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Groq vs OpenRouter

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

OpenRouter logo

OpenRouter

One API and one bill for hundreds of AI models across many providers

4.5(2 reviews)Freemium
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Verdict

Groq and OpenRouter are both Developer Tools tools. Groq scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.6 vs 8.3 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial.

Best overall

Groq

  • Software developers
  • AI application builders
  • Enterprise engineering teams
  • Voice and agent developers

Choose Groq if

  • You want a tool built for Low-latency LLM API calls.
  • Listed speeds of about 280 to 1,000 tokens per second on hosted models.
  • OpenAI-compatible API and Responses API support, so migration is mostly a base URL change.

Choose OpenRouter if

  • You want a tool built for switching or comparing models without code changes, adding provider fallbacks, consolidating LLM billing across vendors.
  • Single OpenAI-compatible endpoint covering 500+ models from 80+ providers, so switching models rarely needs code changes.
  • Inference passes through at provider list prices with no markup and no minimums or lock-in.
Best for beginners
Groq
Best for business
Groq

Features

19 features compared.

  • LPU inference
    Groq
    Available
    OpenRouter
    Not available
  • OpenAI-compatible API
    Groq
    Available
    OpenRouter
    Not available
  • Open model catalog
    Groq
    Available
    OpenRouter
    Not available
  • Speech models
    Groq
    Available
    OpenRouter
    Not available
  • Built-in tools and MCP
    Groq
    Available
    OpenRouter
    Not available
  • Batch and Flex tiers
    Groq
    Available
    OpenRouter
    Not available
  • Structured outputs and reasoning
    Groq
    Available
    OpenRouter
    Not available
  • Spend limits and projects
    Groq
    Available
    OpenRouter
    Not available
  • LoRA inference
    Groq
    Available
    OpenRouter
    Not available
  • Unified API
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available
  • Automatic Fallbacks
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available
  • Auto-Routing and Provider Controls
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available
  • Free Models
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available
  • Prompt Caching
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available
  • Bring Your Own Key
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available
  • Multimodal Models
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available
  • Rankings and Benchmarks
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available
  • Regional Routing and Private Endpoints
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available
  • Hosted MCP Server
    Groq
    Not available
    OpenRouter
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Groq
    Freemium
    OpenRouter
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Groq
    Yes
    OpenRouter
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Groq
    $0
    OpenRouter
    $0
  • Plans
    Groq
    3 plans
    OpenRouter
    4 plans

Groq plans

  • Free

    $0

    Free API access with lower rate limits, for evaluation and small projects

    • API key from the console
    • Access to hosted open models
    • Playground
    • Lower rate limits than the Developer tier

  • Developer

    Most popular

    $0.075-$4.00/1M tokens

    Pay-as-you-go usage billing with higher rate limits, no monthly fee

    • Higher rate limits
    • Chat support
    • Flex service tier
    • Batch processing
    • Spend limits

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Contact sales for dedicated capacity and enterprise-only models

    • Custom rate limits
    • Models such as Llama 3.3 70B
    • Dedicated infrastructure
    • Enterprise controls

OpenRouter plans

  • Free

    $0

    Testing with free models

    • 25+ free models
    • 4 free providers
    • 5 workspaces
    • community support
    • 50 requests/day

  • Standard

    Most popular

    5.5%/one-time

    Pay-as-you-go with a fee on credit purchases

    • 500+ models
    • 80+ providers
    • auto-routing
    • budgets
    • prompt caching
    • management API keys
    • email support

  • Business

    8%/one-time

    Pay-as-you-go for larger teams

    • Everything in Standard
    • 1,000 workspaces
    • EU and US in-region routing
    • Workload Identity Federation
    • advanced notifications

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Contract-based for large organizations

    • Everything in Business
    • SSO/SAML
    • SLAs
    • invoicing
    • custom rate allowances
    • dedicated support team

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed November 2026.

