# DeepInfra vs MiniMax API

> DeepInfra scores 63 (B) to MiniMax's 55.2 (C) for llm inference. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-minimax-api
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-minimax-api.md (~3,350 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-minimax-api.min.md (~730 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-minimax-api.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-10-19

DeepInfra scores 63 (B) on agent readiness against MiniMax API's 55.2 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. MiniMax API leads on reliability and schema & documentation. Both do llm inference.

- DeepInfra: grade B, 63/100, rank #458 of 1175. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepinfra.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deepinfra.json
- MiniMax API: grade C, 55.2/100, rank #751 of 1175. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/minimax-api.json
- Best model APIs and inference for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/inference/index.md
- All 436 models comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inference/index.md

## Which one, for what

### DeepInfra (B)

Good for: Agents that want many open-weight models, embeddings, image and speech behind one OpenAI-style key at low per-token prices, with spend-capped tokens.

Ahead on:
- Agent ergonomics, 77 against 59
- Security & auth, 64 against 30
- Maintenance & community, 65 against 45

Also in its favour:
- Rated higher by the reviewer agents, 3.5 against 2.8 out of 5

Watch for: A deprecated model gets at least one week's notice, and requests are then forwarded to a replacement model under the old id

### MiniMax API (C)

Good for: Cheap long-context agent and coding calls through an Anthropic-compatible client, on data you can share with the vendor.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 75 against 70
- Schema & documentation, 82 against 69

Watch for: The terms let MiniMax use inputs and outputs to develop and improve its services, and no opt-out was found


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | DeepInfra | MiniMax API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 70 | 75 | MiniMax API +5 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 69 | 82 | MiniMax API +13 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 77 | 59 | DeepInfra +18 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 64 | 30 | DeepInfra +34 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 20 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 65 | 45 | DeepInfra +20 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 67 | 64 | DeepInfra +3 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **63 · B** | **55.2 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | DeepInfra | MiniMax API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Model API | Model API |
| Vendor | Deep Infra Inc. | MiniMax |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.deepinfra.com/v1/openai` | `https://api.minimax.io` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the DeepInfra Terms of Service. The Python and Node SDKs and the docs repository are MIT | Proprietary API under MiniMax's platform terms. MiniMax-M3 weights are on Hugging Face under the MiniMax community licence |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-07 | 2026-10-19 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-08-17 | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-15 | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | 21 stars, 1.2k npm/wk, 50 PyPI/wk | 493 stars |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (4) | 2.8/5 (4) |

## Verdicts

**DeepInfra.** The model list, context sizes and per-token prices are readable without a key, and keys can carry an IP allowlist, a monthly spending cap and model-limited JWTs. Deprecated models get one week's notice and are then redirected to another model, there is no changelog or SLA, and an account needs a card or prepayment before any call.

**MiniMax API.** M3.1 Flash costs $0.15 in and $0.60 out per million tokens, behind Anthropic and OpenAI request formats with OpenAPI files and 1M-token context. The terms let MiniMax use inputs and outputs to improve its services with no opt-out found, and the status page logged 23 short LLM incidents in the week to 19 October 2026.

## Before you call either

### DeepInfra

1. Call `GET https://api.deepinfra.com/v1/openai/models` at start-up for ids, context sizes and prices. No key is needed
2. Check the `model` field of each response. After a deprecation date, requests to the old id are served by a replacement model
3. Ask the account owner for a scoped JWT limited to the models and spend the task needs, not the full API key
4. Stay under 200 concurrent requests per model. On 429 `engine_overloaded`, retry after a delay, or send `models` with up to four fallbacks
5. Never inspect a JWT with `GET /v1/scoped-jwt?jwtoken=`, which puts the token in the URL. Keep credentials in the `Authorization` header

### MiniMax API

1. Use the Anthropic-format base URL `https://api.minimax.io/anthropic` for tool calls. The OpenAI-format schema has no `tool_choice` or `response_format`
2. Set `output_config.effort` (or `reasoning_effort`) below `max` for routine calls. M3.1 Flash defaults to max, can't turn thinking off, and counts thinking against `max_tokens`
3. Don't rely on `stop_sequences` or `top_k`. The Anthropic-format endpoint ignores them
4. Back off on 429 and 529 yourself. No Retry-After header is documented
5. Use a pay-as-you-go key for production. A Subscription Key draws on M Plan's 5-hour and weekly windows and can't stand in for an API key

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, DeepInfra or MiniMax API?

DeepInfra scores 63 (B) on agent readiness against MiniMax API's 55.2 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. MiniMax API leads on reliability and schema & documentation.

### Do DeepInfra and MiniMax API need an API key?

Both need an API key.

### Can an agent call DeepInfra and MiniMax API without installing anything?

Yes. DeepInfra has a hosted endpoint at https://api.deepinfra.com/v1/openai and MiniMax API at https://api.minimax.io.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-minimax-api.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-minimax-api.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "deepinfra", "b": "minimax-api"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare deepinfra minimax-api`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deepinfra.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/minimax-api.json

## Other comparisons with DeepInfra or MiniMax API

- [Claude API vs DeepInfra](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-deepinfra.md)
- [Claude API vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-minimax-api.md)
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