How to interpret the Cheapest Llama Guard 4 12B Inference Providers
2 of 2 Llama Guard 4 12B endpoints currently have the published data required for this ranking. DeepInfra leads at $0.18 / 1M tokens via deepinfra/bf16. The table keeps unranked routes visible so missing measurements do not look like missing provider availability.
How estimated token cost is ranked
The cheapest ranking uses a 1,000-input/500-output-token ratio and reports the blended result per 1 million total tokens. Because providers can price input and output differently, a workload with a different token ratio may produce a different order.
Compare DeepInfra with the next option
Together currently ranks second at $0.2 / 1M tokens. Compare that gap with input and output price, response-start time, output speed, 30-minute uptime, context length, and the exact route before deciding whether first place is meaningful for your workload.
Use the route, not only the provider name
Llama Guard 4 12B has 2 published provider options, and performance data is matched to each exact OpenRouter routing tag. Different quantization, context, regional deployment, or provider configuration can change price and behavior even when the underlying model name is identical.