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Alternatives · Inference APIs

DeepSeek API alternatives, graded

thecontinuitylayer.com/alternatives/deepseek-api

12 of the 13 inference APIs on the record score higher than DeepSeek API's 2½ of 5 (grade C−): Groq (5, A+), OpenAI API (5, A+), Anthropic API (5, A+) lead the ranking. Every grade is read from the maker's own page, checked 5 November 2026, never from a review.

C−
DeepSeek API · 2½ of 5
13
inference APIs to compare
12
score higher
5 November 2026
Makers' pages checked

Every inference API on the record, ranked

DeepSeek API’s own row is shaded. The five columns are the tests a person switching asks about first; each product page has every test, with the maker’s line and the source. Where the test is about training, no is the good answer and is colored as such.

inference APIGradePriceRate limitsTrainingRetentionStatus page
Groq#1 · GroqA+5/5
OpenAI API#2 · OpenAIA+5/5
Anthropic API#3 · AnthropicA+5/5
Fireworks AI#4 · Fireworks AIA4½/5
OpenRouter#5 · OpenRouterA4½/5
DeepInfra#6 · DeepInfraA4½/5
Gemini API#7 · GoogleB+4/5
xAI API#8 · xAIB+4/5
Together AI#9 · Together AIB3½/5
Mistral API#10 · Mistral AIB3½/5
Cohere API#11 · CohereB3½/5
Baseten#12 · BasetenB3½/5
DeepSeek API#13 · DeepSeek · this oneC−2½/5
HiAPI#14 · HiAPID2/5
  • Price · Does it publish a per-token price?
  • Rate limits · Does it publish its rate limits?
  • Training · Does it train on your API prompts by default?
  • Retention · Does it say how long it keeps your prompts and outputs?
  • Status page · Does it run a public status page?

DeepSeek API alternatives, by what matters

6 inference APIs that don't train on your prompts by default

  1. A+ Groq
  2. A+ OpenAI API
  3. A+ Anthropic API
  4. A Fireworks AI
  5. B+ xAI API
  6. B Together AI

DeepSeek API's grade on this test: not stated.

8 inference APIs that publish their rate limits

  1. A+ Groq
  2. A+ OpenAI API
  3. A+ Anthropic API
  4. A OpenRouter
  5. A DeepInfra
  6. B+ xAI API
  7. B Cohere API
  8. B Baseten

DeepSeek API's grade on this test: partly.

10 inference APIs that say how long they keep your prompts

  1. A+ Groq
  2. A+ OpenAI API
  3. A+ Anthropic API
  4. A Fireworks AI
  5. A OpenRouter
  6. A DeepInfra
  7. B+ Gemini API
  8. B+ xAI API
  9. B Mistral API
  10. B Baseten

DeepSeek API's grade on this test: not stated.

What DeepSeek changed lately

  1. Server-side tool calls on the DeepSeek API, Search and Fetch, are billed at $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests from 00:00 Beijing time on 1 November 2026; they were free before. The deepseek-flash name now points to DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017, and requests to the older deepseek-v4-flash names are served by it at the Flash price.

    source

  2. On September 10, DeepSeek's pricing page said that from September 14 requests to deepseek-v4-pro would be routed to V4.1-Flash and billed at the Flash price, as part of retiring V4 Pro. A day later the same page reversed the plan: V4 Pro API service continues after September 14 with billing unchanged, citing user demand. V4 Pro output stayed at $1.98 per million tokens off-peak and $3.96 peak.

    source

Every change from DeepSeek, dated →

Alternatives to the others

The whole shelf: Inference APIs. How the grades are made: How we grade. No maker pays for a place or a grade.