Groq API Pricing, Models & Rate Limits (2026)
Groq doesn't train models — it serves open-weight models (OpenAI's gpt-oss and Alibaba's Qwen among them) on its own LPU inference hardware. The pitch is raw throughput: Groq is consistently among the fastest tokens-per-second on this site's speed benchmarks for the weights it hosts.
How much does the Groq API cost?
Groq API pricing is usage-based and varies by model and token volume. Use the current model table and provider documentation to estimate a workload before committing to production.
For cross-provider quota units and fixed-workload capacity, see the LLM API rate-limit comparison; this page remains the authoritative owner for Groq provider facts.
Groq product vs API
Groq consumer access and API billing are separate surfaces; check the provider documentation for current account terms.
Three decisions unique to Groq
Groq current-model price mechanics
| Current model | Input | Cached input | Output | Batch | Verified |
|---|
| GPT-OSS 20B | $0.075/M | Unavailable — no model cache rate | $0.300/M | 50% off eligible Batch API | 2026-04-06 |
|---|
| GPT-OSS 120B | $0.150/M | Unavailable — no model cache rate | $0.600/M | 50% off eligible Batch API | 2026-04-06 |
|---|
| Llama 4 Maverick | $0.200/M | Unavailable — no model cache rate | $0.600/M | 50% off eligible Batch API | 2026-07-10 |
|---|
| Qwen 3.8 30B | $0.600/M | Unavailable — no model cache rate | $3.000/M | 50% off eligible Batch API | 2026-07-10 |
|---|
| Qwen 3.6 27B | $0.600/M | Unavailable — no model cache rate | $3.000/M | 50% off eligible Batch API | 2026-06-19 |
|---|
Messages API vs OpenAI compatibility map
| Choice | Decision rule | Evidence |
|---|
| Billing | ChatGPT plan never includes API credits | Separate metered API account |
|---|
| Input/cached/output | Token prices are model rows | Use calculator for workload totals |
|---|
| Limits/auth | Per-model requests/minute and tokens/minute caps by tier · Bearer API key | Verify before production |
|---|
Adoption map: what is documented versus unavailable
| Dimension | Recorded value | Decision consequence |
|---|
Verified 2026-08-14. dated provider pricing/source →
Price range /M
$0.13–$1.20
Groq model pricing
Compare Groq models by input, output, and blended token cost below.
Pricing values are registry-backed and were most recently verified on 2026-07-10. Sources: https://console.groq.com/docs/models, https://groq.com/pricing. Model detail pages preserve each model's own title and verification date.
* Blended comparison assumes 3 input tokens for every output token; it is not the provider's billing unit.
2 legacy Groq models
Speed
Best for
Build with Groq
Groq implementation details
Verified 2026-08-14 against source.
Groq publishes its current authentication, limits, and data-handling details in the linked documentation.
| OpenAI-compatible | Yes |
| API base URL | https://api.groq.com/openai/v1 |
| Auth model | Bearer API key |
| Prompt caching | Not documented |
| Batch discount | 50% |
| Free tier | Free tier with per-minute and per-day token caps |
| Free-tier limits | Per-minute and per-day request/token caps vary by model and account tier. |
| Free-tier expiry | Not published |
| Rate-limit model | Per-model requests/minute and tokens/minute caps by tier |
| Data residency | US |
| Trains on API data | Not documented |
| SLA published | No |
Lifecycle
Groq has 2 legacy models still routable and 4 retired models. Full dates and successors on the model deprecation tracker.
Switching to and from Groq
The closest parity-aware alternative to
GPT-OSS 120B ($0.26/M) outside Groq is
GPT-OSS 120B (Cerebras) ($0.45/M, +71.4%) — a
config migration. Biggest gap: loses the 50% batch discount.
Calling Groq through All AI Ask
curl https://allaiask.com/api/v1/chat \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $ALLAIASK_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"model": "gpt-oss-20b", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]}'FAQ
Is Groq OpenAI-compatible?
Yes — Groq's API base (https://api.groq.com/openai/v1) accepts the OpenAI SDK request/response shape, so existing OpenAI client code works with a base-URL and key swap.
Does Groq support prompt caching?
Not documented as of 2026-08-14 — we did not find a published prompt-caching feature for Groq. If that changes, this page updates.
Does Groq have a free tier?
Yes — Free tier with per-minute and per-day token caps. Per-minute and per-day request/token caps vary by model and account tier.
How much does the Groq API cost?
Current Groq models range from $0.13 to $1.20 per million blended tokens (3:1 input:output). Full per-model pricing is in the table below.
Where is Groq API data hosted?
US
Groq hosted identity, bucket admission, and measured service quality
Batch 47 decision and evidence surface · verified 2026-08-14 · exact route allowlist match: /llm-providers/groq.
Hosted-model provenance and alias ledger
Frozen Batch 47 groq fixture — Groq hosted roster, aliases, revisions, owner withdrawal, and artifact visibility; first-party evidence checked 2026-08-14; unresolved joins render Unavailable.
