Free AI platform comparison

Groq vs OpenRouter: Pricing, Limits & Setup

Pick Groq for fastest inference (700+ tokens/s via LPU). Pick OpenRouter for breadth — unified access to 300+ models including GPT-5, Claude, Llama 4. Many devs use both.

Quick decision

Groq vs OpenRouter: Pricing, Limits & Setup: pricing, free API, and limits

Quick answer: choose Groq when you need the fastest free inference for Llama-style open models; choose OpenRouter when you need one API key for many models, providers, and fallback routes.

Best for speedGroq
Best for model choiceOpenRouter
Free API angleGroq free tier vs OpenRouter free models
Developer decisionUse both: Groq for latency, OpenRouter for routing
Groq free API6000 TPM, LPU inference, OpenAI-compatible setupOpenRouter free modelsOne API key for 300+ routed modelsFree AI API directoryCompare all free credits and limits
👑Groq

Groq

80pts
1 wins
VS
OpenRouter

OpenRouter

60pts
0 wins

🏆 Overall, Groq offers more free value (1/6 categories)

📊 Side-by-Side

Category
Groq
OpenRouter
Free Tier
✅ 6000 tokens/min (Llama 3.3 70B)
✅ Varies by model
Free API
✅ Free tier（永久免费）
✅ Free models
Rate Limit
30 RPM / 6000 TPM
20 RPM
Open Source
❌ No
❌ No
Free Models
6
1
GitHub Stars
-
-

🧠 Model Details

Groq6 models
Llama 3.3 70B Versatile
📐 128k⚡ 30 RPM / 6000 TPM
World's fastest inference, 6000 tokens/min free, LPU chip accelerated
Llama 4 Scout 17B
📐 128k⚡ 30 RPM / 6000 TPM
Meta Llama 4 Scout, MoE architecture, free to use
Llama 4 Maverick 17B
📐 128k⚡ 30 RPM / 6000 TPM
Meta Llama 4 Maverick, MoE architecture, free to use
Mixtral 8x7B
📐 32k⚡ 30 RPM / 5000 TPM
MoE architecture, cost-effective
Gemma 2 9B
📐 8k⚡ 30 RPM / 15000 TPM
Google Gemma 2, ultra-fast small model
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B
📐 128k⚡ 30 RPM / 6000 TPM
DeepSeek R1 distilled, strong reasoning
OpenRouter1 models
Free Models (多个)
📐 varies⚡ 20 RPM
Multiple free models available (Llama, Gemma, etc.)

🎯 Which should you choose?

Choose Groq if…

you want 6000 tokens/min (Llama 3.3 70B) on the free tier, plus Free tier（永久免费） for API tests.

Choose OpenRouter if…

you want Varies by model on the free tier, plus Free models for API tests.

FAQ

Which is better, Groq or OpenRouter?

Groq scores higher in this free-tier comparison because it wins more of the measured categories. Still, the best choice depends on your exact needs: free chat access, API credits, open-source models, or rate limits.

Does Groq have a free tier?

Yes. Groq lists 6000 tokens/min (Llama 3.3 70B) for free users.

Does OpenRouter have a free tier?

Yes. OpenRouter lists Varies by model for free users.

Which one is better for API experiments?

Groq offers Free tier（永久免费）; OpenRouter offers Free models. Choose the option with enough credits and rate limits for your prototype.

Source snapshot

Data source: yangmao.ai provider YAML tracker plus curated comparison notes. Official dashboards can change credits, limits, model availability, and pricing without notice; verify in the provider console before production.

yangmao.ai comparison slug
groq-vs-openrouter
Groq source
https://groq.com
OpenRouter source
https://openrouter.ai
Dataset freshness
Groq: 2026-06-16 · OpenRouter: 2026-06-16
Decision data
Free tier, API credits, rate limits, model list, China access notes, and curated comparison dimensions from the yangmao.ai provider tracker.

Need one fallback key after this comparison?

Use the provider guides for first-party testing, then route production traffic through one OpenAI-compatible key when multi-provider fallback, budget control, or China-access testing becomes painful.

Get an OpenLLMAPI key →
View Groq →View OpenRouter →
🐑 AI Assistant