Anthropic API vs Groq: tool pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
Anthropic bills the Claude API per million input and output tokens. Prompt caching has separate write prices (5-minute and 1-hour) and a much lower price for cache hits.
Groq runs its own LPU inference hardware and sells model access through GroqCloud, an OpenAI-compatible API billed per token (language models), per hour of audio (Whisper) or per character (text to speech).
Listed A to Z, from docs.anthropic.com and console.groq.com. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- Main price table
- Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Claude Haiku 5.5 (prompts up to 100K tokens), Claude Haiku 5.5 (prompts over 100K tokens)
- Free option
- None in the published plan table
- Published prices
- Claude Fable 5.1, Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5, prompt caching rates and older models.
- Main price table
- GPT OSS 120B (openai/gpt-oss-120b), GPT OSS 20B (openai/gpt-oss-20b), Llama 3.1 8B Instant, Llama 3.3 70B Versatile, Whisper Large V3, Whisper Large V3 Turbo
- Free option
- None in the published plan table
- Published prices
- GPT OSS 120B $0.15 in / $0.60 out per 1M tokens, GPT OSS 20B $0.075 / $0.30, Whisper Large V3 Turbo $0.04 per hour.
How we checked: Prices quoted from each official pricing page: Anthropic API checked Nov 10, 2026, Groq checked Nov 10, 2026. Taxes, usage overages and promotions can change what you pay; confirm with each provider before you buy.
How they compare
- Main price table. Anthropic API lists 5 entries (Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Claude Haiku 5.5 (prompts up to 100K tokens), Claude Haiku 5.5 (prompts over 100K tokens)); Groq lists 6 (GPT OSS 120B (openai/gpt-oss-120b), GPT OSS 20B (openai/gpt-oss-20b), Llama 3.1 8B Instant, Llama 3.3 70B Versatile, Whisper Large V3, Whisper Large V3 Turbo).
- Free option. Anthropic API: none in the published plan table. Groq: none in the published plan table.
- How prices are quoted. Anthropic API: “Current models (per 1M tokens)”. Groq: “Production models”.
Anthropic API plans and prices
| Model | Input | Output | Cache write 5m / 1h | Cache hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Fable 5.1 | $10 | $50 | $12.50 / $20 | $0.25 |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | $4 | $20 | $5 / $8 | $0.20 |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $2 | $10 | $2.50 / $4 | $0.10 |
| Claude Haiku 5.5 (prompts up to 100K tokens) | $0.10 | $0.50 | ||
| Claude Haiku 5.5 (prompts over 100K tokens) | $0.50 | $2.50 |
| Model | Input | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.5–4.8 | $5 | $25 |
| Claude Opus 4.1 | $15 | $75 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.x | $3 | $15 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | $1 | $5 |
From docs.anthropic.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Anthropic API pricing.
Groq plans and prices
| Model | Speed (tokens/sec) | Price | Context window |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT OSS 120B (openai/gpt-oss-120b) | ~500 | $0.15 input / $0.60 output per 1M tokens | 131,072 |
| GPT OSS 20B (openai/gpt-oss-20b) | ~1,000 | $0.075 input / $0.30 output per 1M tokens | 131,072 |
| Llama 3.1 8B Instant | ~560 | Enterprise: contact sales | 131,072 |
| Llama 3.3 70B Versatile | ~280 | Enterprise: contact sales | 131,072 |
| Whisper Large V3 | — | $0.111 per hour of audio | — |
| Whisper Large V3 Turbo | — | $0.04 per hour of audio | — |
Developer plan rate limits on the same page: GPT OSS 120B 250K tokens/min and 1K requests/min; Whisper Large V3 Turbo 400K audio seconds/hour.
| Model | Price |
|---|---|
| Qwen3.8 27B | $0.80 input / $4.00 output per 1M tokens |
| Safety GPT OSS 20B | $0.075 input / $0.30 output per 1M tokens |
| Canopy Labs Orpheus V1 English (TTS) | $22.00 per 1M characters |
| Canopy Labs Orpheus Arabic Saudi (TTS) | $40.00 per 1M characters |
| Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M / 86M | $0.03 / $0.04 per 1M tokens (input and output) |
Groq says preview models may be discontinued at short notice and should not be used in production.
From console.groq.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Groq pricing.
FAQ
How much does Anthropic API cost?
Claude Fable 5.1, Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5, prompt caching rates and older models. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
How much does Groq cost?
GPT OSS 120B $0.15 in / $0.60 out per 1M tokens, GPT OSS 20B $0.075 / $0.30, Whisper Large V3 Turbo $0.04 per hour. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Do Anthropic API and Groq have a free option?
Anthropic API: none in the published plan table. Groq: none in the published plan table.
Which is better, Anthropic API or Groq?
We do not pick a winner. The two price and package their products differently; the tables above quote each official pricing page so you can match a plan to your own usage.
Where do these prices come from?
Each vendor's own pricing page: docs.anthropic.com (checked Nov 10, 2026) and console.groq.com (checked Nov 10, 2026). Prices change; confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Sources (official pages, read 2026-11-10)
- docs.anthropic.com
- docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/about-claude/pricing
- console.groq.com
- console.groq.com/docs/models
- groq.com/pricing
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