OpenAI API vs Cerebras Inference API
LLM API Providers pricing comparison · 2026
OpenAI API pricing ranges from $0.02–$270/per million tokens, while Cerebras Inference API ranges from $0.1–$6/per million tokens. These products use different pricing models (Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute) vs Per-seat subscription), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.
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OpenAI API and Cerebras Inference API both operate in the llm api providers category. This page compares their list pricing.
Plan-by-Plan Pricing
| Plan | OpenAI API | Cerebras Inference API |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.4 mini / nano (Economy) | Custom | Free /month |
| GPT-5.4 / GPT-5.4 Pro (Flagship) | Custom | Custom |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
Cost at Scale
Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.
OpenAI API
4 scenarios$9.00/month
High-Volume Chatbot (nano)
$26.00/month
Production App (GPT-4.1)
$13.00/month
Reasoning Tasks (o3)
Cerebras Inference API
4 scenarios$0/month
Developer Prototyping (Free Tier)
on the Free tier (Developer) plan
$0.60/M
Pay-as-you-go Usage — Llama 3.1 70B (as of Oct 2024)
tokens for Llama 3.1 70B (third-party data, October 2024)
$0/month
Individual Developer — Free Tier Prototyping
Contract Terms
| Term | OpenAI API | Cerebras Inference API |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-renewal | — | — |
| Cancellation | — | — |
| Minimum commitment | — | — |
| Price escalation | — | No published schedule; pricing model is still evolving as the service transitions from free to commercial tiers |