API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewClaude Haiku 5.5 vs NewNano Banana 2.1

Pick Claude Haiku 5.5 when budget and context both matter.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Claude Haiku 5.5 when budget and context both matter.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude Haiku 5.5 is estimated at $0.35 vs $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1, saving $4.9 (93.3% lower).

Cost-first pickClaude Haiku 5.5
Context-first pickClaude Haiku 5.5
Sample savings$4.993.3%
10x traffic gap$49

Claude Haiku 5.5 is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $49. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Claude Haiku 5.5 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickClaude Haiku 5.5Nano Banana 2.1
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputClaude Haiku 5.5$0.75$11.25
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputClaude Haiku 5.5$0.6$9
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputClaude Haiku 5.5$2.6$39
Cheaper input Claude Haiku 5.5 $0.1 vs $1.5 / 1M

Claude Haiku 5.5 is $1.4 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).

Cheaper output Claude Haiku 5.5 $0.5 vs $7.5 / 1M

Claude Haiku 5.5 is $7 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).

Larger context Claude Haiku 5.5 1M vs 65.54K

Claude Haiku 5.5 has 934.46K more context (15.3x larger).

Sample workload Claude Haiku 5.5 $0.35 vs $5.25

Claude Haiku 5.5 is $4.9 cheaper on the standard workload (93.3% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Claude Haiku 5.5 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Nano Banana 2.1 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… 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

Claude Haiku 5.5 has the lower input price; Claude Haiku 5.5 has the lower output price; Claude Haiku 5.5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Claude Haiku 5.5 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.35 for Claude Haiku 5.5 and $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1.

Best Fit

Choose Claude Haiku 5.5 when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Choose Nano Banana 2.1 when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude Haiku 5.5 is estimated at $0.35 vs $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1, saving $4.9 (93.3% lower).
  • Claude Haiku 5.5 is $4.9 cheaper on the standard workload (93.3% lower).
  • Claude Haiku 5.5 is $1.4 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).
  • Claude Haiku 5.5 is $7 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).
  • Claude Haiku 5.5 has 934.46K more context (15.3x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewClaude Haiku 5.5
(Anthropic)
NewNano Banana 2.1
(Google)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.1$1.5
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0.5$7.5
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0.35$5.25
Context Window1M65.54K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionClaude Haiku 5.5On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude Haiku 5.5 is estimated at $0.35 vs $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1, saving $4.9 (93.3% lower).
High-volume input processingClaude Haiku 5.5Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsClaude Haiku 5.5Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workClaude Haiku 5.5A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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Open provider hubs

Anthropic catalog

Review all tracked Anthropic models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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Google catalog

Check other Google models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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