LLM APIs · B-tier

Cerebras Inference

Fast inference API for open models on Cerebras hardware. A speed vendor, like Groq with a different chip.

External model signals

Cerebras Inference is scored here as a product. Two public boards rank the models it serves. Token usage informs momentum. Blind votes inform capability. Their numbers stay on their sites.

OpenRouter rankings. OpenRouter ranks models by tokens processed through the OpenRouter API. OpenRouter states that a higher token total shows how much a model is used, not which model is best for a task. That usage informs momentum.
Arena (LMArena leaderboard). Arena, also called LMArena, ranks models by blind human votes. People compare anonymous answers, and only those anonymous votes count toward the public board. Arena fits the votes with a Bradley-Terry model. Those votes inform capability. Method: Arena FAQ.

Checked 14 Oct 2026. The OpenRouter rankings page showed usage through 13 Oct 2026. Rankings data is licensed CC BY 4.0. The figures move, so StackPick links the boards. Rankings data: CC BY 4.0. How these boards enter the score.

Best for

Low-latency open-model inference when you are already benchmarking Groq.

What it is

Cerebras sells inference on its own wafer-scale hardware, exposed as an API for open models. The company is older than the public inference API. Pick it the way you pick Groq: for speed on a hosted open model, then compare the actual model list.

inferencelatencyopen-modelsLLM APIs

Score breakdown

Capability 40%80
Ease 25%70
Value 20%78
Momentum 15%74

Pricing

Freemium

Starting price: check site

Developer access and usage-based plans have been offered. Confirm the free quota on the inference console.

Dates

Released 2024 (year precision).

Added to StackPick 14 Oct 2026.

Alternatives

A-tier · 85

Groq

Chat and voice products where time-to-first-token is the constraint.

B-tier · 79

Fireworks

Production traffic on open models when you want serverless, not a cluster.

A-tier · 80

Together AI

Serving and fine-tuning open weights without operating GPUs.

Questions

What is Cerebras Inference best for?

Low-latency open-model inference when you are already benchmarking Groq.

How much does Cerebras Inference cost?

Freemium. Starting price: check site. Developer access and usage-based plans have been offered. Confirm the free quota on the inference console.

What are alternatives to Cerebras Inference?

Groq, Fireworks, Together AI are the alternatives we file next to it. Open a comparison when one exists.

How do model leaderboards relate to Cerebras Inference?

Cerebras Inference is scored here as a product. OpenRouter rankings (https://openrouter.ai/rankings) inform momentum from token usage. Arena (https://arena.ai) informs capability from blind votes on the models it serves. Figures stay on those sites.