Best LLM Inference APIs & Model Hosting in 2026
Inference platforms let you run open and custom models without owning GPUs — billed per token or per second of compute. The best pick depends on whether you want raw speed, the widest model catalog, or full control over deployment.
The best Best LLM Inference APIs & Model Hosting for most people is Groq — Very fast LLM inference on custom LPU hardware. A strong alternative is Together AI.
| # | Tool | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Groq | Very fast LLM inference on custom LPU hardware. | Free plan · from $0.05 per 1M input tokens (Llama 3.1 8B) |
| 2 | Together AI | Inference, fine-tuning, and GPU clusters for open models. | Free plan · from Per-token from ~$0.10 per 1M tokens; GPU clusters usage-based |
| 3 | Fireworks AI | Fast, production inference for open and custom models. | Free plan · from Per-token, varies by model; dedicated GPU usage-based |
| 4 | OpenRouter | One API for hundreds of AI models across providers. | Free plan · from Upstream token prices + ~5% fee; free models available |
| 5 | Replicate | Run and deploy open-source AI models with one API call. | Free plan · from Pay-per-second of GPU compute (varies by hardware) |
| 6 |
If you're building on open-weight models, an inference API saves you from managing GPUs. The field splits into a few styles.
For speed, Groq stands out — its custom LPU hardware makes agents, voice, and chat feel noticeably snappier. For breadth and price, Together AI and Fireworks AI host large catalogs of open models at competitive per-token rates with fast serving. OpenRouter is the aggregator: one API key routes to hundreds of models across providers, with automatic fallback and transparent pricing. For running any model or custom code, Replicate (pay-per-second, huge community catalog, strong for generative media), Baseten, and Modal give you flexible deployment, while Anyscale (from the creators of Ray) targets large-scale distributed workloads.
Pick based on your priority: Groq for latency, Together or Fireworks for cheap open-model tokens, OpenRouter to avoid lock-in, and Baseten/Modal/Replicate when you need to deploy your own models. Most offer free credits, so it's cheap to benchmark on your actual workload — and you can compare token costs on our LLM cost calculator.
Per-1M API pricing (October 2026)
Prices are standard per-million-token rates, input / output. Verify with each provider; batch and cached reads cost less.
| Model | Provider | Input /1M | Output /1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-6 Luna | OpenAI | $0.10 | $0.50 |
| Mistral Small 4 | Mistral | $0.15 | $0.60 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | DeepSeek | $0.22 | $0.66 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Anthropic | $1.00 | $5.00 |
| Grok 4.7 | xAI | $2.00 | $6.00 |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | Anthropic | $2.00 | $10.00 |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | $2.00 | $12.00 | |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | Anthropic | $4.00 | $20.00 |
| GPT-6 Astra | OpenAI | $10.00 | $50.00 |
Run these against your own token volumes in the LLM API cost calculator.
Very fast LLM inference on custom LPU hardware.
Inference, fine-tuning, and GPU clusters for open models.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Best LLM Inference APIs & Model Hosting?
Groq is our top pick — Very fast LLM inference on custom LPU hardware. Groq is the go-to when raw inference speed matters: agents, voice, and interactive chat feel noticeably snappier on its LPU hardware, and per-token prices are competitive. The trade-off is scope. You serve models from Groq's supported catalog rather than arbitrary custom weights, and the exact model lineup shifts over time. Corporate turbulence around the 2026 Nvidia deal and a down round is worth noting for those making long-term platform bets, though day-to-day service has stayed reliable. A strong default for latency-sensitive apps on popular open models.
What is the best free Best LLM Inference APIs & Model Hosting?
Groq offers a free plan. Very fast LLM inference on custom LPU hardware.
What are the top Best LLM Inference APIs & Model Hosting?
Our current top picks are Groq, Together AI, Fireworks AI, OpenRouter, Replicate. Each is hand-reviewed and ranked by real usefulness, with no pay-to-play.
