% Endpoint Accuracy Index and 218 tokens/s output.1

    Input / 1M tokens
    $0.05
    Output / 1M tokens
    $0.25
    Estimated request cost
    $0.00075

    Strengths

    • The estimated request cost is $0.00075, about 64% less than Groq.
    • Batch API offers a 24-hour completion window, with an introductory 50% discount on supported models.

    Limitations

    • Output is under half of Groq’s: 218 vs 474 tokens/s; the first chunk arrives in 0.92 s vs 0.67 s.1
    • No cached-input rate is listed for GPT-OSS 120B.
    • The default T1 account allows 30 RPM; higher request limits depend on the account’s monthly top-up history.

    Sources: Novita AI Pricing4, Batch API8, Rate Limits9, Artificial Analysis1 · Checked 2026-10-16

  3. Fireworks AI

    Token-priced serverless GPT-OSS 120B with dedicated on-demand deployments for reserved GPU capacity.

    Input / 1M tokens
    $0.15
    Output / 1M tokens
    $0.60
    Estimated request cost
    $0.00210

    Strengths

    • Cached-input tokens cost $0.015 per 1M, one tenth of its regular input rate.
    • The model is available on both serverless and dedicated on-demand deployments.

    Limitations

    • Uncached prices match Groq at $0.15 input and $0.60 output per 1M tokens.
    • On-demand deployments use per-GPU-second pricing rather than the serverless token rates shown here.

    Sources: Fireworks GPT-OSS 120B5, Fireworks Pricing17 · Checked 2026-10-16

  4. Together AI

    A 0.43 s first-chunk median in the measured shortlist, plus serverless and dedicated deployment options.

    Input / 1M tokens
    $0.15
    Output / 1M tokens
    $0.60
    Estimated request cost
    $0.00210

    Strengths

    • The first chunk arrives 0.24 s earlier than Groq in the AA snapshot.
    • Dedicated endpoints use reserved GPUs and can serve custom model weights.

    Limitations

    • Output is 164 tokens/s vs 474 on Groq at the same listed token prices.1
    • Endpoint Accuracy Index is 81% vs 90% on Groq.

    Sources: Together AI GPT-OSS 120B6, Dedicated Model Inference16, Artificial Analysis1 · Checked 2026-10-16

  5. SambaNova

    The highest observed Endpoint Accuracy Index in this shortlist’s AA snapshot, paired with 708 tokens/s output.1

    Input / 1M tokens
    $0.22
    Output / 1M tokens
    $0.59
    Estimated request cost
    $0.00279

    Strengths

    • Endpoint Accuracy Index is 99% vs 90% on Groq, while output speed is about 1.5× Groq’s in the AA snapshot.
    • Chat Completions and Responses APIs work with OpenAI client libraries.

    Limitations

    • The estimated request cost is $0.00279, about 33% more than Groq.
    • The first chunk arrives in 1.28 s vs 0.67 s on Groq.

    Sources: SambaNova Pricing12, OpenAI Compatibility13, Artificial Analysis1 · Checked 2026-10-16

  6. Cerebras

    The fastest observed output in this shortlist’s AA snapshot: 1,750 tokens/s, about 3.7× Groq’s speed; the listed prices below are Developer-tier rates.1

    Input / 1M tokens
    $0.35
    Output / 1M tokens
    $0.75
    Estimated request cost
    $0.00425

    Strengths

    • The first chunk arrives in 0.44 s vs 0.67 s on Groq.
    • Dedicated Inference reserves capacity for enterprise workloads and supports custom weights.

    Limitations

    • Developer pricing gives an estimated request cost of $0.00425, about twice Groq’s cost.
    • Developer limits are 1,000 RPM, 1M uncached TPM and 3M total TPM; this tier is not intended for production.
    • Enterprise capacity, pricing and SLA require a sales agreement.

    Sources: Cerebras Pricing7, Rate Limits10, Dedicated Inference11, Artificial Analysis1 · Checked 2026-10-16

Groq baseline

Where another provider changes the trade-off

Groq serves a curated production catalog through an OpenAI-compatible API; GPT-OSS 120B costs $0.15 input and $0.60 output per 1M tokens, with 474 tokens/s output in the AA snapshot.3141

  • Lower uncached cost: DeepInfra and Novita AI both list lower input and output rates.24
  • More output throughput: Cerebras and SambaNova stream faster on the same measured model.1
  • Reserved hardware: Fireworks AI and Together AI offer dedicated GPU deployments.516
  • Capacity-sensitive traffic: Groq Flex requests fail fast with a capacity_exceeded error when spare capacity is unavailable.15

For the two-platform feature and rate-limit comparison, see Novita AI vs Groq.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What are some free alternatives to Groq?

OpenRouter offers :free model variants with limits of 20 requests per minute and 50 requests per day by default. These routes are distinct from the paid GPT-OSS 120B endpoints in this page’s price table; trial credits are not a permanent free tier.1819

Who competes with Groq?

This comparison covers 6 alternatives: Novita AI, DeepInfra, Fireworks AI, Together AI, Cerebras and SambaNova. Fireworks is included for pricing and deployment; the other 5 alternatives also have performance rows in the AA snapshot.12457126

How expensive is Groq?

Groq lists GPT-OSS 120B at $0.15 per 1M input tokens and $0.60 per 1M output tokens. At those uncached synchronous rates, 10,000 input plus 1,000 billed output tokens cost an estimated $0.00210.3

Methodology

Methodology and sources

The performance table retains the 2026-10-14 AA GPT-OSS 120B snapshot: high reasoning, 10,000 input tokens and 72-hour speed/first-chunk medians. The first received chunk may contain reasoning; the metric does not wait for the first answer token. Endpoint Accuracy Index v1.0 is relative to a reference endpoint, not task pass rate; point estimates, including 0.43 s versus 0.44 s, do not establish statistical significance. DeepInfra means the standard endpoint, not Turbo; Fireworks is price/deployment only. Prices and plan terms were reviewed on 2026-10-16.

The USD example applies the displayed synchronous rates, including Cerebras’s Developer rates, to 10,000 uncached input and 1,000 billed output tokens, including reasoning. It excludes tax, discounts and retries. Novita AI is one of the alternatives and publishes the page from linked sources without running a private benchmark.

  1. Artificial Analysis · GPT-OSS 120B Providers artificialanalysis.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  2. DeepInfra · GPT-OSS 120B deepinfra.com · Checked 2026-10-16
  3. Groq · GPT-OSS 120B console.groq.com · Checked 2026-10-16
  4. Novita AI · Pricing novita.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  5. Fireworks AI · GPT-OSS 120B fireworks.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  6. Together AI · GPT-OSS 120B together.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  7. Cerebras · Pricing cerebras.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  8. Novita AI · Batch API docs.novita.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  9. Novita AI · LLM Rate Limits docs.novita.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  10. Cerebras · Rate Limits inference-docs.cerebras.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  11. Cerebras · Dedicated Inference inference-docs.cerebras.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  12. SambaNova · Pricing cloud.sambanova.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  13. SambaNova · OpenAI Compatibility docs.sambanova.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  14. Groq · Supported Models console.groq.com · Checked 2026-10-16
  15. Groq · Flex Processing console.groq.com · Checked 2026-10-16
  16. Together AI · Dedicated Model Inference docs.together.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  17. Fireworks AI · Pricing fireworks.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  18. OpenRouter · FAQ openrouter.ai · Checked 2026-10-16
  19. OpenRouter · Free-variant Rate Limits openrouter.ai · Checked 2026-10-16

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