Groq
8.6overall
OpenRouter
8.3overall

  • Inference Speed

    Groq
    9.5
    OpenRouter
    Not rated

  • Latency

    Groq
    9.2
    OpenRouter
    Not rated

  • API Compatibility

    Groq
    9.0
    OpenRouter
    Not rated

  • Cost Efficiency

    Groq
    8.5
    OpenRouter
    Not rated

  • Model Selection

    Groq
    7.0
    OpenRouter
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Groq
    Not rated
    OpenRouter
    8.6

  • Feature Depth

    Groq
    Not rated
    OpenRouter
    8.5

  • Value for Money

    Groq
    Not rated
    OpenRouter
    8.3

  • Performance & Speed

    Groq
    Not rated
    OpenRouter
    8.0

  • Documentation & Support

    Groq
    Not rated
    OpenRouter
    8.2

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Groq

Pros

  • Listed speeds of about 280 to 1,000 tokens per second on hosted models
  • OpenAI-compatible API and Responses API support, so migration is mostly a base URL change
  • Free tier with an API key, and pay-as-you-go pricing with no monthly fee
  • Low per-token prices, for example $0.15 input and $0.60 output per 1M tokens for GPT OSS 120B
  • Includes speech-to-text and text-to-speech models alongside text models

Cons

  • Only hosts a curated set of open models; no proprietary frontier models such as GPT or Claude
  • Some models, including Llama 3.3 70B, are enterprise-only and require contacting sales
  • Free tier rate limits are low for production use
  • No public pricing page on groq.com; prices sit in the developer docs
  • Preview models can be discontinued at short notice

OpenRouter

Pros

  • Single OpenAI-compatible endpoint covering 500+ models from 80+ providers, so switching models rarely needs code changes.
  • Inference passes through at provider list prices with no markup and no minimums or lock-in.
  • Automatic provider fallbacks reduce exposure to outages and rate limits.
  • Free models and a free router allow testing without paying.
  • Enterprise options include SSO/SAML, SLAs, EU and US in-region routing and private endpoints.

Cons

  • A 5.5% (Standard) or 8% (Business) platform fee applies to every credit purchase, and platform fees are non-refundable.
  • The free tier has no auto-routing, budgets, prompt caching or BYOK, and is limited to 50 requests per day.
  • No official mobile app or desktop client; mobile access is through third-party clients.
  • Business and Enterprise pricing, and the Stripe acquisition announced in August 2026, add some uncertainty about future terms.

Platforms

  • Web
    Groq
    Supported
    OpenRouter
    Supported
  • Windows
    Groq
    Not supported
    OpenRouter
    Not supported
  • macOS
    Groq
    Not supported
    OpenRouter
    Not supported
  • iOS
    Groq
    Not supported
    OpenRouter
    Not supported
  • Android
    Groq
    Not supported
    OpenRouter
    Not supported
  • API
    Groq
    Supported
    OpenRouter
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    Groq
    Not supported
    OpenRouter
    Not supported

Integrations

Groq

8 integrations
  • OpenAI SDK
  • Factory Droid
  • OpenCode
  • Kilo Code
  • Roo Code
  • Cline
  • Google Workspace
  • MCP connectors

OpenRouter

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    Groq
    Groq LLC
    OpenRouter
    OpenRouter, Inc.
  • Founded
    Groq
    2016
    OpenRouter
    2023
  • Headquarters
    Groq
    San Francisco, CA
    OpenRouter
    Not listed
  • Monthly users
    Groq
    Not listed
    OpenRouter
    10M+
  • Listing
    Groq
    Claimed
    OpenRouter
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Groq better than OpenRouter?

It depends on your workflow. Groq is built for Low-latency LLM API calls. OpenRouter is built for switching or comparing models without code changes, adding provider fallbacks, consolidating LLM billing across vendors.

What are the key feature differences between Groq and OpenRouter?

Groq: Fast, OpenAI-compatible inference API for open models, running on custom LPU chips. OpenRouter: One API and one bill for hundreds of AI models across many providers. OpenRouter is rated 4.5/5 from 2 user reviews.

Does Groq or OpenRouter have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Groq is freemium and OpenRouter is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Groq or OpenRouter?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.