Alibaba Cloud vs Runcrate
API prices for the 21 models both providers list, side by side. Prices as of October 25, 2026.
Alibaba Cloud is cheaper on 4 of the 21 models we can price on both, Runcrate on 16, and 1 cost the same. Runcrate is 22% cheaper than Alibaba Cloud on the median shared model.
Runcrate is an aggregator: it routes requests to models hosted by other providers, so a price there may be another provider's rate passed through.
Each side is its lowest listed price for the model. LLMs are compared on input + output price per 1M tokens; image, video and audio models on their per-unit price. Resolution, tier and variant can change the price. Methodology
At a glance
| Alibaba Cloud | Runcrate | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Proprietary | Aggregator |
| Models we track | 53 | 100 |
| Free tier | Free quota on select models | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3, GLM 5.3 Flash, gpt-oss 120B and Qwen3.8 Flash free with a GitHub account at least 30 days old (session cap plus weekly allowance, resets Monday) |
| OpenAI-compatible API | ||
| Function calling | ||
| JSON mode | ||
| Vision | ||
| Batch API | — | |
| Fine-tuning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | — | — |
| HIPAA | — | — |
| GDPR | — | — |
| HQ | Hangzhou, China | — |
Prices for models on both
LLM prices are input / output per 1M tokens. The cheaper side is highlighted.
LLMs (19 · Alibaba Cloud cheaper on 3, Runcrate on 15)
| Model | Alibaba Cloud | Runcrate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V3.2 DeepSeek | $0.570 / $1.71 | $0.273 / $0.399 | Runcrate −71% |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash DeepSeek | $0.200 / $0.400 | $0.095 / $0.189 | Runcrate −53% |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro DeepSeek | $1.32 / $3.96 0813 | $1.36 / $2.73 | Runcrate −22% |
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash DeepSeek | $0.300 / $1.20 | $0.147 / $0.441 | Runcrate −61% |
| GLM 5.2 Z.ai | $1.40 / $4.40 | $0.591 / $1.89 | Runcrate −57% |
| GLM 5.3 Z.ai | $1.40 / $4.40 | $0.591 / $2.63 | Runcrate −45% |
| Kimi K3 Moonshot AI | $3.00 / $15.00 | $2.99 / $14.96 | Same |
| Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B Alibaba | $1.50 / $7.50 | $0.315 / $1.05 | Runcrate −85% |
| Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct Alibaba | $0.150 / $1.20 | $0.076 / $0.924 | Runcrate −26% |
| Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct Alibaba | $0.400 / $1.60 | $0.210 / $0.924 | Runcrate −43% |
| Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct Alibaba | $0.200 / $0.800 | $0.158 / $0.630 | Runcrate −21% |
| Qwen3.5-27B Alibaba | $0.300 / $2.40 | $0.273 / $2.73 | Alibaba Cloud −10% |
| Qwen3.6 27B Alibaba | $0.600 / $3.60 | $0.336 / $3.36 | Runcrate −12% |
| Qwen3.6 35B A3B Alibaba | $0.375 / $2.25 | $0.105 / $0.998 | Runcrate −58% |
| Qwen3.7 Max Alibaba | $2.50 / $7.50 | $2.63 / $7.88 | Alibaba Cloud −5% |
| Qwen3.7 Plus Alibaba | $0.400 / $1.60 | $0.525 / $2.10 | Alibaba Cloud −24% |
| Qwen3.8 27B Alibaba | $0.500 / $3.00 | $0.158 / $1.97 | Runcrate −39% |
| Qwen3.8 Flash Alibaba | $0.150 / $0.470 | $0.119 / $0.401 | Runcrate −16% |
| Qwen3.8 Max Alibaba | $2.00 / $6.00 | $1.73 / $5.20 | Runcrate −13% |
Image generation (1 · Alibaba Cloud cheaper on 0, Runcrate on 1)
| Model | Alibaba Cloud | Runcrate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen Image Alibaba | $0.035/img | $0.032/img | Runcrate −10% |
Audio & speech (1 · Alibaba Cloud cheaper on 1, Runcrate on 0)
| Model | Alibaba Cloud | Runcrate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen 3 TTS Alibaba | $5.00/1M chars | $105.00/1M chars | Alibaba Cloud −95% |
Only on Alibaba Cloud (32)
Only on Runcrate (79)
Alibaba Cloud vs Runcrate FAQ
Is Alibaba Cloud cheaper than Runcrate?
Usually no. Alibaba Cloud is cheaper on 4 of the 21 models we can price on both, Runcrate on 16, and 1 cost the same. Runcrate is 22% cheaper than Alibaba Cloud on the median shared model.
Which has more models, Alibaba Cloud or Runcrate?
We track 53 models on Alibaba Cloud and 100 on Runcrate. 21 are on both, 32 only on Alibaba Cloud and 79 only on Runcrate.
Do Alibaba Cloud and Runcrate have a free tier?
Alibaba Cloud: yes (Free quota on select models). Runcrate: yes (DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.3, GLM 5.3 Flash, gpt-oss 120B and Qwen3.8 Flash free with a GitHub account at least 30 days old (session cap plus weekly allowance, resets Monday)).
Which models do both Alibaba Cloud and Runcrate offer?
21 models, including DeepSeek V3.2, DeepSeek V4 Flash, DeepSeek V4 Pro, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GLM 5.2, GLM 5.3 and more. The full list with both prices is in the table above.