# DeepInfra vs Cloudflare Workers AI

> DeepInfra is the per-token price floor across 150+ open models. Cloudflare Workers AI costs more on some models but serves DeepSeek V4 Pro at full 1M context.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/deepinfra-vs-cloudflare-workers-ai · By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026

## How they compare

DeepInfra competes on price and wins it on small models: Llama 3.1 8B at $0.02 per million and DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.14 in and $0.28 out, with no minimums or contracts. Its catalog of 150+ models is about three times Cloudflare's 50+. Cloudflare counters with a daily free allocation of 10,000 Neurons and per-token rates that undercut many GPU hosts on gpt-oss and Llama models. The difference shows on DeepSeek V4 Pro. DeepInfra serves it in FP4 with context capped at 66K tokens and around 33 tokens per second. Cloudflare serves the full 1,048,576 token context at $1.32 in and $3.96 out, which matters for long-context agents.

Quality control is a practical concern on DeepInfra. Its heavy default quantization can cut quality and context, and some reviewers report weaker output unless they pin FP8 variants. Cloudflare's LoRA support is limited to smaller, non-quantized models, but it at least offers bring-your-own adapters, while DeepInfra has no managed fine-tuning. Cloudflare also bundles Workers, storage, the Agents SDK and AI Gateway, where DeepInfra is a plain OpenAI-compatible API. Cloudflare's weak spots are capacity queuing and a Workers Paid requirement for large models. Pick DeepInfra for bulk, cost-first jobs on small models. Pick Cloudflare for long-context work and apps already on its platform.

## What each one does

### DeepInfra

DeepInfra is the price floor for open-model inference. Developers treat it as the reference point for what a token should cost, with small models like Llama 3.1 8B at $0.02 per million and DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.14 in and $0.28 out. The catalog covers 150+ open models across text, image and speech behind a fully OpenAI-compatible API. There are no minimums, setup fees or contracts on the shared API.

### Cloudflare Workers AI

Workers AI is the serverless GPU inference service of Cloudflare, which was founded in 2009. It launched in September 2023 and reached general availability in April 2024. Models run on GPUs inside Cloudflare's own network and are called from a Worker through an AI binding or over REST, including OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions and Embeddings endpoints plus a Responses endpoint for gpt-oss. The catalog lists 50+ open models. Since Kimi K2.5 arrived in March 2026 it has carried frontier-scale LLMs: Kimi K2.6 and K2.7 Code, GLM 5.2 and 5.3, DeepSeek V4 Pro and Flash, gpt-oss 120B and 20B, Qwen 3.8 27B and Llama 4 Scout. DeepSeek V4, added August 14, 2026, was the first to offer the full 1,048,576 token context.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose DeepInfra for

- Bulk tagging and extraction at the lowest price
- Choosing from 150+ open models
- Budget backends for consumer chat apps

### Choose Cloudflare Workers AI for

- Full-context DeepSeek V4 Pro instead of a 66K cap
- LoRA adapters on smaller models
- Inference bundled with Workers and AI Gateway

## At a glance

| Attribute | DeepInfra | Cloudflare Workers AI |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights |
| Flagship models | DeepSeek V4 Flash, Llama 3.1 8B | DeepSeek V4 Pro, GLM 5.3, Kimi K2.7 Code, gpt-oss 120B |
| Speed | ~33 tok/s on DeepSeek V4 Pro (FP4) | - |
| Price | From $0.02 per 1M | $0.011 per 1K Neurons; 10K free daily |
| Customization | No managed fine-tuning | BYO LoRA on small models (beta) |
| Deployment | Shared API, no contracts | Serverless on Cloudflare network |
| Long context | 66K on FP4 DeepSeek V4 Pro | 1M on DeepSeek V4; 262K on Kimi |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between DeepInfra and Cloudflare Workers AI?

DeepInfra is the per-token price floor across 150+ open models. Cloudflare Workers AI costs more on some models but serves DeepSeek V4 Pro at full 1M context.

### When should I choose DeepInfra over Cloudflare Workers AI?

Bulk tagging and extraction at the lowest price; Choosing from 150+ open models; Budget backends for consumer chat apps.

### When should I choose Cloudflare Workers AI over DeepInfra?

Full-context DeepSeek V4 Pro instead of a 66K cap; LoRA adapters on smaller models; Inference bundled with Workers and AI Gateway.

### Is DeepInfra or Cloudflare Workers AI cheaper?

DeepInfra: From $0.02 per 1M. Cloudflare Workers AI: $0.011 per 1K Neurons; 10K free daily. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, DeepInfra or Cloudflare Workers AI?

DeepInfra: 66K on FP4 DeepSeek V4 Pro. Cloudflare Workers AI: 1M on DeepSeek V4; 262K on Kimi.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs DeepInfra](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-deepinfra.md), [Subconscious vs Cloudflare Workers AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-cloudflare-workers-ai.md).

Full profiles: [DeepInfra](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/deepinfra.md), [Cloudflare Workers AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/cloudflare-workers-ai.md).
