I Compared Every Inference Provider for Llama 70B. The Spread Is 37.5x.

Jack Arnot — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:12:27 +0000

I built a tool that tracks AI inference pricing across 8 providers in real time. This morning I ran the most comprehensive Llama 70B pricing comparison I've seen anywhere to my knowledge.

The spread between cheapest and most expensive is 37.5x. For the same class of model.

The Full Ranking

DeepInfra — $0.24/M avg ($0.20 input, $0.27 output)
Hyperbolic FP8 — $0.40/M avg ($0.40 input, $0.40 output)
Hyperbolic BF16 — $0.55/M avg ($0.55 input, $0.55 output)
Groq — $0.69/M avg ($0.59 input, $0.79 output)
Fireworks AI — $0.70/M avg ($0.70 input, $0.70 output)
Together AI — $0.88/M avg ($0.88 input, $0.88 output)
Akash (GPU rental) — $6.11/M avg ($3.49 input, $8.72 output)
OpenAI GPT-4o — $6.25/M avg ($2.50 input, $10.00 output)
Anthropic Sonnet 4.6 — $9.00/M avg ($3.00 input, $15.00 output)

What Stands Out

DeepInfra at $0.24 is the cheapest Llama 70B inference I can find anywhere. 40% cheaper than Hyperbolic, which was the previous leader. And it's a centralized provider — not DePIN.

Groq, Fireworks AI, and Together AI cluster in the $0.69-0.88 range. This is the "enterprise reliable" tier — you pay roughly 3x the cheapest for stronger SLAs and consistency.

Akash and OpenAI are nearly identical in per-token cost ($6.11 vs $6.25). One is a decentralized GPU rental, the other is the biggest AI company in the world. Same price bracket.

Anthropic Sonnet at $9.00 is 37.5x more than DeepInfra for equivalent-tier inference. If your agent workload doesn't require Claude specifically, you're leaving 97% of your budget on the table.

Why the Gap Exists

Optimized inference APIs (DeepInfra, Hyperbolic) batch requests, run quantized models, and compete on price. Speed-first providers (Groq, Fireworks) use custom silicon for sub-100ms latency. General platforms (OpenAI, Anthropic) sell proprietary models at premium prices. GPU rental (Akash) gives you raw hardware where self-managed inference eats the savings.

Each tier exists for a reason. But most developers are on the wrong tier for their workload.

The Tool

I built Volt HQ — an MCP server that compares pricing across all 8 providers in real time. Plugs into Cursor or Claude Desktop with one command:

npx volthq-mcp-server --setup

5 tools: price comparison, routing recommendations, spend tracking, savings reports, budget alerts. Live pricing feed updating every 5 minutes. Free and open source.

GitHub: github.com/newageflyfish-max/volthq
Site: volthq.dev

What providers should I add next?

DEV Community: Jack Arnot

I Compared Every Inference Provider for Llama 70B. The Spread Is 37.5x.