vs
Relace vs Particle.AI
Particle.AI serves cheap Flash-class general models with 1M context; Relace serves specialist apply and search models capped at 128K. A cheap main model and a fast tool layer.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
Relace vs Particle.AI: key differences
Particle.AI sells general text models cheaply. On its own API it lists Particle-1, its own V4.1 Flash tune, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at $0.25 in and $1 out, and GLM 5.3 Flash at $0.15 in and $0.50 out, all with 1M context and cache reads at $0.03 per million. Relace sells coding utilities. relace-apply-3 merges edits at about 10,000 tokens per second with a 128K cap, and Relace also offers agentic codebase search and a compaction model at 50,000 tokens per second.
A budget coding agent could route its reasoning to a Flash model on Particle and its file edits to Relace. Particle covers large inputs that Relace cannot, and Relace cuts the output a general model would spend rewriting whole files. Particle is a very early company with a tiny catalog and some slow listings, like about 1.9 seconds to first token on Particle-1 via Vercel AI Gateway. Relace hosts only a few open models beyond its tools, but offers self-hosted deployment. Choose by role, not by price.
What Relace and Particle.AI do
Relace
Relace started out training small, fast models that act as tools for coding agents, and by October 2026 its homepage led with open-model inference instead. It says it served 30 trillion tokens in the 30 days to late October and ranks among the top providers on OpenRouter. The hosted catalog covers DeepSeek V4 Pro, V4 Flash and V4.1 Flash, Kimi K3, GLM 5.3, GLM 5.3 Flash and GLM 5.2 over OpenAI and Anthropic compatible APIs, billed per token with no subscription. Prices run from $0.07 in and $0.14 out per million tokens on DeepSeek V4 Flash to $2.00 in and $14.00 out on Kimi K3, and Relace says it reprices often.
Example models: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, Kimi K3, GLM 5.3, relace-apply-3
Full Relace 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 Relace or Particle.AI?
Relace
Choose Relace for
- Fast file edits and code search
- Self-hosted tooling for private repos
- Offloading chores from the main model
Particle.AI
Choose Particle.AI for
- Cheap general reasoning with 1M context
- Flash-class models through Vercel AI Gateway
- Inputs larger than 128K tokens
Relace vs Particle.AI at a glance
| Attribute | Relace |  Particle.AI |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights, plus specialist coding models | Open weights plus its own Particle-1 tune |
| Flagship models | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, Kimi K3, GLM 5.3, relace-apply-3 | Particle-1, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash |
| Speed | ~10,000 tok/s apply | ~110 tok/s on Particle-1 (Vercel AI Gateway) |
| Price | $0.07 in, $0.50 out (DeepSeek V4.1 Flash) | $0.15 in, $0.50 out (GLM 5.3 Flash); $0.25 in, $1 out (Particle-1) |
| Customization | Unknown | Unknown |
| Deployment | Hosted API, OpenRouter or self-hosted | Serverless API, Vercel AI Gateway |
| Long context | 128K on apply; varies by open model | 1M |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Relace and Particle.AI?
Particle.AI serves cheap Flash-class general models with 1M context; Relace serves specialist apply and search models capped at 128K. A cheap main model and a fast tool layer.
When should I choose Relace over Particle.AI?
Fast file edits and code search; Self-hosted tooling for private repos; Offloading chores from the main model.
When should I choose Particle.AI over Relace?
Cheap general reasoning with 1M context; Flash-class models through Vercel AI Gateway; Inputs larger than 128K tokens.
Is Relace or Particle.AI cheaper?
Relace: $0.07 in, $0.50 out (DeepSeek V4.1 Flash). 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, Relace or Particle.AI?
Relace: 128K on apply; varies by open model. Particle.AI: 1M.
Related comparisons
Running long-horizon agents?
If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious. Our inference stack treats a long-horizon trace as the primary workload, so speed, cost, and accuracy hold up deep into the trace.