API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewAion 3.5 vs Fugu Ultra

Pick Aion 3.5 for lower cost; pick Fugu Ultra only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Aion 3.5 for lower cost; pick Fugu Ultra only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Aion 3.5 is estimated at $6 vs $20 for Fugu Ultra, saving $14 (70% lower).

Cost-first pickAion 3.5
Context-first pickFugu Ultra
Sample savings$1470%
10x traffic gap$140

Fugu Ultra has more context, but Aion 3.5 saves $14 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $140. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Aion 3.5 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickAion 3.5Fugu Ultra
Input-heavy / RAG 5M input + 500K output Aion 3.5 $18 $40
Balanced workload 1M input + 1M output Aion 3.5 $9 $35
Output-heavy chatbot 1M input + 5M output Aion 3.5 $33 $155
Cheaper inputAion 3.5$3 vs $5 / 1M
Cheaper outputAion 3.5$6 vs $30 / 1M
Larger contextFugu Ultra262.14K vs 1M
Sample workloadAion 3.5$6 vs $20

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Aion 3.5Calculating…Estimated API cost
Fugu UltraCalculating…Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workloadCalculating…Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Aion 3.5 has the lower input price, Aion 3.5 has the lower output price, and Fugu Ultra offers the larger context window.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $6 for Aion 3.5 and $20 for Fugu Ultra.

Best Fit

Choose Aion 3.5 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Fugu Ultra when you care most about larger context window.

Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewAion 3.5
(AionLabs)		Fugu Ultra
(Sakana)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$3$5
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$6$30
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$6$20
Context Window262.14K1M
Release Date2026-09-232026-06-24
Aion 3.5

Aion 3.5 is a multi-model roleplaying and storytelling system from AionLabs, built on the GLM family of models. It uses a collaborative generation process in which multiple specialized models each...

Fugu Ultra

Fugu Ultra is the higher-performance model in Sakana AI's Fugu family. Rather than a single monolithic model, Fugu is a learned multi-agent orchestration system: a language model trained to route...

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionAion 3.5On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Aion 3.5 is estimated at $6 vs $20 for Fugu Ultra, saving $14 (70% lower).
High-volume input processingAion 3.5Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsAion 3.5Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workFugu UltraA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files.