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Cerebras vs Particle.AI
Particle.AI sells cheap Flash-class models with 1M context through Vercel. Cerebras sells top speed on GPT-OSS 120B. Price and context against speed.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Cerebras vs Particle.AI: key differences
Particle.AI is an early startup that sells through its own API and Vercel AI Gateway. Its own API lists Particle-1, its own V4.1 Flash tune, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at $0.25 in and $1 out, and GLM 5.3 Flash at $0.15 in and $0.50 out, all with 1M context and cache reads at $0.03 per million. Cerebras serves GPT-OSS 120B near 3,000 tokens per second at $0.35 in and $0.75 out on a wafer-scale chip. Particle is cheaper on GLM 5.3 Flash and offers longer context. Cerebras wins on speed by a wide margin.
Each is reachable through Vercel, so a team can route between them without a new contract. Particle fits high-volume calls where cost matters more than latency, and Vercel AI Gateway shows about 1.9 seconds to first token on Particle-1. Cerebras fits voice and streaming, where that kind of delay would break the experience. Particle has little public track record. Cerebras trades on Nasdaq and serves OpenAI.
What Cerebras and Particle.AI do
Cerebras
Cerebras builds a single chip the size of a silicon wafer, and its inference cloud is the fastest public host on the models it serves. Its developer table lists GPT-OSS 120B near 3,000 tokens per second, about six times Groq on the same weights, at $0.35 in and $0.75 out per million. The public shared catalog is thin, just GPT-OSS 120B and Qwen 3.8 27B since Gemma 4 31B moved to dedicated-only in September 2026. More model families live on dedicated endpoints and through partners like OpenRouter, Hugging Face, Vercel and AWS Marketplace.
Example models: GPT-OSS 120B, Qwen 3.8 27B
Full Cerebras profile
Particle.AI
Particle AI is an early San Francisco infrastructure startup with a mission to make intelligence as cheap and abundant as electricity. The team works on post-training, inference optimization and distributed systems, all aimed at pushing down cost per unit of intelligence. It is still hiring its founding team and works fully in person. Mixpanel founder Suhail Doshi started it, with backing from Y Combinator, 8VC, Caffeinated Capital and angels including Patrick Collison, Adam D'Angelo and Aaron Levie.
Example models: Particle-1, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash
Full Particle.AI profileShould you choose Cerebras or Particle.AI?
Cerebras
Choose Cerebras for
- Voice and streaming UIs where latency is visible
- Fast long outputs on GPT-OSS 120B
- Production traffic that needs an established vendor
Particle.AI
Choose Particle.AI for
- Cheap high-volume calls on DeepSeek and GLM Flash models
- 1M context at Flash-class prices
- A low-cost fallback route in Vercel AI Gateway
Cerebras vs Particle.AI at a glance
| Attribute | Cerebras |  Particle.AI |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights plus its own Particle-1 tune |
| Flagship models | GPT-OSS 120B, Qwen 3.8 27B | Particle-1, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash |
| Speed | ~3,000 tok/s on GPT-OSS 120B | ~110 tok/s on Particle-1 (Vercel AI Gateway) |
| Price | $0.35 in, $0.75 out (GPT-OSS 120B) | $0.15 in, $0.50 out (GLM 5.3 Flash); $0.25 in, $1 out (Particle-1) |
| Customization | Unknown | Unknown |
| Deployment | Shared API, dedicated, partners | Serverless API, Vercel AI Gateway |
| Long context | 131K on GPT-OSS 120B, 128K on Qwen 3.8 27B | 1M |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Cerebras and Particle.AI?
Particle.AI sells cheap Flash-class models with 1M context through Vercel. Cerebras sells top speed on GPT-OSS 120B. Price and context against speed.
When should I choose Cerebras over Particle.AI?
Voice and streaming UIs where latency is visible; Fast long outputs on GPT-OSS 120B; Production traffic that needs an established vendor.
When should I choose Particle.AI over Cerebras?
Cheap high-volume calls on DeepSeek and GLM Flash models; 1M context at Flash-class prices; A low-cost fallback route in Vercel AI Gateway.
Is Cerebras or Particle.AI cheaper?
Cerebras: $0.35 in, $0.75 out (GPT-OSS 120B). Particle.AI: $0.15 in, $0.50 out (GLM 5.3 Flash); $0.25 in, $1 out (Particle-1). The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, Cerebras or Particle.AI?
Cerebras: 131K on GPT-OSS 120B, 128K on Qwen 3.8 27B. Particle.AI: 1M.
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