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Serverless inferenceEdition of 12 Nov 2026
Serverless Inference PricesRuncrate Reference
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Serverless inference

How to choose

Answer in brief

Choose in the order of the checklist.

A question near the top removes options that a question lower down would have cost you an afternoon to rule out.

Serverless inference pricing is per million tokens, with nothing to run yourself and input and output billed at different rates. Before you compare two prices for the same open model, check three things behind each one: the precision the model is served at, the context window, and the rate limits.

The questions, in order

  1. Is it the same model?

    Check the full name and version. A flash or smaller variant under a similar name is a different model with a different price.

  2. What precision is it served at?

    The same open model is listed at more than one precision. A reduced-precision listing can cost less and answer differently.

  3. How long is the context window?

    Hosts list the same model with different context windows. A low rate is no use if your prompt does not fit.

  4. How much can one request return?

    Each host caps the output of a single request. Long answers need a cap above what you plan to generate.

  5. What are the rate limits?

    Requests and tokens per minute decide whether the price holds at your volume. They are rarely on the price page.

  6. Which rate matters for your work?

    Input and output are billed at different rates. Weigh them by your own mix of the two.

  7. When was it read?

    Token prices change without notice. Read the date beside the price before you rely on it.

When two options look the same

Two options that pass every question are rarely equal. Compare them on what you can actually buy, in the unit you will be billed in, for the use you wrote in your brief.

Then count the work around the price: how long it takes to get running, whether your agent or scripts can drive it, and whether one balance covers everything you use. That work is paid for in hours, not on the price page.

Where Runcrate fits

Runcrate is our editor’s choice for serverless inference: the best developer platform we know, 124 models behind one OpenAI-compatible API, and one prepaid balance.

  • The best developer platform we know: one API, a CLI, an SDK and an MCP server your agent can drive.

  • 124 models behind one OpenAI-compatible API. Keep the client you have.

  • One prepaid balance pays for models, GPUs and storage.

  • Need a dedicated GPU instead? 26 GPU models from $0.23/hr, started in about four minutes.

Questions and answers

Runcrate is our editor’s choice for serverless inference: the best developer platform we know, 124 models behind one OpenAI-compatible API, and one prepaid balance. Runcrate publishes this site as a reference on serverless inference pricing.

Measure the tokens in a sample of your real requests. Then compare input and output rates for one model at the same precision, with a context window and output limit that fit.

Sources for this entry

  1. Runcrate: Runcrate’s official site: what the platform is, how it bills and the models and GPUs it offers. Read 12 Nov 2026.
  2. Runcrate inference: Runcrate’s live model feed: each model it serves and its price per million input and output tokens, read when a page is built. Read 12 Nov 2026.
  3. Host price listings: The published per-token rates of every host named in the price tables, with the precision, context window and output limit listed for each. Read 12 Nov 2026.
  4. Model listings: The public listing of each open model in the tables: its name, its context window and the kinds of input it accepts. Read 12 Nov 2026.

Checklists are original editorial guidance. Published prices do not establish availability.

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Cite this entry

Serverless Inference Prices. “How to choose.” Content reviewed 12 Nov 2026. https://serverlessinferenceprices.com/choosing