API cost decision in 10 seconds

Qianfan-OCR-Fast vs Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent

Pick Qianfan-OCR-Fast for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent 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 Qianfan-OCR-Fast for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qianfan-OCR-Fast is estimated at $2.08 vs $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent, saving $2.92 (58.3% lower).

Cost-first pickQianfan-OCR-Fast
Context-first pickGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent
Sample savings$2.9258.3%
10x traffic gap$29.15

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has more context, but Qianfan-OCR-Fast saves $2.92 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $29.15. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Qianfan-OCR-Fast stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickQianfan-OCR-FastGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputQianfan-OCR-Fast$4.81$13
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputQianfan-OCR-Fast$3.49$8
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputQianfan-OCR-Fast$14.73$32
Cheaper input Qianfan-OCR-Fast $0.68 vs $2 / 1M

Qianfan-OCR-Fast is $1.32 cheaper per 1M input tokens (66% lower; 2.94x difference).

Cheaper output Qianfan-OCR-Fast $2.81 vs $6 / 1M

Qianfan-OCR-Fast is $3.19 cheaper per 1M output tokens (53.2% lower; 2.14x difference).

Larger context Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent 65.54K vs 2M

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has 1.93M more context (30.5x larger).

Sample workload Qianfan-OCR-Fast $2.08 vs $5

Qianfan-OCR-Fast is $2.92 cheaper on the standard workload (58.3% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Qianfan-OCR-Fast Calculating… Estimated API cost
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent 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

Qianfan-OCR-Fast has the lower input price; Qianfan-OCR-Fast has the lower output price; Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qianfan-OCR-Fast is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.08 for Qianfan-OCR-Fast and $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent.

Best Fit

Choose Qianfan-OCR-Fast when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qianfan-OCR-Fast is estimated at $2.08 vs $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent, saving $2.92 (58.3% lower).
  • Qianfan-OCR-Fast is $2.92 cheaper on the standard workload (58.3% lower).
  • Qianfan-OCR-Fast is $1.32 cheaper per 1M input tokens (66% lower; 2.94x difference).
  • Qianfan-OCR-Fast is $3.19 cheaper per 1M output tokens (53.2% lower; 2.14x difference).
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has 1.93M more context (30.5x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureQianfan-OCR-Fast
(Baidu)		Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent
(xAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.68$2
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$2.81$6
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$2.08$5
Context Window65.54K2M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionQianfan-OCR-FastOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qianfan-OCR-Fast is estimated at $2.08 vs $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent, saving $2.92 (58.3% lower).
High-volume input processingQianfan-OCR-FastLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsQianfan-OCR-FastLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGrok 4.20 Multi-AgentA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking can replace Qianfan-OCR-Fast when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.21.
  • ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B can replace Qianfan-OCR-Fast when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.21.
  • ERNIE 4.5 VL 28B A3B can replace Qianfan-OCR-Fast when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.42.
  • ERNIE 4.5 300B A47B can replace Qianfan-OCR-Fast when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.83.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Popular competitors
  • No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

Baidu catalog

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

Open Baidu models

xAI catalog

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

Open xAI models
Qianfan-OCR-Fast

Qianfan-OCR-Fast is a domain-specific multimodal large model purpose-built for OCR. By leveraging specialized OCR training data while preserving versatile multimodal intelligence, it provides a powerful performance upgrade over Qianfan-OCR.

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is a variant of xAI’s Grok 4.20 designed for collaborative, agent-based workflows. Multiple agents operate in parallel to conduct deep research, coordinate tool use, and synthesize information...