API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewSeed 2.1 Turbo vs Hy3 (free)

Pick Hy3 (free) when budget is the priority.

Page updated: 2026-08-12T17:08:18Z Data confirmed: 2026-08-23T13:07:49Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Hy3 (free) when budget is the priority.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.75 for Seed 2.1 Turbo, saving $1.75 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickHy3 (free)

Context-first pickBoth models

Sample savings$1.75100%

10x traffic gap$17.5

The reported context window is tied, so cost and provider fit carry more weight. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $17.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Hy3 (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Seed 2.1 Turbo	Hy3 (free)
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Hy3 (free)	$3.75	$0
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Hy3 (free)	$3	$0
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Hy3 (free)	$13	$0

Cheaper input Hy3 (free) $0.5 vs $0 / 1M

Hy3 (free) is free for input tokens while Seed 2.1 Turbo costs $0.5 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Hy3 (free) $2.5 vs $0 / 1M

Hy3 (free) is free for output tokens while Seed 2.1 Turbo costs $2.5 per 1M tokens.

Larger context Tie 262.14K vs 262.14K

Both models report the same context window at 262.14K tokens.

Sample workload Hy3 (free) $1.75 vs $0

Hy3 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.75.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Seed 2.1 Turbo Calculating… Estimated API cost

Hy3 (free) 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

Hy3 (free) has the lower input price; Hy3 (free) has the lower output price; both models report the same context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Hy3 (free) 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 for Hy3 (free).

Best Fit

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

Choose Hy3 (free) 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, Hy3 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.75 for Seed 2.1 Turbo, saving $1.75 (100% lower).
Hy3 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.75.
Hy3 (free) is free for input tokens while Seed 2.1 Turbo costs $0.5 per 1M tokens.
Hy3 (free) is free for output tokens while Seed 2.1 Turbo costs $2.5 per 1M tokens.
Both models report the same context window at 262.14K tokens.

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewSeed 2.1 Turbo (ByteDance Seed)	Hy3 (free) (Tencent)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.5	$0
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$2.5	$0
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$1.75	$0
Context Window	262.14K	262.14K
Release Date	2026-08-12	2026-07-06

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Hy3 (free)	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.75 for Seed 2.1 Turbo, saving $1.75 (100% lower).
High-volume input processing	Hy3 (free)	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Hy3 (free)	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Tie	A 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.

Larger context near this budget

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.11 sample workload cost.
Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.25 sample workload cost.
MiMo-V2.5 offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
Hy3 · Tencent · #3
Ox Alpha · stealth · #4

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

Tencent catalog

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

Open Tencent 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...

Hy3 (free)

Hy3 is a 295B-parameter Mixture-of-Experts model from Tencent (21B active, 192 experts with top-8 routing) built for reasoning, agentic workflows, and real-world production use. It supports a configurable reasoning effort:...