API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewSeed 2.1 Turbo vs Perceptron Mk1

Pick Perceptron Mk1 for lower cost; pick Seed 2.1 Turbo 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 Perceptron Mk1 for lower cost; pick Seed 2.1 Turbo only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Perceptron Mk1 is estimated at $0.9 vs $1.75 for Seed 2.1 Turbo, saving $0.85 (48.6% lower).

Cost-first pickPerceptron Mk1
Context-first pickSeed 2.1 Turbo
Sample savings$0.8548.6%
10x traffic gap$8.5

Seed 2.1 Turbo has more context, but Perceptron Mk1 saves $0.85 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $8.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Perceptron Mk1 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickSeed 2.1 TurboPerceptron Mk1
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputPerceptron Mk1$3.75$1.5
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputPerceptron Mk1$3$1.65
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputPerceptron Mk1$13$7.65
Cheaper input Perceptron Mk1 $0.5 vs $0.15 / 1M

Perceptron Mk1 is $0.35 cheaper per 1M input tokens (70% lower; 3.33x difference).

Cheaper output Perceptron Mk1 $2.5 vs $1.5 / 1M

Perceptron Mk1 is $1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).

Larger context Seed 2.1 Turbo 262.14K vs 32.77K

Seed 2.1 Turbo has 229.38K more context (8x larger).

Sample workload Perceptron Mk1 $1.75 vs $0.9

Perceptron Mk1 is $0.85 cheaper on the standard workload (48.6% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Seed 2.1 Turbo Calculating… Estimated API cost
Perceptron Mk1 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

Perceptron Mk1 has the lower input price; Perceptron Mk1 has the lower output price; Seed 2.1 Turbo offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Perceptron Mk1 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.75 for Seed 2.1 Turbo and $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1.

Best Fit

Choose Seed 2.1 Turbo when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Perceptron Mk1 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, Perceptron Mk1 is estimated at $0.9 vs $1.75 for Seed 2.1 Turbo, saving $0.85 (48.6% lower).
  • Perceptron Mk1 is $0.85 cheaper on the standard workload (48.6% lower).
  • Perceptron Mk1 is $0.35 cheaper per 1M input tokens (70% lower; 3.33x difference).
  • Perceptron Mk1 is $1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
  • Seed 2.1 Turbo has 229.38K more context (8x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewSeed 2.1 Turbo
(ByteDance Seed)
Perceptron Mk1
(Perceptron)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.5$0.15
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$2.5$1.5
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$1.75$0.9
Context Window262.14K32.77K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionPerceptron Mk1On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Perceptron Mk1 is estimated at $0.9 vs $1.75 for Seed 2.1 Turbo, saving $0.85 (48.6% lower).
High-volume input processingPerceptron Mk1Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsPerceptron Mk1Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workSeed 2.1 TurboA 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 2.1 Turbo when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.22.
  • Seed-2.0-Mini can replace Seed 2.1 Turbo when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.3.
  • Seed-2.0-Lite can replace Seed 2.1 Turbo when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.25.
  • Seed 1.6 can replace Seed 2.1 Turbo when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.25.

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

ByteDance Seed catalog

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

Open ByteDance Seed models

Perceptron catalog

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

Open Perceptron models
Seed 2.1 Turbo

Seed 2.1 Turbo is a multimodal model from ByteDance Seed for coding and long-horizon agent workflows. It is suited for end-to-end software delivery, multi-step task execution, and understanding visual and...

Perceptron Mk1

Perceptron Mk1 (Mark One) is Perceptron's highest-quality vision-language model for video and embodied reasoning.** It accepts image and video inputs paired with natural language queries, and produces detailed visual understanding...