Glossary
Cached input
Answer in brief
Cached input is the repeated opening of a prompt that a host has already processed, billed at a lower rate than fresh input.
Cached input in practice
It applies when requests start with the same tokens within a short time: a long system prompt, tool descriptions or a fixed document.
Only the repeated part gets the lower rate. New input and all output are billed as usual.
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.
Cached input is the repeated opening of a prompt that a host has already processed, billed at a lower rate than fresh input.
Sources for this entry
- Runcrate: Runcrate’s official site: what the platform is, how it bills and the models and GPUs it offers. Read 12 Nov 2026.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. “Cached input.” Content reviewed 12 Nov 2026. https://serverlessinferenceprices.com/glossary/cached-input