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Head-to-head · Inference providers

Groq vs Cerebras

Groq vs Cerebras: ultra-fast AI inference providers. Tokens-per-second, models, pricing, when 1000+ tps changes your app design.

Updated May 2026 · 7 min read
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Groq and Cerebras are the two most-cited 'ultra-fast AI inference' providers in 2026. Both run open-weight models (Llama, Qwen, etc.) at 500-2,500+ tokens/second — 5-25x faster than typical APIs. They open up app patterns that aren't viable at standard speeds.

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Option 1

Groq (LPU)

Custom Language Processing Units; lowest first-token latency.

Best for

Real-time chat, voice mode, agent loops where every step matters.

Pros

  • Industry-leading first-token latency (sub-100ms typical)
  • 500-2,500+ tokens/sec on Llama 70B / Qwen 32B
  • OpenAI-compatible API
  • Free tier for experimentation
  • Wide model selection (Llama, Mixtral, Qwen, Whisper)

Cons

  • Limited to specific open-weight models (no GPT-5 / Claude here)
  • Smaller production-tier capacity than hyperscalers
  • Geographic deployment less broad

Option 2

Cerebras

Wafer-scale AI accelerators; highest sustained throughput.

Best for

Long-output workloads, agentic loops with high token counts, throughput-bound apps.

Pros

  • ~2,000-3,000 tokens/sec sustained on Llama 70B-class models
  • Massive single-system memory (no model parallelism)
  • Strong on long-output workloads
  • OpenAI-compatible API
  • Free tier

Cons

  • Smaller model selection than Groq
  • Higher per-token cost than typical APIs (but speed often justifies)
  • Newer to production

The verdict

Use Groq for ultra-low first-token latency (real-time chat, voice). Use Cerebras for sustained high throughput on longer outputs. Both are free to try and OpenAI-compatible — switching is a base_url change. They open up app patterns (live agents, real-time multi-step flows) that aren't viable at OpenAI / Anthropic speeds.

Run the numbers yourself

Plug your own inputs into the free tools below — no signup, works in your browser, nothing sent to a server.

Free toolFrontier AI Model TrackerLive tracker of every frontier AI model: Claude 4.x, GPT-5, Gemini 3 Pro, DeepSeek R1/V3.2, Kimi K2, Grok 4, Llama 4, Qwen 3.5, Mistral Large 3.Open tool →Free toolOpen-Source LLM TrackerLive tracker of 15 open-weight LLMs: Llama 3.3/4, Qwen 3.5, DeepSeek V3.2/R1, Kimi K2, Mistral Large 3, Gemma 3, Phi-4, SmolLM3. Filter by license.Open tool →

Frequently asked questions

Cost vs speed?

Both charge per-token at 1.5-3x typical rates. The speed often justifies — 2-3x more expensive but 5-10x faster makes some apps work that wouldn't otherwise.

Models available?

Llama 3.3, Llama 4 Maverick, Qwen 3.5, Mixtral, Whisper. No GPT-5 / Claude here — those run only on their own APIs.

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