Cerebras Inference review

Cerebras Inference sells speed. Its Developer tier lists GPT OSS 120B at about 3,000 tokens per second and Qwen 3.8 27B at about 1,850, far above typical GPU serving, through an OpenAI-compatible API at api.cerebras.ai/v1. The docs cover reasoning, streaming, structured outputs, tool calling and prompt caching, with image inputs in preview, and the service is also sold through AWS Marketplace, OpenRouter, Hugging Face and Vercel. Pricing is simple: GPT OSS 120B is $0.35 per 1M input tokens and $0.75 output, and a valid payment method unlocks a one-time $5 credit that expires after 30 days. The limits are real. The self-serve tier offers two models, Cerebras says it is meant for development and evaluation rather than production, and production capacity, higher rate limits and custom weights need an Enterprise quote. The same GPT OSS 120B call is cheaper at Novita, Baseten, Together and Fireworks.

Who it is for

Developers building voice, coding or agent features where output speed matters more than catalog size.

Price

Developer tier pay as you go; GPT OSS 120B at $0.35 per 1M input tokens and $0.75 output; Enterprise by quote.

$0.35/M tokens
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 7, 2026.

Key features

• GPT OSS 120B at about 3,000 tokens per second on the Developer tier
• OpenAI-compatible API at api.cerebras.ai/v1
• Reasoning, streaming, structured outputs, tool calling and prompt caching
• Dedicated inference with reserved capacity for production
• Access through AWS Marketplace, OpenRouter, Hugging Face and Vercel

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: The fastest published output speed on this list
• Strength: Drop-in OpenAI-compatible endpoint
• Strength: One-time $5 promotional credit to start
• Weakness: Only two models on the self-serve Developer tier
• Weakness: Cerebras says the Developer tier is not intended for production
• Weakness: GPT OSS 120B costs more here than at Novita, Baseten or Together

Key facts

• GPT OSS 120B speed: About 3,000 tokens per second
• GPT OSS 120B price: $0.35 input, $0.75 output per 1M tokens
• Developer models: GPT OSS 120B, Qwen 3.8 27B
• Starter credit: $5 one time, expires after 30 days

Where it ranks

Cerebras Inference is No. 8 in our Best AI Inference Platforms verdict.