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Meta vs Particle.AI
Both offer 1M context at low prices. Meta sells its own closed Muse Spark; Particle AI serves cheap Flash-class open models through Vercel AI Gateway.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Meta vs Particle.AI: key differences
On price, Particle AI undercuts Meta's standard tier. Its own API lists GLM 5.3 Flash at $0.15 in and $0.50 out and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at $0.25 in and $1 out, all with 1M context and cache reads at $0.03 per million. Meta's Muse Spark 1.3 costs $1.25 in and $4.25 out with 1M context, and cached input at $0.15. Meta's Contributor tier, at $0.10 in and $0.20 out, is cheaper than any Particle model, but only if Meta can train on your traffic.
The bigger difference is what each company is. Particle is a very early startup, still hiring its founding team, with a tiny catalog, little public track record and slow latency on some listings, like about 1.9 seconds to first token on Particle-1 via Vercel AI Gateway. Meta is a giant, but its Model API has a short record of its own. Meta brings a stronger agentic model plus image and speech APIs. Particle works best as a cheap fallback route inside a multi-provider gateway.
What Meta and Particle.AI do
Meta
Meta has moved from open Llama releases toward its own closed API. Meta Superintelligence Labs builds the Muse family, and in July 2026 Meta launched the Meta Model API with Muse Spark 1.1, a multimodal reasoning model aimed at agentic coding, tool use and computer use. At Meta Connect in September, Meta made the API generally available globally. Muse Spark 1.3 has a 1M token context and costs $1.25 in and $4.25 out per million tokens, with cached input at $0.15. Muse Wonder, released October 12, 2026, sits above it for longer, harder agent work at $4 in and $20 out, also with 1M context. The endpoint speaks OpenAI Chat Completions, Anthropic Messages and a stateful agentic format.
Example models: Muse Wonder, Muse Spark 1.3, Muse Spark Open
Full Meta 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 Meta or Particle.AI?
Meta
Choose Meta for
- A single agentic model for coding and computer use
- Images and transcription next to text
- Near-free prototyping when data sharing is acceptable
Particle.AI
Choose Particle.AI for
- Low list prices on DeepSeek and GLM Flash models
- A price-optimized route in Vercel AI Gateway
- High-volume calls with 1M context
Meta vs Particle.AI at a glance
| Attribute | Meta |  Particle.AI |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Closed API; open Muse Spark Open and Glimmer | Open weights plus its own Particle-1 tune |
| Flagship models | Muse Wonder, Muse Spark 1.3, Muse Spark Open | Particle-1, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash |
| Speed | ~145–233 tok/s on Muse Spark 1.3 | ~110 tok/s on Particle-1 (Vercel AI Gateway) |
| Price | $1.25–$4 in, $4.25–$20 out; Contributor tier cheaper | $0.15 in, $0.50 out (GLM 5.3 Flash); $0.25 in, $1 out (Particle-1) |
| Customization | Open Muse weights to fine-tune | Unknown |
| Deployment | Meta Model API, Oracle Cloud | Serverless API, Vercel AI Gateway |
| Long context | 1M | 1M |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Meta and Particle.AI?
Both offer 1M context at low prices. Meta sells its own closed Muse Spark; Particle AI serves cheap Flash-class open models through Vercel AI Gateway.
When should I choose Meta over Particle.AI?
A single agentic model for coding and computer use; Images and transcription next to text; Near-free prototyping when data sharing is acceptable.
When should I choose Particle.AI over Meta?
Low list prices on DeepSeek and GLM Flash models; A price-optimized route in Vercel AI Gateway; High-volume calls with 1M context.
Is Meta or Particle.AI cheaper?
Meta: $1.25–$4 in, $4.25–$20 out; Contributor tier cheaper. 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, Meta or Particle.AI?
Meta: 1M. Particle.AI: 1M.
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