Groq vs Runway: Token Pricing, Speed & Intelligence
Full comparison of Groq and Runway — 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.
Runway
Gen-4 video generation API — cinematic quality text-to-video and image-to-video
Runway is a creative AI company best known for its Gen series of video generation models. Gen-4 and Gen-4 Turbo are available via API, producing cinematic-quality video from text or image prompts. Runway is widely used in professional film and advertising production. Pricing is per second of generated video.
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Live token pricing
Strengths and weaknesses
Groq
Runway
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.
Gen-4 is Runway's cinematic-quality video generation model, trusted by professional film and advertising studios — with Gen-4 Turbo offering a faster, lower-cost alternative via the same API.
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.
Runway FAQs
How is Runway priced?
Runway charges per second of generated video. Gen-4 is $0.100/second and Gen-4 Turbo is $0.050/second. See runwayml.com/pricing for current rates.
What is Gen-4?
Gen-4 is Runway's latest video generation model, producing cinematic-quality output from text or image prompts. It is used in professional film, advertising, and visual effects production.
What is the difference between Gen-4 and Gen-4 Turbo?
Gen-4 produces higher-quality output at $0.100/second. Gen-4 Turbo is faster and cheaper at $0.050/second, with slightly lower quality. Both support text-to-video and image-to-video generation.
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.
Runway — Gen-4 video generation API — cinematic quality text-to-video and image-to-video
Runway is a creative AI company best known for its Gen series of video generation models. Gen-4 and Gen-4 Turbo are available via API, producing cinematic-quality video from text or image prompts. Runway is widely used in professional film and advertising production. Pricing is per second of generated video.
Gen-4 is Runway's cinematic-quality video generation model, trusted by professional film and advertising studios — with Gen-4 Turbo offering a faster, lower-cost alternative via the same API.
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
Runway
- Gen-4 produces cinematic-quality video used in professional film and advertising
- Gen-4 Turbo at $0.050/second offers faster generation at lower cost
- Strong motion quality and temporal consistency
- Video generation only — no text, image, or audio LLM models
- Gen-4 at $0.100/second is among the higher-priced video generation APIs
Key weaknesses compared
Groq
- Limited model selection vs. Together AI or Fireworks
- No vision model support on most models
- No fine-tuning capability
Runway
- Video generation only — no text, image, or audio LLM models
- Gen-4 at $0.100/second is among the higher-priced video generation APIs
- Generation latency is higher than text inference
Provider category context
Groq is a inference api, founded in 2016. Runway is a frontier lab, founded in 2018. Groq as an inference API provider hosts open-weight models — typically offering lower prices for equivalent capability tiers. Runway as a frontier lab trains and serves proprietary models with capabilities not available elsewhere.
How to choose between them
Choose Groq if you need 750+ tokens/sec on llama 3.3 70b — high-throughput gpu-class inference (groq-published). Choose Runway if you need Professional video production. For high-volume production workloads, run a cost comparison using the token pricing table above with your actual prompt/completion token ratio — the cheapest provider depends heavily on your input-to-output token ratio.