kitio.aiGroq vs Chutes
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Groq starts at See pricing page and Chutes starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- LPU-based inference
- OpenAI-compatible API
- Speech-to-text models
- Batch API
- Free developer tier
- OpenAI-compatible API
- Custom chute deployment
- Decentralized GPU supply
- Popular open models
- Usage-based billing
| Feature | Groq | Chutes |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Very fast inference API for open models on custom LPU chips | Decentralized serverless inference for open models on Bittensor |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Made by | Groq | Rayon Labs |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
|
Both offer: OpenAI-compatible API.
Pricing compared
Groq starts at See pricing page and Chutes starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Free
Free
- Rate-limited API access
- For prototyping
Developer
Pay per token
- Higher rate limits
- Pay-as-you-go by model
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Dedicated capacity
- Enterprise support
2 plans
Serverless models
From $0.039 / 1M input tokens
- Pay per token
- Open models like Qwen, DeepSeek, Kimi
- No free tier, prepaid top-up
Private Chutes
From $1.80 / GPU hour
- Deploy your own private chute
- Pay per second
- One-time deploy fee (3x hourly)
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Groq
- Extremely fast output
- Free tier without a card
- Low prices on small models
- Smaller model catalog
- Some models moved to enterprise pricing
- Rate limits on the free tier
Chutes
- Low prices on open models
- Easy OpenAI-style API
- Wide model selection
- Capacity errors at peak times
- Free tier was removed
- Decentralized setup raises trust questions
Which one should you choose?
Choose Groq if you want:
- Extremely fast output
- Free tier without a card
- Low prices on small models
Watch out: smaller model catalog.
Choose Chutes if you want:
- Low prices on open models
- Easy OpenAI-style API
- Wide model selection
Watch out: capacity errors at peak times.
Groq vs Chutes FAQ
What is the difference between Groq and Chutes?
Groq: Very fast inference API for open models on custom LPU chips. Chutes: Decentralized serverless inference for open models on Bittensor. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Groq or Chutes cheaper?
Groq starts at See pricing page and Chutes starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Groq and Chutes have free plans?
Groq: Yes. Chutes: No.
Who makes Groq?
Groq is made by Groq, based in United States.
Who makes Chutes?
Chutes is made by Rayon Labs.
Which should I choose, Groq or Chutes?
Choose Groq if you value extremely fast output and free tier without a card. Choose Chutes if you value low prices on open models and easy openai-style api.