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Groq vs Nebius
Nebius is a European GPU cloud with 60+ managed models, fine-tune serving and EU placement. Groq is a narrow, fast API on its own chip.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Groq vs Nebius: key differences
Nebius covers far more ground. Its Token Factory serves 60+ open models, including Llama, Qwen, DeepSeek, GLM, Kimi and GPT-OSS, from $0.06 per million input tokens. You can upload a fine-tuned checkpoint and serve it at the same token pricing, and the same account rents raw GPUs from H100s at $2.15 an hour preemptible up to GB300 racks. Groq serves a handful of open models on its LPU with no fine-tuned hosting and a context cap around 131K. What Groq does have is speed, publishing 500 to 1,000 tokens per second with tight tail latency.
Compliance points to Nebius for European buyers, with EU or US placement and a 99.9% SLA on dedicated endpoints. Groq lists no comparable residency options. Nebius is among the top hosts on raw throughput by Artificial Analysis measures, but Groq's chip is built for per-request latency, which matters more in voice. Nebius has no free trial and a $25 minimum first payment. Groq's outlook is the bigger unknown, given NVIDIA's hiring of its core engineers.
What Groq and Nebius do
Groq
Groq serves open models on its own chip, the LPU, which keeps model weights in on-chip SRAM and runs a deterministic schedule instead of waiting on GPU memory. Groq publishes 1,000 tokens per second on GPT-OSS 20B and 500 on GPT-OSS 120B. Latency stays tight between median and tail, which matters for strict SLAs. The API is OpenAI-compatible and also hosts Whisper for speech to text plus an agentic system called Groq Compound with built-in search and code execution.
Example models: GPT-OSS 120B, Qwen 3.6 27B
Full Groq profileNebius
Nebius is an Amsterdam-headquartered AI cloud and the strongest European alternative to the US hyperscalers. It sells raw NVIDIA GPU compute, from H100s at $2.15 an hour preemptible up to GB300 NVL72 racks, and it has begun adding Vera Rubin. Hyperscale buyers back it: a Microsoft capacity deal worth about $17.4B in September 2025, then a Meta agreement worth up to about $27B in March 2026.
Example models: DeepSeek V3, GPT-OSS
Full Nebius profileShould you choose Groq or Nebius?
Groq
Choose Groq for
- Voice agents that need the lowest per-request latency
- Fast agent sub-steps on GPT-OSS
- Cheap small-model calls with Batch discounts
Nebius
Choose Nebius for
- European workloads needing EU data placement
- Serving uploaded fine-tunes on dedicated endpoints
- Growing from token APIs into GPU training
Groq vs Nebius at a glance
| Attribute | Groq | Nebius |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights, 60+ models |
| Flagship models | GPT-OSS 120B, Qwen 3.6 27B | DeepSeek, Qwen, GLM, Kimi, GPT-OSS |
| Speed | 500–1,000 tok/s | Among top hosts on throughput |
| Price | Near the floor on small models | From $0.06 per 1M input |
| Customization | No fine-tuned model hosting | Serve uploaded fine-tunes |
| Deployment | GroqCloud API | Token Factory, dedicated, raw GPUs |
| Long context | Around 131K max | Varies by model |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Groq and Nebius?
Nebius is a European GPU cloud with 60+ managed models, fine-tune serving and EU placement. Groq is a narrow, fast API on its own chip.
When should I choose Groq over Nebius?
Voice agents that need the lowest per-request latency; Fast agent sub-steps on GPT-OSS; Cheap small-model calls with Batch discounts.
When should I choose Nebius over Groq?
European workloads needing EU data placement; Serving uploaded fine-tunes on dedicated endpoints; Growing from token APIs into GPU training.
Is Groq or Nebius cheaper?
Groq: Near the floor on small models. Nebius: From $0.06 per 1M input. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, Groq or Nebius?
Groq: Around 131K max. Nebius: Varies by model.
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