# Subconscious vs DeepInfra

> DeepInfra has the lowest per-token prices, partly through heavy quantization. Subconscious keeps the whole trace and bills only the tokens it processes.

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

## How they compare

Both promise cheaper open-model inference, through opposite mechanisms. DeepInfra cuts the price of each token, with Llama 3.1 8B at $0.02 per million and DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.09 in and $0.18 out, partly through heavy quantization. That quantization has a cost for agents. OpenRouter tags some DeepInfra endpoints as FP4, and some reviewers report weaker output unless they pin FP8 variants. Subconscious cuts the number of tokens billed instead. It prunes the KV cache, bills tokens processed after compression, and delivers a 5M+ effective context window with neutral to 10% better scores on agentic benchmarks.

For bulk extraction, tagging, synthetic data and budget chat backends, DeepInfra is hard to beat. Its 150+ model catalog is broad, there are no minimums or contracts, and short requests gain little from Subconscious anyway. The balance flips once an agent's context climbs toward 200K and beyond. At that point the bill grows with every token of the trace, while Subconscious serves the long trace, bills a fraction of it, and delivers 2x faster task completion. A reasonable split is batch jobs on DeepInfra and long-horizon agents on Subconscious.

## What each one does

### Subconscious

Subconscious is an MIT CSAIL spinout in Kendall Square that builds inference for long-horizon agents, the workloads where a single trace runs past 200K tokens and often into the millions. Its runtime drops in as a replacement for vLLM or SGLang. Instead of rereading an ever-growing context on every step, it prunes the KV cache and preserves suffix state, and Subconscious co-designs the runtime with post-trained model variants it calls Marathon. Against open models on standard inference, Subconscious delivers 2x faster task completion, delivers a 5M+ effective context window, cuts cost 50% and up to 80%, and scores neutral to 10% better on agentic benchmarks.

### DeepInfra

DeepInfra is the price floor for open-model inference. Developers treat it as the reference point for what a token should cost, with small models like Llama 3.1 8B at $0.02 per million and DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.09 in and $0.18 out. The catalog covers 150+ open models across text, image and speech behind a fully OpenAI-compatible API. There are no minimums, setup fees or contracts on the shared API.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Subconscious for

- Agents whose context climbs past 200K tokens
- Long traces that must keep their history
- Cutting billed tokens rather than chasing per-token price

### Choose DeepInfra for

- Bulk extraction, tagging and synthetic data at the lowest token price
- A broad 150+ model catalog with no minimums
- Short, cost-first requests

## At a glance

| Attribute | Subconscious | DeepInfra |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights |
| Flagship models | GLM 5.3, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | DeepSeek V4 Flash, Llama 3.1 8B |
| Speed | 2x faster task completion | - |
| Price | 50–80% lower cost; billed on processed tokens | From $0.02 per 1M |
| Customization | Marathon post-trained variants | No managed fine-tuning |
| Deployment | Managed API, dedicated, on-prem | Shared API, no contracts |
| Long context | 5M+ effective context | 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Subconscious and DeepInfra?

DeepInfra has the lowest per-token prices, partly through heavy quantization. Subconscious keeps the whole trace and bills only the tokens it processes.

### When should I choose Subconscious over DeepInfra?

Agents whose context climbs past 200K tokens; Long traces that must keep their history; Cutting billed tokens rather than chasing per-token price.

### When should I choose DeepInfra over Subconscious?

Bulk extraction, tagging and synthetic data at the lowest token price; A broad 150+ model catalog with no minimums; Short, cost-first requests.

### Is Subconscious or DeepInfra cheaper?

Subconscious: 50–80% lower cost; billed on processed tokens. DeepInfra: From $0.02 per 1M. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, Subconscious or DeepInfra?

Subconscious: 5M+ effective context. DeepInfra: 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro.

## Try Subconscious

Subconscious speaks the OpenAI and Anthropic API formats. Base URL: https://api.subconscious.dev/v1. Docs: https://docs.subconscious.dev. Get an API key: https://platform.subconscious.dev/signin. Agent guide: https://www.subconscious.dev/agents.md.

Full profiles: [Subconscious](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/subconscious.md), [DeepInfra](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/deepinfra.md).