Method: every calculation uses only the joined fields shown in its row; missing joins fail closed. First-party source: Groq API documentation. Verified: 2026-08-14.
| Fixture / field ID | Named inputs | Observation | Formula / boundary | Decision |
|---|
current hosted roster row
batch47-groq-m1-r1 | owner=Meta; Groq model ID=llama-3.3-70b-versatile; alias=joined; revision=Unavailable; artifact=Unavailable; lifecycle=current | Owner and endpoint ID are visible; revision and artifact are not exposed. | cross-date join = owner ∧ Groq ID ∧ revision ∧ lifecycle window
Boundary: Current row cannot absorb an older benchmark with unresolved revision. | UNAVAILABLE — cross-date identity blocked. |
frozen alias change + revision replacement
batch47-groq-m1-r2 | old alias=llama-3.1; new alias=llama-3.3; change date=2026-07-19; dependent workloads=12; migration owner=platform | Alias change is recorded; old and new revisions are not treated as one model. | join allowed only when alias transition ∧ exact revision evidence ∧ date window
Boundary: Alias continuity is not revision continuity. | PASS WITH MIGRATION — dependent workloads flagged. |
owner withdrawal + hosted-artifact ambiguity
batch47-groq-m1-r3 | owner=withdrawn; endpoint ID=legacy; artifact=Unavailable; first evidence=2026-05-03; last evidence=2026-08-14; lifecycle=conflict | The legacy endpoint has conflicting lifecycle signals and no artifact join. | lifecycle result = conflict when authoritative signals disagree
Boundary: Do not reuse dependent results after an unresolved withdrawal. | UNAVAILABLE — lifecycle conflict. |
Multi-bucket admission calculator
Frozen Batch 47 groq fixture — RPM, TPM, RPD, TPD, tier, reserve, and fail-closed admission fixtures; first-party evidence checked 2026-08-14; unresolved joins render Unavailable.
Method: every calculation uses only the joined fields shown in its row; missing joins fail closed. First-party source: Groq API documentation. Verified: 2026-08-14.
| Fixture / field ID | Named inputs | Observation | Formula / boundary | Decision |
|---|
60 short requests
batch47-groq-m2-r1 | tier=dev; RPM=30; TPM=120K; demand=60 req/9K tok; RPD=Unavailable; retry-after=header | RPM binds first: 30 admitted and 30 deferred; daily capacity is not inferred. | admitted = min(requests, RPM, floor(TPM / tokens per request)) = min(60,30,13)=13 per minute
Boundary: Missing RPD does not become unlimited daily capacity. | PASS WITH DEFERRED — RPM/TPM bound. |
ten 32K prompts + four long outputs
batch47-groq-m2-r2 | model=tier-joined; prompt reserve=320K; output reserve=32K; TPM=Unavailable; TPD=Unavailable; binding bucket=unknown | Prompt and output reserve are declared, but token buckets are not documented for this account/model pair. | admission = Unavailable when binding bucket is unknown; no arithmetic substitution
Boundary: One model limit cannot be generalized across the provider. | UNAVAILABLE — token bucket missing. |
20 parallel tools + one batch-shaped workload
batch47-groq-m2-r3 | parallel=20; tool tokens=joined; batch bucket=Unavailable; account tier=prod; retry authority=provider docs | Tool requests join; batch bucket and deferred-count rule are not documented. | admitted count requires every applicable bucket; unknown bucket closes result
Boundary: A documented retry header does not establish batch admission. | UNAVAILABLE — batch bucket unknown. |
Groq service-quality measurement card
Frozen Batch 47 groq fixture — Matched endpoint/model/tier observations separated from provider claims; first-party evidence checked 2026-08-14; unresolved joins render Unavailable.
Method: every calculation uses only the joined fields shown in its row; missing joins fail closed. First-party source: Groq API documentation. Verified: 2026-08-14.
| Fixture / field ID | Named inputs | Observation | Formula / boundary | Decision |
|---|
100-token answer + 4K output
batch47-groq-m3-r1 | endpoint/model/tier=joined; n=20; queue=Unavailable; TTFT=176ms median; generation=412 tok/s; total=2.1s; accepted=20/20 | Acceptance coverage is complete; queue time is unavailable, so total decomposition is bounded. | accepted coverage = 20/20 = 100%; total decomposition remains Unavailable without queue
Boundary: Measured throughput is not a model-quality conclusion. | PASS WITH UNAVAILABLE QUEUE — measured card. |
strict schema + three-tool loop
batch47-groq-m3-r2 | schema=sha256:91c2; tool IDs=3/3; request IDs=joined; retries=1; errors=1; observation window=2026-08-14 | One tool error retries and final schema passes; retry is counted, not hidden. | accepted completion = final checker pass after joined retry; retry rate = 1/20 = 5%
Boundary: A passing final answer does not erase tool failure. | PASS WITH RETRY — scoped observation. |
long-context + burst
batch47-groq-m3-r3 | context=64K; concurrent=64; accepted=51; errors=13; TTFT=Unavailable; claim source=Groq docs; measured window=joined | Burst acceptance is 51/64; provider speed claim remains separate from the measured error rate. | completion coverage = 51/64 = 79.6875%; no rounding to a pass
Boundary: Advertised speed cannot cover burst failures. | FAIL — burst acceptance below full coverage. |
Route owner CTA: test this decision path at All AI Ask. This surface does not transfer evidence to another host, model, region, tier, artifact, or scenario.
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