API cost decision in 10 seconds

Seed-2.0-Mini vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview

Pick Seed-2.0-Mini for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview 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 Seed-2.0-Mini for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Seed-2.0-Mini is estimated at $0.3 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, saving $7.7 (96.2% lower).

Cost-first pickSeed-2.0-Mini
Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Pro Preview
Sample savings$7.796.2%
10x traffic gap$77

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview has more context, but Seed-2.0-Mini saves $7.7 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $77. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Seed-2.0-Mini stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickSeed-2.0-MiniGemini 3.1 Pro Preview
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputSeed-2.0-Mini$0.7$16
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputSeed-2.0-Mini$0.5$14
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputSeed-2.0-Mini$2.1$62
Cheaper input Seed-2.0-Mini $0.1 vs $2 / 1M

Seed-2.0-Mini is $1.9 cheaper per 1M input tokens (95% lower; 20x difference).

Cheaper output Seed-2.0-Mini $0.4 vs $12 / 1M

Seed-2.0-Mini is $11.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (96.7% lower; 30x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview 262.14K vs 1.05M

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview has 786.43K more context (4x larger).

Sample workload Seed-2.0-Mini $0.3 vs $8

Seed-2.0-Mini is $7.7 cheaper on the standard workload (96.2% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Seed-2.0-Mini Calculating… Estimated API cost
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview 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

Seed-2.0-Mini has the lower input price; Seed-2.0-Mini has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Seed-2.0-Mini is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.3 for Seed-2.0-Mini and $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview.

Best Fit

Choose Seed-2.0-Mini when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Seed-2.0-Mini is estimated at $0.3 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, saving $7.7 (96.2% lower).
  • Seed-2.0-Mini is $7.7 cheaper on the standard workload (96.2% lower).
  • Seed-2.0-Mini is $1.9 cheaper per 1M input tokens (95% lower; 20x difference).
  • Seed-2.0-Mini is $11.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (96.7% lower; 30x difference).
  • Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureSeed-2.0-Mini
(ByteDance Seed)
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview
(Google)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.1$2
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0.4$12
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0.3$8
Context Window262.14K1.05M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionSeed-2.0-MiniOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Seed-2.0-Mini is estimated at $0.3 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, saving $7.7 (96.2% lower).
High-volume input processingSeed-2.0-MiniLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsSeed-2.0-MiniLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGemini 3.1 Pro PreviewA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Seed 1.6 Flash can replace Seed-2.0-Mini when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.22.
  • Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-5.4 offers 1.05M context with $10 sample workload cost.
Popular competitors
  • No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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

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Provider catalogs

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

Open provider hubs

ByteDance Seed catalog

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

Open ByteDance Seed models

Google catalog

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

Open Google models
Seed-2.0-Mini

Seed-2.0-mini targets latency-sensitive, high-concurrency, and cost-sensitive scenarios, emphasizing fast response and flexible inference deployment. It delivers performance comparable to ByteDance-Seed-1.6, supports 256k context, four reasoning effort modes (minimal/low/medium/high), multimodal understanding,...

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is Google’s frontier reasoning model, delivering enhanced software engineering performance, improved agentic reliability, and more efficient token usage across complex workflows. Building on the multimodal foundation...