# OpenAI vs Inference.net

> Inference.net sells a path off closed APIs: route traffic, capture it, then distill a smaller model. It can sit in front of OpenAI before replacing parts of it.

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

## How they compare

Inference.net positions itself as the exit ramp from APIs like OpenAI's. Its Inference Gateway routes traffic to open, closed or custom models under one key and captures every request, turning that traffic into eval and training datasets. From there it fine-tunes a task-specific model and deploys it on a dedicated GPU with a 99.99% uptime target. The target is a narrow GPT-class workload that a smaller model can handle with lower cost and latency. OpenAI's broad lineup, from Luna to Astra, stays the source of general capability.

For bulk jobs, both sell batch. OpenAI's Batch halves every price. Inference.net's OpenAI-compatible Batch API takes up to 1M requests per file, with completion windows from 24 hours to 7 days, running on spare GPU capacity it buys at steep discounts. The trade-off is evidence: few independent benchmarks or public pricing comparisons exist, so buyers depend on Inference.net's own numbers, while OpenAI publishes its costs per tier. A sensible pattern keeps OpenAI for open-ended work and tests Inference.net on one high-volume, narrow task.

## What each one does

### OpenAI

OpenAI runs the most widely adopted closed-model API. Its September 2026 lineup has GPT-6 Astra at the top for computer use, coding and long agentic runs, priced at $10 in and $50 out per million tokens. Below it sits the GPT-5.6 family: Sol for hard professional work, Terra as the balanced default, and Luna for high-volume jobs at $0.20 in and $1.20 out. All of them carry a 1.05M token context window with up to 128K output.

### Inference.net

Inference.net started as a buyer of last resort for idle GPU time. Its scheduler aggregates small unused chunks of capacity across data centers and runs models on them, and it passes the steep discounts it gets from those data centers on to customers. That origin still shows in its OpenAI-compatible Batch API, which takes up to 1M requests per file with completion windows from 24 hours to 7 days and far higher headroom than synchronous limits.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose OpenAI for

- Open-ended reasoning, chat and computer use
- Teams that want published per-tier pricing
- Agents built on hosted tools

### Choose Inference.net for

- Distilling a narrow GPT workload into a cheaper custom model
- Offline extraction and synthetic data on spare GPU capacity
- Capturing production traffic as training data

## At a glance

| Attribute | OpenAI | Inference.net |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Closed, plus open gpt-oss | Open, closed and custom |
| Flagship models | GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra, Luna | Customer fine-tunes |
| Speed | Fast mode: up to 2.5x at 2x price | Batch windows of 24h to 7 days |
| Price | $0.20–$10 in, $1.20–$50 out per 1M | Discounted spare GPU capacity |
| Customization | N/A | Distill traces into custom models |
| Deployment | API, Azure OpenAI, Bedrock | Batch API, gateway, dedicated GPUs |
| Long context | 1.05M; 2x input past 272K | Varies by model |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between OpenAI and Inference.net?

Inference.net sells a path off closed APIs: route traffic, capture it, then distill a smaller model. It can sit in front of OpenAI before replacing parts of it.

### When should I choose OpenAI over Inference.net?

Open-ended reasoning, chat and computer use; Teams that want published per-tier pricing; Agents built on hosted tools.

### When should I choose Inference.net over OpenAI?

Distilling a narrow GPT workload into a cheaper custom model; Offline extraction and synthetic data on spare GPU capacity; Capturing production traffic as training data.

### Is OpenAI or Inference.net cheaper?

OpenAI: $0.20–$10 in, $1.20–$50 out per 1M. Inference.net: Discounted spare GPU capacity. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, OpenAI or Inference.net?

OpenAI: 1.05M; 2x input past 272K. Inference.net: Varies by model.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs OpenAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-openai.md), [Subconscious vs Inference.net](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-inference-net.md).

Full profiles: [OpenAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/openai.md), [Inference.net](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/inference-net.md).