Groq

Build with fast hosted inference for open models through an OpenAI-compatible API.

inferenceapi
Websitegroq.com
CategoryAI & machine learning
PricingFreemium
Card requiredNo
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ABOUT

What is Groq?

Groq runs inference on its own Language Processing Units (LPUs), purpose-built silicon that executes transformer models significantly faster than GPU alternatives. The hosted API is OpenAI-compatible, covering text generation, tool use and JSON mode. Groq is positioned as the fastest publicly available inference endpoint for popular open models like Llama and Mixtral.

BEFORE YOU SIGN UP

What you should know

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Consistently the fastest public inference APIGroq LPUs regularly achieve 500–800+ tokens per second on Llama 3 class models. This makes it the top choice for applications where response latency directly impacts user experience.
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OpenAI SDK compatiblePoint your OpenAI client at the Groq base URL and existing code works immediately. No refactoring required.
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Curated model selectionGroq hosts a focused catalog of popular open models. It does not provide access to every model available on Hugging Face or OpenRouter.
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Restrictive free tier token limitsDaily token limits are relatively low compared to Google AI Studio or Cerebras. Running large-context tasks or high request volumes on the free tier is impractical.

COMMUNITY

From the forums

Groq has a passionate following on r/LocalLLaMA and among indie hackers who need fast responses for interactive applications. The sub-second response times on long outputs are consistently cited as transformative for UX in chat applications. The two main criticisms are the limited model catalog (Groq does not host every open model) and the free tier rate limits, which are among the most restrictive in the space , particularly tokens per day caps.

— Community sentiment

💬Discuss on Reddit ↗

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ABOUT US

Honest, independent, no fluff.

No paid placements. Just a clear look at what this does, what it costs, and what to know before you commit.

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FAQ

Questions, answered.

What makes Groq faster than GPU-based providers?＋

Groq's LPUs are designed from the ground up for sequential matrix-multiply operations in transformer inference. They eliminate memory bandwidth bottlenecks that limit GPU speed, resulting in consistently high token throughput.

Is Groq suitable for production workloads?＋

Groq offers paid plans with higher limits and SLAs for production. The free tier is best for development, prototyping and low-traffic applications.