Groq vs RouterPlus: Token Pricing, Speed & Intelligence
Full comparison of Groq and RouterPlus — live token pricing, latency, throughput, context window, strengths, weaknesses, and best use cases. Rates sourced from public APIs — verify before use.
Groq
LPU + LPX inference — high-throughput tokens per second, $350M Series A
Groq runs custom Language Processing Units (LPUs) and the newer LPX chips that work alongside NVIDIA next-generation GPUs for high-throughput inference. Groq raised a $350M Series A in 2026 and is building hundreds of megawatts of capacity. Check listed rates and provider documentation for current model availability and throughput figures.
RouterPlus
API router / marketplace — 117 text models with per-route pricing
RouterPlus is an API router and marketplace offering access to 117+ text models. Prices shown are the published base catalog rates — actual price depends on the selected route and context, and is not a guaranteed bill. RouterPlus provides per-route pricing transparency with 27 models having numerically different route prices.
Key metric comparison
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Live token pricing
Strengths and weaknesses
Groq
RouterPlus
Key differentiators
Groq's custom LPU/LPX chips deliver high-throughput inference significantly faster than conventional GPU systems, backed by $350M in Series A funding and hundreds of megawatts of planned capacity.
An API router with 117 text models and per-route pricing transparency — the catalog rate is a published base rate, not a guaranteed bill; actual price depends on selected route and context.
Frequently asked questions
Groq FAQs
How fast is Groq inference?
Groq delivers 750+ tokens/second on Llama 3.3 70B and 1,200+ tokens/second on Llama 3.1 8B using custom LPU/LPX chips, making it well-suited for real-time and low-latency applications.
What is Groq's LPX chip?
The LPX is Groq's next-generation inference chip, introduced alongside the existing LPU lineup. It expands Groq's capacity and enables even higher throughput for large-scale deployments.
How much does Groq cost?
Groq uses per-token pricing across its model catalog. Check console.groq.com/docs/openai for current rates on Llama 3.3 70B, Llama 3.1 8B, and other models.
RouterPlus FAQs
Are RouterPlus prices guaranteed?
No. RouterPlus prices shown are published base catalog rates. Actual price depends on the selected route and context. 27 models have numerically different route prices. Check route details before production use.
What models does RouterPlus offer?
RouterPlus offers 117 text models including Claude 5 (Fable 5.1, Opus 5-5, Sonnet 5-5, Haiku 5-5), GPT-6 Astra, Gemini 3.x, Grok 4.x, Kimi K3, GLM-5.3, Qwen 3.8 Max, DeepSeek V4 Pro, Mistral Large 4, and many more. See the model table for current rates.
What is the RouterPlus API base URL?
The RouterPlus API base is https://api.routerplus.com/v1 with OpenAI-compatible endpoints. See https://app.routerplus.com/docs/models for full documentation.
Provider resources
Groq — LPU + LPX inference — high-throughput tokens per second, $350M Series A
Groq runs custom Language Processing Units (LPUs) and the newer LPX chips that work alongside NVIDIA next-generation GPUs for high-throughput inference. Groq raised a $350M Series A in 2026 and is building hundreds of megawatts of capacity. Check listed rates and provider documentation for current model availability and throughput figures.
Groq's custom LPU/LPX chips deliver high-throughput inference significantly faster than conventional GPU systems, backed by $350M in Series A funding and hundreds of megawatts of planned capacity.
RouterPlus — API router / marketplace — 117 text models with per-route pricing
RouterPlus is an API router and marketplace offering access to 117+ text models. Prices shown are the published base catalog rates — actual price depends on the selected route and context, and is not a guaranteed bill. RouterPlus provides per-route pricing transparency with 27 models having numerically different route prices.
An API router with 117 text models and per-route pricing transparency — the catalog rate is a published base rate, not a guaranteed bill; actual price depends on selected route and context.
Key strengths compared
Groq
- 750+ tokens/sec on Llama 3.3 70B — high-throughput GPU-class inference (Groq-published)
- Sub-100ms time-to-first-token for real-time applications
- LPX chips alongside LPUs for expanded capacity
- Limited model selection vs. Together AI or Fireworks
- No vision model support on most models
RouterPlus
- Wide catalog: 117 text models including Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, GLM, Qwen, Mistral, and more
- Per-route pricing transparency — see actual route prices, not just a blended rate
- OpenAI-compatible API at api.routerplus.com/v1
- Catalog rate is not a guaranteed bill — actual price depends on selected route and context
- API router/marketplace — not a direct compute provider
Key weaknesses compared
Groq
- Limited model selection vs. Together AI or Fireworks
- No vision model support on most models
- No fine-tuning capability
RouterPlus
- Catalog rate is not a guaranteed bill — actual price depends on selected route and context
- API router/marketplace — not a direct compute provider
- 27 models have numerically different route prices; check route details before production use
Provider category context
Groq is a inference api, founded in 2016. RouterPlus is a inference api. Both are inference api providers — the comparison is primarily about pricing, model selection, and feature differentiation within the same tier.
How to choose between them
Both Groq and RouterPlus host open-weight models. The key differentiators are latency, throughput, and which specific model versions each provider offers. Check the speed metrics above — inference API providers often differ significantly on tokens-per-second for the same model. Pricing is typically competitive between them; availability of specific model versions (e.g., Llama 3.1 405B, DeepSeek V3) may be the deciding factor.