Groq Pricing 2026

Plans, hidden costs, and cheaper alternatives compared

Reviews onG2

3 plans tracked·Updated Jul 2026

Is Groq worth the price?

72/10

Groq's Free Tier is generous for experimentation, but the Pay-as-you-go pricing for Llama 3.1 8B at $0.05/M input tokens is competitive with other inference APIs, while Llama 4 Scout at $0.11/M is slightly above average for mid-size models.

The Enterprise tier's custom pricing and on-premises option add flexibility for high-volume users. Best for developers needing ultra-low latency and those who want to avoid vendor lock-in with OpenAI-compatible APIs.

Pricing Plans

Free Tier

Free

Rate-limited access to all models
OpenAI-compatible API
Community support

Pay-as-you-go

null

Llama 3.1 8B from $0.05/M input tokens
Llama 4 Scout from $0.11/M input tokens
Qwen3 32B from $0.29/M input tokens
Whisper transcription from $0.04/hr
Prompt caching at 50% discount
Batch API at 50% discount

Enterprise

null

Custom rate limits and SLAs
On-premises GroqRack deployment
Dedicated support
Volume discounts

Calculate your cost View full pricing

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

Free tier rate limits may throttle heavy usage

No free tier for Whisper transcription

Batch API discount requires minimum volume

Enterprise pricing likely has annual commitment

Prompt caching discount only for cached hits

Which Plan Do You Need?

Developers prototyping with free tier

Latency-sensitive production applications

Enterprises needing on-premises deployment

How Groq Compares to Competitors

Groq's pricing is generally fair compared to other inference API providers, with the Free Tier being more generous than most competitors' free offerings. However, it is pricier than self-hosting open models on your own hardware, and the Pay-as-you-go rates for larger models like Qwen3 32B at $0.29/M input tokens are on par with many proprietary APIs for similar latency guarantees.

Groq Pricing FAQ

How much does Groq cost?

Groq uses custom pricing. Contact Groq directly for a quote based on your team size and requirements.

Does Groq have a free plan?

Yes. Groq offers a free plan called "Free Tier". It includes: Rate-limited access to all models, OpenAI-compatible API, Community support.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Groq?

Yes. Popular alternatives to Groq include Anyscale, Together AI, Replicate, Modal. Free alternatives include Modal. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.