# Groq vs Relace

> Relace builds small, fast tool models for coding agents. Groq serves general open models fast. Relace handles the chores; Groq can handle the conversation.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/groq-vs-relace · By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026

## How they compare

Relace's models are utilities. relace-apply-3 merges edits at about 10,000 tokens per second with 128K tokens of input and output, its compaction model runs at 50,000 tokens per second, and its agentic search explores big codebases in parallel. Groq serves general models, GPT-OSS and Qwen 3.6, on its LPU with steady latency. There is almost no overlap in function. A coding product might send user chat and reasoning to a Groq model and route apply and search calls to Relace.

Deployment and limits point in different directions. Relace can be self-hosted with guided onboarding for enterprises that keep code in-house, which Groq does not offer. Relace returns an error past 128K tokens, and Groq's own context caps around 131K, so neither handles very large files alone. Relace also offers source control with retrieval built in. Groq's extras are Whisper and Groq Compound, which runs search and code execution server-side.

## What each one does

### 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.

### Relace

Relace trains small, fast models that act as tools for coding agents. Its best-known product is Instant Apply: a frontier model writes a lazy edit snippet, and relace-apply-3 merges it into the original file at about 10,000 tokens per second with 128K tokens of input and output. Relace says this runs over 3x faster and cheaper than having the big model rewrite the file. It exposes both a REST endpoint and an OpenAI-compatible one, and the model is also listed on OpenRouter.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Groq for

- General chat and reasoning steps at high speed
- Voice input with hosted Whisper
- Agent loops on GPT-OSS or Qwen 3.6

### Choose Relace for

- Applying AI edits in app builders
- Fast codebase search for PR review
- Self-hosted coding tools for in-house code

## At a glance

| Attribute | Groq | Relace |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Specialist models |
| Flagship models | GPT-OSS 120B, Qwen 3.6 27B | relace-apply-3, agentic search |
| Speed | 500–1,000 tok/s | ~10,000 tok/s apply |
| Price | Near the floor on small models | 3x+ cheaper than full rewrites |
| Customization | No fine-tuned model hosting | - |
| Deployment | GroqCloud API | Hosted API or self-hosted |
| Long context | Around 131K max | 128K max |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Groq and Relace?

Relace builds small, fast tool models for coding agents. Groq serves general open models fast. Relace handles the chores; Groq can handle the conversation.

### When should I choose Groq over Relace?

General chat and reasoning steps at high speed; Voice input with hosted Whisper; Agent loops on GPT-OSS or Qwen 3.6.

### When should I choose Relace over Groq?

Applying AI edits in app builders; Fast codebase search for PR review; Self-hosted coding tools for in-house code.

### Is Groq or Relace cheaper?

Groq: Near the floor on small models. Relace: 3x+ cheaper than full rewrites. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, Groq or Relace?

Groq: Around 131K max. Relace: 128K max.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs Groq](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-groq.md), [Subconscious vs Relace](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-relace.md).

Full profiles: [Groq](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/groq.md), [Relace](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/relace.md).