TokenMix Research Lab · 2026-04-24
Running DeepSeek on Groq: Latency, Cost, Limits 2026
Last Updated: 2026-04-24
Author: TokenMix Research Lab
Groq hosts DeepSeek R1 distilled variants on their LPU (Language Processing Unit) inference platform — delivering 800+ tokens/second on R1-70B distill, ~4-5× faster than standard GPU inference. For reasoning workloads where latency matters, Groq + DeepSeek is a compelling combination. This guide covers available DeepSeek models on Groq, pricing, setup, speed benchmarks vs Cerebras and Together.ai, rate limits, and when Groq makes more sense than DeepSeek's own platform. TokenMix.ai routes DeepSeek via Groq alongside 300+ other models.
Table of Contents
- Confirmed vs Speculation
- DeepSeek Models on Groq
- Pricing
- Setup: 3 Commands
- Speed Benchmarks vs Competitors
- Rate Limits
- FAQ
Confirmed vs Speculation
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| Groq hosts DeepSeek R1 distills | Confirmed |
| R1-70B distill at 800+ tok/s on Groq | Confirmed |
| Faster than DeepSeek direct API | Yes usually |
| OpenAI-compatible endpoint | Yes |
| Free tier available | Yes (generous) |
| Supports full DeepSeek R1 (not distill) | Partial — distill variants only |
| Best for latency-sensitive | Yes |
Snapshot note (2026-04-24): Groq throughput figures (800 tok/s on R1 70B distill, 1200 on 32B, etc.) are Groq-reported plus our tests. Real throughput varies by LPU cluster state and concurrency. Rate limit tiers ($5 / $50 thresholds) are current — Groq iterates these as they scale. DeepSeek V3.2 reference pricing is $0.14 input / $0.28 output per MTok (cache-hit input $0.07) per the official DeepSeek API docs.
DeepSeek Models on Groq
| Model | Type | Size | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b | Llama-based distill | 70B | 800+ tok/s |
| deepseek-r1-distill-qwen-32b | Qwen-based distill | 32B | 1,200 tok/s |
| deepseek-r1-distill-qwen-14b | Qwen-based distill | 14B | 1,500 tok/s |
| deepseek-r1-distill-qwen-7b | Qwen-based distill | 7B | 2,000 tok/s |
Note: Groq doesn't host full DeepSeek R1 (671B) — only distilled variants. For full R1, use DeepSeek direct or TokenMix.ai routing.
Pricing
| Model | Input $/MTok | Output $/MTok |
|---|---|---|
| deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b | $0.75 | $1.00 |
| deepseek-r1-distill-qwen-32b | $0.30 | $0.50 |
| deepseek-r1-distill-qwen-14b | $0.10 | $0.15 |
| deepseek-r1-distill-qwen-7b | $0.05 | $0.08 |
Compared to DeepSeek's own API ($0.14/$0.28 for V3.2): Groq charges ~5× more on 70B distill but delivers 8× the throughput. For speed-critical workloads, the trade-off is defensible; for async/batch, stick with DeepSeek direct.
Setup: 3 Commands
# Get Groq API key at console.groq.com (free tier)
export GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_..."
# Test call
curl https://api.groq.com/openai/v1/chat/completions \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $GROQ_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b",
"messages": [{"role":"user","content":"Hello"}]
}'
Python via OpenAI SDK:
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key="your_groq_key",
base_url="https://api.groq.com/openai/v1"
)
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Explain reasoning"}]
)
Response typically returns within 1 second for 500-token responses.
Speed Benchmarks vs Competitors
Running deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b across providers:
| Provider | Throughput | TTFT | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerebras | 1800 tok/s | <100ms | Full |
| Groq | 800 tok/s | <100ms | Full |
| Together.ai | 200 tok/s | 200ms | Full |
| Fireworks | 250 tok/s | 150ms | Full |
| DeepSeek direct (full R1, not distill) | 100 tok/s | 500ms | Best quality |
Groq is middle-ground: 2× Together.ai speed, ½ Cerebras speed, comparable price tier.
Rate Limits
Groq tiers:
| Tier | Requirement | RPM | TPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Sign up | 30 | 6,000 |
| Dev | $5 spend | 120 | 60,000 |
| Pro | $50 spend | 300 | 300,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Free tier's 6,000 TPM is enough for prototyping but will hit quickly in production. Upgrade to Dev tier ($5 minimum spend) unlocks 10× capacity.
FAQ
Is distilled DeepSeek R1 as good as full R1?
No — distilled is weaker. See our benchmarks: R1 Distill 70B at ~80% AIME vs full R1 at 88%. For reasoning-critical work, use full R1 via DeepSeek direct; for speed-first, Groq's distill.
Why would I use Groq instead of DeepSeek direct?
Latency. Groq is 4-8× faster than DeepSeek direct API. For interactive applications (chat, live reasoning), speed matters. For batch / async, use DeepSeek direct for quality + cost.
How does Groq compare to Cerebras for DeepSeek?
Cerebras is ~2× faster than Groq. Groq cheaper on some models + more mature ecosystem + generous free tier. For maximum speed → Cerebras. For best price-performance + generosity → Groq.
Can I use Groq for production?
Yes. Groq has enterprise SLAs available. Pro tier ($50 spend) is enough for most production workloads. For mission-critical, negotiate enterprise contract.
Does Groq support tool use / function calling?
Yes on most models. Standard OpenAI tool schema. Compatible with LangChain, LlamaIndex, agent frameworks.
Is there a full DeepSeek R1 (not distill) on Groq?
Not as of April 2026. Full R1 requires significantly more infrastructure than distills. Groq focuses on what runs efficiently on their LPU architecture.
Can I route DeepSeek through Groq via TokenMix.ai?
Yes — TokenMix.ai supports Groq as one of the backend providers. Configure preference: "Groq when available for speed, DeepSeek direct as fallback".
Sources
- Groq Console
- Groq Models Documentation
- DeepSeek R1 vs V3 — TokenMix
- Groq API Pricing — TokenMix
- Groq Free Tier Limits — TokenMix
- Cerebras API — TokenMix
By TokenMix Research Lab · Updated 2026-04-24