# Particle.AI vs OpenScale

> Particle.AI serves Flash-class open models through Vercel AI Gateway. OpenScale sells DeepSeek V4.1 Flash direct at lower promotional prices.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/particle-ai-vs-openscale · By The Subconscious Team · Updated October 11, 2026

## How they compare

Particle.AI is an early San Francisco startup whose models show up on Vercel AI Gateway, with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at $0.25 in and $1 out at about 193 tokens per second, GLM 5.3 Flash at $0.10 in and $0.40 out, and cache reads at $0.03 per million, all with 1M context. OpenScale, a Y Combinator-backed API out of Singapore, serves DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at $0.06 in, $0.003 cached and $0.24 out per million tokens under a 50% promotion, at 200+ tokens per second, with a fast tier at about twice the speed.

Both are young companies with tiny catalogs. Particle.AI is the pick for teams already on Vercel AI Gateway or that want GLM 5.3 Flash. OpenScale is the pick for the lower direct price on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and ready-made setups for coding agents.

## What each one does

### 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.

### OpenScale

OpenScale is a Y Combinator-backed inference API built by LatentSpace and run out of Singapore. It sells open models behind one endpoint that speaks Chat Completions, the OpenAI Responses API and Anthropic Messages, so Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cline, GitHub Copilot, Zed and other coding agents can point at it with a base URL and key. Its public catalog today is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash in two versions, standard and fast, both with a 1M token context window and up to 384K output tokens.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Particle.AI for

- Teams already using Vercel AI Gateway
- GLM 5.3 Flash
- A price-optimized gateway route

### Choose OpenScale for

- Lower prices on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
- Direct API for coding agents
- Zero data retention by default

## At a glance

| Attribute | Particle.AI | OpenScale |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights |
| Flagship models | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash |
| Speed | ~193 tok/s on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | 200+ tok/s; fast tier ~2x |
| Price | $0.10 in, $0.40 out (GLM 5.3 Flash) | $0.06 in, $0.24 out (promo, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash) |
| Customization | - | N/A |
| Deployment | Via Vercel AI Gateway | Serverless API |
| Long context | 1M | 1M context |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Particle.AI and OpenScale?

Particle.AI serves Flash-class open models through Vercel AI Gateway. OpenScale sells DeepSeek V4.1 Flash direct at lower promotional prices.

### When should I choose Particle.AI over OpenScale?

Teams already using Vercel AI Gateway; GLM 5.3 Flash; A price-optimized gateway route.

### When should I choose OpenScale over Particle.AI?

Lower prices on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash; Direct API for coding agents; Zero data retention by default.

### Is Particle.AI or OpenScale cheaper?

Particle.AI: $0.10 in, $0.40 out (GLM 5.3 Flash). OpenScale: $0.06 in, $0.24 out (promo, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash). The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, Particle.AI or OpenScale?

Particle.AI: 1M. OpenScale: 1M context.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs Particle.AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-particle-ai.md), [Subconscious vs OpenScale](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-openscale.md).

Full profiles: [Particle.AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/particle-ai.md), [OpenScale](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/openscale.md).