comparisons · OpenAI
GPU Flow vs OpenAI: European alternative with EUR invoicing.
OpenAI is the most used LLM inference API in the world. It is fast, reliable and has the most capable closed-source models. But it is hosted in the United States, bills in USD and your DPO cannot read its ENS report because none exists.
GPU Flow is the European alternative built for developers and startups that need LLM inference with EU data residency, Spanish VAT invoicing and human support in Spanish or English. This page explains when to pick each, with concrete data as of June 2026.
Quick comparison
Data as of June 2026. OpenAI prices: official gpt-4o-mini pricing. GPU Flow prices: official Token Factory catalog. Figures subject to change.
| Feature | GPU Flow | OpenAI |
|---|---|---|
| Datacenter | Spain (EU) | United States · Microsoft Azure |
| Invoice | Deductible Spanish invoice · EUR · EU VAT | USD from Stripe Ireland |
| Certifications | ISO 27001 · ENS Media | SOC 2 · ISO 27001 |
| Minimum price | 0,03 €/M (Qwen 9B) | 0,15 $/M (gpt-4o-mini) |
| Free tier | 5 € free when you create your account, no card | No free tier, minimum prepaid credit |
| SDK compatibility | OpenAI SDK + Anthropic SDK (drop-in) | Proprietary OpenAI SDK |
| Model catalog | 8 open-source models (DeepSeek, GLM, Qwen, Gemma) | 30+ proprietary models + some open source |
| Support | Human email <4 h business, Spanish/English | Help center + chatbot, slow human escalation |
When to pick GPU Flow
You need EU data residency (strict GDPR)
Banks, public sector, health, education, legal and any regulated sector in Spain and the EU. Your DPO will ask where data is processed. GPU Flow answers with a certified ENS Medium + ISO 27001 PDF, all in Spain, no sub-processors outside the EU.
You want a Spanish EUR invoice without surprises
If you work as a freelancer or Spanish SL, OpenAI invoices from Ireland in dollars with variable FX and no Spanish VAT. GPU Flow issues a Spanish invoice with EU VAT, fully deductible without extra paperwork. The price you see is the price you pay.
Open-source models work for you
If your use case (chat, RAG, agents, coding assistant, classification, extraction) can be solved by DeepSeek V4, Qwen 3.6, GLM 5.2 or Gemma 4, open models served on GPU Flow from 0.03 €/M tokens. For many cases they perform as well or better than GPT-4o-mini at lower cost.
You want to talk to a human when something breaks
Direct email to [email protected]. A human answers, not a chatbot. Committed response time under 4 business hours, in Spanish or English. For critical incidents, call with an engineer on the team.
When to pick OpenAI
If you need the most capable closed models (full GPT-4o, o1, GPT-4.5) for complex reasoning or tasks only they solve today, OpenAI still wins. Also if your team is deeply integrated in their tooling (Playground, Custom GPTs, Assistants API with proprietary tools).
If your target market is global Anglo-Saxon with no EU residency requirement, OpenAI has much broader infrastructure and models more familiar to end users. For US enterprise or engineering pipelines already stabilised on their stack, switching adds complexity with no clear ROI.
Try it free right now
5 € free credit when you create your account, no card. In 3 minutes you have your API key and run the first curl against any model in the catalog. If it doesn't fit, close the tab, we never charged you anything.
start freeFrequently asked questions about migrating from OpenAI to GPU Flow
Where is my data processed?
All data is processed at a datacenter in Spain. It never leaves the European Union and is not replicated outside the EU. The platform is ISO 27001 and ENS Medium certified. Standard DPA available.
Is it compatible with the OpenAI or Anthropic SDK?
Yes. The API exposes /v1/chat/completions (OpenAI) and /v1/messages (Anthropic). Point your SDK at api.gpuflow.ai with your API key and the catalog models are available. SSE streaming and function calling supported.
Do I need to create an account to try it?
No. We give you 5 € of free credit when you create your account, no card required. You receive your API key in under 3 minutes and ship the first curl immediately.
How does billing work?
Prepaid model. Top up credit when you want and consume by real usage (tokens in Token Factory, active hours in Sandboxes). Automatic notification when balance drops below 20%. Spanish deductible invoice in EUR on each top-up.
What models does GPU Flow serve?
We serve 8 open-source models: DeepSeek V4 Pro and Flash, GLM 5.2 FP8, Qwen3.6 27B, Qwen3 14B, Qwen3.5 9B, Gemma 4 E4B and Gemma 4 E2B. Prices from 0.03 € per million input tokens.
What is the typical latency?
Under 100 ms to first token (TTFT) from Spain. The datacenter in Spain minimises distance for users in Western Europe. You can see real-time status on the status page.
Do you have human support?
Yes. Direct email at [email protected]. We answer in under 4 hours on business days (Mon–Fri, 09:00–19:00 Spain time). No tickets, no chatbots. Conversation in Spanish or English.
Still free until your first curl
No card, no paperwork, no commitment. You get 5 € of gifted credit and the API key lands in your email in under 3 minutes.