Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30% lower; 1.43x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Nova Micro 1.0 vs Gemma 3 12B
Pick Nova Micro 1.0 for lower cost; pick Gemma 3 12B only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Nova Micro 1.0 for lower cost; pick Gemma 3 12B only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $0.12 for Gemma 3 12B, saving $0.02 (16% lower).
Cost-first pickNova Micro 1.0
Context-first pickGemma 3 12B
Sample savings$0.0216%
10x traffic gap$0.2
Gemma 3 12B has more context, but Nova Micro 1.0 saves $0.02 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.2. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Nova Micro 1.0 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Nova Micro 1.0 | Gemma 3 12B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Nova Micro 1.0 | $0.25 | $0.33 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Nova Micro 1.0 | $0.18 | $0.2 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Nova Micro 1.0 | $0.74 | $0.8 |
Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M output tokens (6.7% lower; 1.07x difference).
Gemma 3 12B has 3.07K more context (1.02x larger).
Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.02 cheaper on the standard workload (16% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
Nova Micro 1.0 has the lower input price; Nova Micro 1.0 has the lower output price; Gemma 3 12B offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nova Micro 1.0 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.11 for Nova Micro 1.0 and $0.12 for Gemma 3 12B.
Choose Nova Micro 1.0 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Gemma 3 12B when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $0.12 for Gemma 3 12B, saving $0.02 (16% lower).
- Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.02 cheaper on the standard workload (16% lower).
- Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30% lower; 1.43x difference).
- Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M output tokens (6.7% lower; 1.07x difference).
- Gemma 3 12B has 3.07K more context (1.02x larger).
| Feature | Nova Micro 1.0 (Amazon) | Gemma 3 12B (Google) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.035 | $0.05 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.14 | $0.15 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.11 | $0.12 |
| Context Window | 128K | 131.07K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #110 | #112 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Nova Micro 1.0 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $0.12 for Gemma 3 12B, saving $0.02 (16% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Nova Micro 1.0 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Nova Micro 1.0 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Gemma 3 12B | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemma 3 12B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemma 3 12B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemma 3 12B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemma 3 12B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #3
- MiniMax M3 · MiniMax · #4
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