Cerebras review
Updated September 28, 2026 · DeployCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Cerebras suits developers who want one direct, OpenAI-compatible endpoint instead of a model catalogue to shop across. The listed lineup is short, gpt oss 120b and qwen 3.8 27b, with a context window of 131,000, SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and CCPA published, and a free credit grant once a payment method is verified.
Key facts
- Best for
- A tight, OpenAI-compatible endpoint for teams that need only a small set of open-weight models.
- Models offered
- GPT-OSS-120b, Qwen-3.8-27b↗
- Largest context window
- 131,000↗
- Free credits
- $5 in free credits after adding a verified payment method; credits expire 30 days after grant↗
- OpenAI-compatible API
- Yes↗
- Compliance certifications
- SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, CCPA↗
- Legal entity
- Cerebras Systems Inc.↗
- Headquarters
- United States↗
- Founded
- 2015↗
- Support channels
- Email, Community↗
- Official website
- cerebras.ai
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 6 sources
Pricing
Cerebras gpt-oss-120b (USD)
input-tokens: $0.35 / million
Cerebras gpt-oss-120b (USD)
output-tokens: $0.75 / million
Pros and cons
Pros
- The API is OpenAI-compatible, so existing client code and request shapes carry over with small changes.
- Free credits land after a verified payment method is added, which covers an opening test run.
- A context window of 131,000 handles long documents and large code dumps in one pass.
- Published SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and CCPA help buyers clear internal review.
Cons
- Support runs on email and community, and no live chat or phone line is listed.
- Model choice is limited to gpt oss 120b and qwen 3.8 27b, with no other families to add later.
- On the largest context window, Cerebras ranks 65 of 72 among the brands compared.
Who it suits
- Developers already speaking the OpenAI SDK who want the same client against a smaller set of models.
- Teams handling long documents or sizeable code, given a context window of 131,000.
- Buyers who need SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and CCPA on record before an account is approved.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who needs breadth: Azure AI Foundry lists gpt 6 astra, gpt 6 luna and gpt 6 sol for one account.
- Open-weight shoppers after a different menu, since Salad lists qwen3.6 35b a3b, qwen3.6 27b and qwen3.5 9b.
- Teams shopping mainly on context size, where Supascale AI lists DeepSeek V4 Pro, GPT 5.6 Sol and GPT 5.6 Terra and a wider choice of windows.
What it does well
Cerebras keeps the catalogue to gpt oss 120b and qwen 3.8 27b rather than a long list of hosted families, and the endpoint is OpenAI-compatible, so the same client code and request shapes carry over. The largest context window is 131,000, which suits long documents and sizeable code dumps without chunking work into pieces. For a team that needs a small set of open-weight models, that narrowness is a feature rather than a gap.
How Cerebras compares
Cerebras vs BytePlus8.6 vs 8.7
Cerebras vs Zhipu AI (Z.ai)8.6 vs 9.4
Cerebras vs ScalaHosting8.6 vs 8.3
Cerebras vs Cloudways8.6 vs 9.2
Cerebras vs PlanetHoster8.6 vs 8.7
Cerebras vs Acronis8.6 vs 9.9
Cerebras vs Decodo8.6 vs 9.1
Cerebras vs Hostinger8.6 vs 9.1- Cerebras vs MarsProxies8.6 vs 9.0
Cerebras vs Proton Drive8.6 vs 8.3
Frequently asked questions
Which models are on the Cerebras inference API?+
The published lineup is gpt oss 120b and qwen 3.8 27b, a deliberately short list rather than a broad family catalogue. That keeps integration simple, but model choice is fixed and no frontier closed model is reachable through the same endpoint.
How much context can a single request hold?+
The largest context window is 131,000, enough for long documents and sizeable code files in one pass. On the site's largest-context ranking Cerebras sits at 65 of 72, so buyers focused only on context size will find larger options elsewhere.
Can I use existing OpenAI code against Cerebras?+
Yes. The API is OpenAI-compatible, so the same client library, request body and streaming calls work against it with a changed base URL and key. That removes most of the rewrite usually involved when a team moves off a single-vendor endpoint.
Is there a free trial for the API?+
There are free credits rather than a time-limited trial. They are granted once you add a verified payment method, and they expire after a waiting period, so an opening test run is covered while ongoing use still needs a paid plan.
How do I get help when a call fails?+
Support runs on email and community. That means email plus a community forum rather than a live chat line or a phone number, which suits developers who are comfortable debugging against documentation and peers.
Which compliance certifications are published?+
Cerebras publishes SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and CCPA on its trust site. That mix pairs a security audit standard with privacy rules, which is what most enterprise buyers ask to see before an account is approved.
Who runs the service and where is it based?+
The service is run by Cerebras Systems Inc., headquartered in the United States and founded in 2015. One corporate entity behind the API keeps the contract and the inference endpoint with a single counterparty, without a reseller in between.
How do prices sit against the rest of the category?+
The category median entry price across the llm-api ranking is €3.07, with a median input price from of €0.08 and a median output price from of €0.23. Cerebras sells on a narrow model list, so check the input and output rates on gpt oss 120b and qwen 3.8 27b against those site medians.
Sources
- cerebras.ai checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, OpenAI-compatible API
“1237 E. Arques Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94085”
- cerebras.ai/company checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“Since our founding in 2015, Cerebras has consistently innovated at the edge of what's possible in AI computing.”
- cerebras.ai/terms-of-service checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Support channels
“Cerebras Systems Inc. Effective August 27, 2024”
- inference-docs.cerebras.ai/console/account-billing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Free credits
“New accounts receive $5 in free credits after adding a verified payment method. Credits expire 30 days after they're granted and can be used across all public models.”
- inference-docs.cerebras.ai/models/overview checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Largest context window, Models offered
“OpenAI GPT OSS | gpt-oss-120b | 120 billion | 65k / 131k”
- trust.cerebras.ai checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Compliance certifications
“Compliance - SOC 2 Type 2 - GDPR - CCPA”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Input price from, Output price from.
Cerebras
A tight, OpenAI-compatible endpoint for teams that need only a small set of open-weight models.