OpenAI API Alternatives
OpenAI is fine on its own — but here is every other provider we route to, compared on price, wire compatibility, and what a migration would actually cost in engineering time. We route to all 11, so this table has no reason to steer you anywhere in particular.
Provider comparison
| Provider | Median price/M | Median tok/s | Effort | Operational trade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $0.11 | 108 | rewrite | No operational facts lost vs the source provider |
| Groq | $0.26 | 780 | config | Loses: no prompt caching, no published SLA |
| DeepSeek | $0.36 | 100 | config | Loses: no batch discount, no documented data residency, no published SLA |
| Mistral | $0.45 | 118 | config | Loses: no prompt caching |
| Cerebras | $1.41 | 2215 | config | Loses: no prompt caching, no batch discount, no published SLA |
| Z.ai | $2.15 | — | config | Loses: no prompt caching, no batch discount, no documented data residency, no published SLA |
| Qwen | $2.80 | 49 | code-change | Loses: no prompt caching, no batch discount, no published SLA |
| xAI | $3.00 | 98 | config | Loses: no prompt caching, no batch discount, no documented data residency, no published SLA |
| $3.38 | 114 | code-change | No operational facts lost vs the source provider | |
| Anthropic | $8.00 | 67 | code-change | Loses: no documented data residency |
What your OpenAI stack becomes
The closest cross-provider alternative for each of OpenAI's top current models by price.
| OpenAI model | Closest alternative | Effort | Price Δ | Biggest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.6 Sol | Gemini 3.6 Flash (Google) | code-change | -70% | Max output drops from 128,000 to 64,000 tokens |
| GPT-5.6 Terra | Gemini 3.6 Flash (Google) | code-change | -25% | Max output drops from 128,000 to 64,000 tokens |
| GPT-5.6 Luna | Gemini 3.6 Flash (Google) | code-change | +650% | None significant |
FAQ
What's the easiest provider to switch to from OpenAI?
Groq — a config change, since it's fully OpenAI-compatible like OpenAI.
Is switching away from OpenAI worth it?
Depends on the model. Check the model-mapping table below: each of OpenAI's current models is matched against its closest cross-provider alternative, with the price delta and what you'd give up.
Do I have to pick one provider?
No — All AI Ask routes to OpenAI and every provider in the table below through one API key, so you can compare live instead of committing upfront.