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Gemini API vs Groq

Two sides of the LLM API decision: model provider and open models, hosted. When each fits, what it costs, who moves from one to the other, and what makers who chose it say.

Gemini APIModel providerIn Lovable, Replit
GroqOpen models, hosted
Ask your AI about this, with this page as the source:ChatGPT ↗Claude ↗Perplexity ↗

Which fits you

Choose Gemini API if
  • You want the strongest general models and the widest ecosystem of examples and integrations

Use it whenYou feed in whole documents, video or audio, or want to start without paying.

Trade-offFree-tier prompts may be used to improve Google's products, so paid tier is the one for user data.

Choose Groq if
  • Token cost dominates your budget, for example high-volume batch or agent workloads

Use it whenResponse speed matters more than having the most capable model, as in voice or autocomplete.

Trade-offOnly the open models it chooses to host, and no frontier closed models.

At a glance

Gemini APIGroq
Used by99 makers' products · 227 open-source projects39 makers' products · 62 open-source projects
Cost at default usageinput tokens 50 million tokens, output tokens 10 million tokens$28/mo Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$6.75/mo GPT OSS 20B
Moved to it on GitHubpull requests since Oct 202464 from Groq152 from Gemini API
Downloads19.2M/wk6.5× vs npm1.8M/wk3.9× vs npm
PricingFree tier with rate limits; pay per token. · paid from Pay per tokenFree tier with rate limits; pay per token. · paid from Pay per token
Free tierYesYes
Open sourceNoNo

Cost as you grow

At 1M tokens Groq costs less ($0.14 vs $0.55); and still does at 5B tokens ($675 vs $2,750). They're different kinds of tool — model provider and open models, hosted — so the prices don't buy the same thing.

$0$100$500$1,000$2,0001510501005001k5k
GroqGemini APIx: input tokens per month (million tokens), other usage scaled with it · cheapest usable plan at each point, list prices · try your own numbers
The numbers, plan by plan
Input tokens per monthGemini APIGroq
1$0.55 Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$0.14 GPT OSS 20B
5$2.75 Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$0.68 GPT OSS 20B
10$5.50 Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$1.35 GPT OSS 20B
50$28 Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$6.75 GPT OSS 20B
100$55 Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$14 GPT OSS 20B
500$275 Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$68 GPT OSS 20B
1,000$550 Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$135 GPT OSS 20B
5,000$2,750 Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$675 GPT OSS 20B

From each vendor's pricing page: Gemini API, Groq.

Who moves from one to the other

Public pull requests on GitHub since Oct 2024 whose title says "Gemini API to Groq" or the reverse — real code changes, by developers in general rather than makers only.

Groq → Gemini API64 PRs
All matching pull requests on GitHub ↗
Gemini API → Groq152 PRs
All matching pull requests on GitHub ↗

What makers say

Makers on using it for LLM API, from Product Hunt and Starter Story interviews, each linked to the source. Products with a page of their own and fuller notes first.

On Gemini API
Powers all agent conversations on Konfide. Fast, cost-effective, handles unlimited concurrent chats. Every user message goes through Gemini. Chose it for speed and quality at scale.
Konfide, the makerSep 2026 ↗
Gemini gives us another strong option for routing complex tasks. Fast response times and competitive pricing mean we can offer our customers more flexibility in how their automations run.
Logic, Inc., the makerSep 2026 ↗
Saturn uses Gemini for structured data extraction from Japanese government filings (EDINET, gBizINFO). Best cost-performance ratio for Japanese language processing at scale.
Saturn, the makerSep 2026 ↗
67 more on the Gemini API page →
On Groq
Shoutout to Groq — the lightning fast inference engine running Voicr's AI under the hood. Without Groq's speed, that under 3 seconds promise wouldn't be possible.
Voicr for Mac, the makerSep 2026 ↗
We love using Groq hosting and models. They are a core part of our chat and widget agents. The models are lightning fast and the Groq team is fantastic.
Vectorize, the makerSep 2026 ↗
Groq powers our RAG sandbox with their lightning fast inference APIs and the team there is helpful and amazing to work with.
Vectorize, the makerSep 2026 ↗
14 more on the Groq page →

Loved and watch-outs

Themes that recur in makers' words and Hacker News comments, each linked to what it summarises.

Gemini API
Most loved
  • It offers some of the best price-to-performance, with fast, cheap Flash models. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
  • A context window of a million tokens or more handles whole codebases and long documents without extra pipelines. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
  • Native multimodal input covers video, screenshots and audio. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
Watch-outs
  • Getting an API key and paying is confusing, with usage tiers and Google Cloud console hoops. HNHN 2HN 3HN 4
  • Models are deprecated abruptly, some without leaving preview or having a replacement. HNHN 2HN 3HN 4
  • Pricing docs are unclear, and new models sometimes launch without listed prices. HNHN 2
On Product Hunt: 4.9★, 167 reviews · mentioned most: fast performance, multimodal capabilities, Google integration · complaints: inconsistent data, hallucinations
Groq
Most loved
  • Inference is extremely fast, enabling real-time voice and agent workflows. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
  • The free tier is generous, with many models to choose from. PHPH 2HN
  • Its hosted Whisper gives near-instant transcription. PHPH 2HNPH 3
On Product Hunt: 4.8★, 5 reviews

Who uses each

Gemini API99 makers' products
1752vc Pitch Deck Analyzer8baseAccorataAgentplace.ioAppear on AIAskiva AIAsmi AIAutomaticallBookmarkjar ®BriefyBuilt for DevsCiro+87 more
Groq39 makers' products
AntispaceAutomaticallBebop.aiClarityUXExtra ThursdayFriends & Fablesgraph8KushoAILagrange by OrangeCatMagineMentaraMindPal+27 more
Used by both — often one replacing the other, or each for a different part of the product
AutomaticallMindPalSlashyOmnifactSkye

What makers pair each with

With Gemini API
Frontend Framework
Transactional Email
Database
Hosting
With Groq
Frontend Framework
Transactional Email
Hosting
Payments

Neither quite right?

See the whole LLM API decision →
OpenAI APIModel providerThe broadest model lineup — text, images, speech, embeddings — and the largest ecosystem.vs Gemini API →vs Groq →
ClaudeModel providerCoding, long documents and agent-style tool use.vs Gemini API →vs Groq →
Mistral AIModel providerA European provider whose API covers chat, coding, OCR and speech models.vs Gemini API →
DeepSeekModel providerLow per-token prices on strong reasoning and coding models, with OpenAI- and Anthropic-format endpoints.vs Gemini API →
OpenRouterGateway (many providers, one API)Trying many models from many providers with one API key and one bill, without opening an account at each.vs Groq →
LiteLLMGateway (many providers, one API)Running your own OpenAI-compatible proxy in front of your own provider keys, with retries, routing and per-key budgets.