Groq vs MiniMax API API Pricing (2026) — Per-Token Cost Comparison

Groq vs MiniMax API

LLM API Providers pricing comparison · 2026

Groq pricing ranges from $0.05–$3/per million tokens, while MiniMax API ranges from $0.2–$3/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.

LLM API Providers

Groq

$0.05–$3
/per million tokens
3 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
LLM API Providers

MiniMax API

$0.2–$3
/per million tokens
2 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — Groq uses Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute) pricing while MiniMax API uses Per-seat subscription pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute)

Groq

From $0.05 per 1M input tokens
See full Groq pricing →
vs
Per-seat subscription

MiniMax API

$0.2–$3 / per million tokens
See full MiniMax API pricing →

Groq and MiniMax API are two leading LLM API providers. This page compares their per-token pricing, available models, and tier structure so you can pick the right backend for your workload — whether you're optimizing for cost per 1M tokens, latency, or model quality.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Groq MiniMax API
Free Free /month Custom
Developer Custom Custom
Enterprise Custom

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Groq

3 scenarios
$16.00
Audio Transcription: 400 Hours via Whisper
total ($0.04 × 400 hours)
$0.90/month ($0.50 input + $0.40 output)
Light Developer Usage: Llama 3.1 8B
$45.30/month ($29.50 input + $15.80 output)
Production App: Moderate Usage with Llama 3.3 70B

MiniMax API

3 scenarios
Approximately $0.41/month ($0.11 input + $0.30 output at M2.5 rates)
Light API Usage (1M tokens/month)
Approximately $51.75/month ($21.75 input at $0.29/1M + $30 output at $1.20/1M)
Mid-Scale Application (100M tokens/month)
Approximately $85/month ($30 input at $0.40/1M + $55 output at $2.20/1M)
Flagship Model (MiniMax M1, 100M tokens/month)

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Groq 4 hidden costs

medium
Free Tier Rate Limits Block Production Use 5-15% of license costs
low
Limited Model Selection Requires Multi-Provider Strategy 5-10% of license costs
high
No Privacy SLA on Free Tier 10-25% of license costs
medium
Speed Advantage Narrows for Large Models and Long Contexts 5-15% of license costs
See all Groq hidden costs →

MiniMax API 2 hidden costs

low
Non-Cumulative Daily Free Credits (Consumer Platform) 5-10% of license costs
medium
No Unlimited Pricing Option 10-30% of license costs
See all MiniMax API hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Groq MiniMax API
Auto-renewal No
Cancellation
Minimum commitment
Price escalation No published price escalation schedule; token prices have generally trended downward as model catalog expands
Can downgrade Yes