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Groq vs OpenAI API

Two sides of the LLM API decision: open models, hosted and model provider. When each fits, what it costs, who moves from one to the other, and what makers who chose it say.

GroqOpen models, hosted
OpenAI APIModel providerllms.txtIn Lovable, Replit
Ask your AI about this, with this page as the source:ChatGPT ↗Claude ↗Perplexity ↗

Which fits you

Choose Groq if
  • Token cost dominates your budget, for example high-volume batch or agent workloads

Use it whenResponse speed matters more than having the most capable model, as in voice or autocomplete.

Trade-offOnly the open models it chooses to host, and no frontier closed models.

Choose OpenAI API if
  • You want the strongest general models and the widest ecosystem of examples and integrations

Use it whenYou want one account that covers text, images, speech and embeddings, with the most examples to copy from.

Trade-offFrequent model and API changes to keep up with, and no option to run its hosted models elsewhere.

At a glance

GroqOpenAI API
Used by39 makers' products · 62 open-source projects734 makers' products · 481 open-source projects
Cost at default usageinput tokens 50 million tokens, output tokens 10 million tokens$6.75/mo GPT OSS 20B$10/mo GPT-6 Luna
Moved to it on GitHubpull requests since Oct 202450 from OpenAI API25 from Groq
Downloads1.8M/wk3.9× vs npm34.1M/wk+61% vs npm
PricingFree tier with rate limits; pay per token. · paid from Pay per tokenPay per token. · paid from Pay per token
Free tierYesNo
Open sourceNoNo
Incidents, 90 daysfrom its status pageno public status feed25+ (4 major)

Cost as you grow

At 1M tokens Groq costs less ($0.14 vs $0.20); and still does at 5B tokens ($675 vs $1,000). They're different kinds of tool — open models, hosted and model provider — so the prices don't buy the same thing.

$0$20$100$500$1,0001510501005001k5k
OpenAI APIGroqx: input tokens per month (million tokens), other usage scaled with it · cheapest usable plan at each point, list prices · try your own numbers
The numbers, plan by plan
Input tokens per monthGroqOpenAI API
1$0.14 GPT OSS 20B$0.20 GPT-6 Luna
5$0.68 GPT OSS 20B$1.00 GPT-6 Luna
10$1.35 GPT OSS 20B$2.00 GPT-6 Luna
50$6.75 GPT OSS 20B$10 GPT-6 Luna
100$14 GPT OSS 20B$20 GPT-6 Luna
500$68 GPT OSS 20B$100 GPT-6 Luna
1,000$135 GPT OSS 20B$200 GPT-6 Luna
5,000$675 GPT OSS 20B$1,000 GPT-6 Luna

From each vendor's pricing page: Groq, OpenAI API.

Who moves from one to the other

Public pull requests on GitHub since Oct 2024 whose title says "Groq to OpenAI API" or the reverse — real code changes, by developers in general rather than makers only.

OpenAI API → Groq50 PRs
All matching pull requests on GitHub ↗
Groq → OpenAI API25 PRs
All matching pull requests on GitHub ↗

What makers say

Makers on using it for LLM API, from Product Hunt and Starter Story interviews, each linked to the source. Products with a page of their own and fuller notes first.

On Groq
Shoutout to Groq — the lightning fast inference engine running Voicr's AI under the hood. Without Groq's speed, that under 3 seconds promise wouldn't be possible.
Voicr for Mac, the makerSep 2026 ↗
We love using Groq hosting and models. They are a core part of our chat and widget agents. The models are lightning fast and the Groq team is fantastic.
Vectorize, the makerSep 2026 ↗
Groq powers our RAG sandbox with their lightning fast inference APIs and the team there is helpful and amazing to work with.
Vectorize, the makerSep 2026 ↗
14 more on the Groq page →
On OpenAI API
We use GPT-5.6 to power the Basedash AI data analyst. It's incredibly intelligent and, with the right harness, allows us to rank #1 on BI Bench for solving real-world BI scenarios.
Basedash, the makerSep 2026 ↗
Credit where it’s due: OpenAI’s dev tools made it incredibly easy to prototype and test multiple ideas fast. Still unmatched when you need raw speed, documentation, and flexibility.
Calk AI, the makerSep 2026 ↗
Quven writes subtitles from the audio of a film on the machine of the user. The Whisper models, run locally through whisper.cpp, can do it and the audio never leaves that machine.
Quven, the makerOct 2026 ↗
500 more on the OpenAI API page →

Loved and watch-outs

Themes that recur in makers' words and Hacker News comments, each linked to what it summarises.

Groq
Most loved
  • Inference is extremely fast, enabling real-time voice and agent workflows. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
  • The free tier is generous, with many models to choose from. PHPH 2HN
  • Its hosted Whisper gives near-instant transcription. PHPH 2HNPH 3
On Product Hunt: 4.8★, 5 reviews
OpenAI API
Most loved
  • Its models are strong at code generation, reasoning and creative tasks, often chosen after testing alternatives. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
  • The API is reliable and well-priced as the foundation for production features. PHPH 2PH 3HN
  • Good docs and a smooth developer experience make integration straightforward. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
Watch-outs
  • It cut usage on the $200 Pro plan and changed limits, frustrating paying subscribers. HNHN 2HN 3HN 4
  • Model quality shifts between releases, including a quickly replaced GPT-6 and quietly tweaked reasoning levels. HNHN 2HN 3HN 4
  • Models flag or stop midway on legitimate security work. HNHN 2
On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 860 reviews · mentioned most: AI API, AI productivity boost, fast performance · complaints: AI accuracy issues, AI pricing

Who uses each

Groq39 makers' products
AntispaceAutomaticallBebop.aiClarityUXExtra ThursdayFriends & Fablesgraph8KushoAILagrange by OrangeCatMagineMentaraMindPal+27 more
OpenAI API734 makers' products
2dto3D8baseAgentplace.ioAgentXAgnost AIAgree.comAI Context FlowAI Form FillAI Game Master- Dungeon RPGAI Santa ClausAI ShadowingAI Test Engineer by BlinqIO+722 more
Used by both — often one replacing the other, or each for a different part of the product
AntispaceAutomaticallMentaraMindPalVectorizeVoicr for MacVomyra AIVoquillinbox-zeroOmnifactPretty PromptSkye

What makers pair each with

With Groq
Frontend Framework
Transactional Email
Hosting
Payments
With OpenAI API
Frontend Framework
Transactional Email
Hosting
Payments

Neither quite right?

See the whole LLM API decision →
ClaudeModel providerCoding, long documents and agent-style tool use.vs Groq →vs OpenAI API →
Gemini APIModel providerVery long context and multimodal input, with a free tier to start.vs Groq →vs OpenAI API →
Mistral AIModel providerA European provider whose API covers chat, coding, OCR and speech models.vs OpenAI API →
DeepSeekModel providerLow per-token prices on strong reasoning and coding models, with OpenAI- and Anthropic-format endpoints.vs OpenAI API →
OpenRouterGateway (many providers, one API)Trying many models from many providers with one API key and one bill, without opening an account at each.vs Groq →
LiteLLMGateway (many providers, one API)Running your own OpenAI-compatible proxy in front of your own provider keys, with retries, routing and per-key budgets.