Skip to content

Catalogmodels-api

Baidu ERNIE API

situationalSteady momentum

Enterprise AI platform with ERNIE LLMs, image models, and OpenAI-compatible v2 API.

Visit cloud.baidu.com →Add to kitOpen in Noemium

ledger entry · observed by @whysanesanders

ERNIE 5.1 ranks high on Chinese leaderboards and the 4.5 Turbo / X1.1 tiers are cheap. The practical path is still mainland Baidu Cloud; international onboarding is harder and pricing is quoted in CNY.

Strengths

  • ERNIE 5.1 ranks high on Chinese leaderboards.
  • 4.5 Turbo and X1.1 tiers are cheap.
  • OpenAI-compatible v2 API.

Known limitations

  • Best access path is mainland-China Baidu Cloud; international onboarding is harder.
  • ERNIE 5.1 and X1.1 are API-only; ERNIE 4.5 weights were released under Apache 2.0 in June 2025, though the hosted Qianfan API remains the practical path for most users.
  • ERNIE 5.1 pricing is tiered by input length (≤32k vs 32k-128k).
  • Pure-text reasoning value is weaker than DeepSeek or Qwen on some benchmarks.
  • ERNIE Lite Pro / Speed Pro are not shown on the current official pricing page.

Use it when

  • Chinese-market applications needing ERNIE models.
  • Cost-sensitive workloads where 4.5 Turbo/X1.1 pricing wins.
  • Teams already on Baidu Cloud.

Skip it when

  • You need easy international onboarding.
  • Pure-text reasoning must beat DeepSeek/Qwen.
  • You need transparent CNY pricing or the omitted Lite Pro/Speed Pro tiers.

Buy-check

  • ·Price — paid, ERNIE 5.1 ≤32k ~$0.56/$2.54 per 1M, 32k-128k ~$0.85/$3.10; ERNIE 4.5 Turbo 32K/128K ~$0.11/$0.45; ERNIE X1.1 ~$0.14/$0.56; prices in CNY, USD approximate as of 2026-08-24. Open the pricing page, not a screenshot.
  • ·Free tier — Free tier exists — burn it first.
  • ·Cancel fallout — What happens to your data/projects on cancel — check the ToS, not the FAQ.
  • ·Seat math — Per-seat pricing multiplies quietly. Count seats before the annual plan.
  • ·Who skips it — Also skipped when: You need easy international onboarding.; Pure-text reasoning must beat DeepSeek/Qwen..

Price trail — 1 revisionchangelog →

  • 2026-W34ERNIE 4.5 Turbo 32K ~$0.11/$0.44 per 1M; ERNIE Lite P…ERNIE 5.1 ≤32k ~$0.56/$2.54 per 1M, 32k-128k ~$0.85/$…

Facts

pricing
paid1
price note
ERNIE 5.1 ≤32k ~$0.56/$2.54 per 1M, 32k-128k ~$0.85/$3.10; ERNIE 4.5 Turbo 32K/128K ~$0.11/$0.45; ERNIE X1.1 ~$0.14/$0.56; prices in CNY, USD approximate
free tier
yes — paid to keep using
open source
no
api
yes
self-host
no
category
models-api
evidence
source-verified
Models
locked

Sources

  1. 1cloud.baidu.com/product-s/qianfan_home[snapshot]
  2. 2github.com/PaddlePaddle/ERNIE[snapshot]
  3. 3ernie.baidu.com/blog/posts/ernie4.5/[snapshot]
  4. 4cloud.baidu.com/doc/qianfan/s/wmh4sv6ya[snapshot]
  5. 5intl.cloud.baidu.com/en/doc/qianfan/s/Jm8r1826a-intl-en[snapshot]

No source, no number.

Edit this page on GitHub

Similar joball alternatives →

toolverdictpriceossself-host
Baidu ERNIE APIsituationalpaidnono
Google AI Studio / Gemini APIshipfreemiumnono
Anthropic APIshippaidnono
Cerebrasshipfreemiumnono

Facts from the catalog files — not scores you can buy. Quality and speed stay in the briefing, not in a fake 1–5 grid.

Google AI Studio / Gemini API
models-apiship

Google AI Studio / Gemini API

Gemini API with a real free tier — huge context, multimodal, generous limits.

APIFREE TIER

freemiumfree tier (text models); paid from $0.75/1M input (Gemini 3.7 Flash promo till 2027-01)

Blueshift — gaining momentum
Anthropic API
models-apiship

Anthropic API

Claude models direct — the practitioner's pick for coding and long-form text.

API

paidpay-as-you-go, from $1/1M input (Haiku 4.5); small free credits for new users

Blueshift — gaining momentum
Cerebras
models-apiship

Cerebras

Ultra-fast inference on wafer-scale AI accelerators with competitive API pricing.

APIFREE TIER

freemiumfree trial ($5 credits); self-serve Developer from $10 deposit; Enterprise custom

Blueshift — gaining momentum