API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewClaude Haiku 5.5 vs NewLing 3.1 Flash

Pick Ling 3.1 Flash for lower cost; pick Claude Haiku 5.5 only if the larger context window matters more.

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

Budget verdict

Pick Ling 3.1 Flash for lower cost; pick Claude Haiku 5.5 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ling 3.1 Flash is estimated at $0.19 vs $0.35 for Claude Haiku 5.5, saving $0.16 (46.4% lower).

Cost-first pickLing 3.1 Flash
Context-first pickClaude Haiku 5.5
Sample savings$0.1646.4%
10x traffic gap$1.62

Claude Haiku 5.5 has more context, but Ling 3.1 Flash saves $0.16 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.62. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Ling 3.1 Flash stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickClaude Haiku 5.5Ling 3.1 Flash
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputLing 3.1 Flash$0.75$0.49
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputLing 3.1 Flash$0.6$0.3
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputLing 3.1 Flash$2.6$1.2
Cheaper input Ling 3.1 Flash $0.1 vs $0.075 / 1M

Ling 3.1 Flash is $0.03 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).

Cheaper output Ling 3.1 Flash $0.5 vs $0.225 / 1M

Ling 3.1 Flash is $0.28 cheaper per 1M output tokens (55% lower; 2.22x difference).

Larger context Claude Haiku 5.5 1M vs 262.14K

Claude Haiku 5.5 has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).

Sample workload Ling 3.1 Flash $0.35 vs $0.19

Ling 3.1 Flash is $0.16 cheaper on the standard workload (46.4% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Claude Haiku 5.5 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Ling 3.1 Flash 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

Ling 3.1 Flash has the lower input price; Ling 3.1 Flash has the lower output price; Claude Haiku 5.5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Ling 3.1 Flash 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 $0.19 for Ling 3.1 Flash.

Best Fit

Choose Claude Haiku 5.5 when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Ling 3.1 Flash when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ling 3.1 Flash is estimated at $0.19 vs $0.35 for Claude Haiku 5.5, saving $0.16 (46.4% lower).
  • Ling 3.1 Flash is $0.16 cheaper on the standard workload (46.4% lower).
  • Ling 3.1 Flash is $0.03 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).
  • Ling 3.1 Flash is $0.28 cheaper per 1M output tokens (55% lower; 2.22x difference).
  • Claude Haiku 5.5 has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewClaude Haiku 5.5
(Anthropic)
NewLing 3.1 Flash
(inclusionAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.1$0.075
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0.5$0.225
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0.35$0.19
Context Window1M262.14K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionLing 3.1 FlashOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ling 3.1 Flash is estimated at $0.19 vs $0.35 for Claude Haiku 5.5, saving $0.16 (46.4% lower).
High-volume input processingLing 3.1 FlashLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsLing 3.1 FlashLower 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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Provider catalogs

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Anthropic catalog

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inclusionAI catalog

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Claude Haiku 5.5

Claude Haiku 5.5 is Anthropic's small, fast model for high-volume, cost-sensitive work such as summarization, subagents, and browser use. It succeeds Claude Haiku 4.5 with stronger coding, computer use, and...

Ling 3.1 Flash

Ling 3.1 Flash is a hybrid reasoning mixture-of-experts model from inclusionAI, with 25B active parameters out of 560B total.