Groq vs Novita AI: Token Pricing, Speed & Intelligence

Full comparison of Groq and Novita AI — live token pricing, latency, throughput, context window, strengths, weaknesses, and best use cases. Updated July 2026.

Groq

LPU-powered inference — the fastest tokens per second available

Groq runs custom Language Processing Units (LPUs) that deliver dramatically higher throughput than GPU-based inference — Llama 3.3 70B reaches 750+ tokens/second on Groq, versus 100–200 on typical GPU providers. Ideal for latency-sensitive applications, real-time chat, and high-volume batch workloads.

SpeedReal-time chatVoice AICost-efficiencyBatch processing

Open-weight hostHosts open weights

Novita AI

Budget-friendly open-source inference with broad model selection

Novita AI offers some of the lowest per-token prices for open-weight model inference, making it attractive for high-volume or cost-sensitive workloads. They host Llama 3.3 and other popular models with a straightforward API compatible with the OpenAI SDK.

Cost-efficiencyBatch processingOpen-sourceHigh-volumeBudget workloads

Open-weight hostHosts open weights

Key metrics

Cheapest input ($/1M)

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Cheapest output ($/1M)

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Peak throughput

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Best latency (TTFT)

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Intelligence score

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Context window

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Live token pricing

Strengths & weaknesses

Groq

750+ tokens/sec on Llama 3.3 70B — fastest GPU-class inference

Sub-100ms time-to-first-token for real-time applications

Very competitive pricing on open-weight models

OpenAI-compatible API

Free tier available

Limited model selection vs. Together AI or Fireworks

No vision model support on most models

No fine-tuning capability

Novita AI

Among the lowest per-token prices for open-weight models

Broad model selection including Llama 3.3 and others

OpenAI-compatible API

Good for high-volume batch workloads

Simple pricing structure

Less established than larger inference providers

Throughput and latency not optimised for real-time use

No fine-tuning support

Key differentiators

Groq

Groq's custom LPU chips deliver 750+ tokens/sec on Llama 3.3 70B — 4–5× faster than any GPU-based provider.

Novita AI

Consistently among the lowest per-token prices for open-weight model inference — the go-to choice for cost-sensitive, high-volume workloads.

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. This is 4–5× faster than typical GPU-based providers, making it ideal for real-time applications.

How much does Groq cost?

Llama 3.3 70B costs $0.59/1M input and $0.79/1M output tokens. Llama 3.1 8B is just $0.05/$0.08 per 1M tokens — among the cheapest options for a capable open-weight model.

What is a Groq LPU?

A Language Processing Unit (LPU) is Groq's custom silicon designed specifically for sequential token generation. Unlike GPUs which are optimised for parallel matrix operations, LPUs excel at the autoregressive decoding step that dominates LLM inference latency.

Novita AI FAQs

How cheap is Novita AI?

Novita AI is among the most affordable inference providers for open-weight models, often offering lower prices than Together AI or Fireworks AI. Exact pricing varies by model — check their pricing page for current rates.

What models does Novita AI support?

Novita AI hosts Llama 3.3 70B and a broad selection of other open-weight models. Their catalog focuses on popular, widely-used models.

Is Novita AI good for production use?

Novita AI is well-suited for cost-sensitive production workloads where price is the primary concern. For latency-critical or high-reliability production use, providers like Fireworks AI or Together AI may be more appropriate.

Provider resources

Groq

Provider page Website Pricing Docs

Novita AI

Provider page Website Pricing Docs

Groq — LPU-powered inference — the fastest tokens per second available

Groq's custom LPU chips deliver 750+ tokens/sec on Llama 3.3 70B — 4–5× faster than any GPU-based provider.

Novita AI — Budget-friendly open-source inference with broad model selection

Consistently among the lowest per-token prices for open-weight model inference — the go-to choice for cost-sensitive, high-volume workloads.

Key strengths compared

Groq

▸750+ tokens/sec on Llama 3.3 70B — fastest GPU-class inference
▸Sub-100ms time-to-first-token for real-time applications
▸Very competitive pricing on open-weight models

Novita AI

▸Among the lowest per-token prices for open-weight models
▸Broad model selection including Llama 3.3 and others
▸OpenAI-compatible API

Provider category context

Groq is a inference api, founded in 2016. Novita AI is a inference api, founded in 2023. 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 Novita AI 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.