North Mini Code (free) is free for input tokens while Hy3 preview costs $0.18 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
North Mini Code (free) vs Hy3 preview
Pick North Mini Code (free) for lower cost; pick Hy3 preview only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick North Mini Code (free) for lower cost; pick Hy3 preview only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, North Mini Code (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.48 for Hy3 preview, saving $0.48 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickNorth Mini Code (free)
Context-first pickHy3 preview
Sample savings$0.48100%
10x traffic gap$4.8
Hy3 preview has more context, but North Mini Code (free) saves $0.48 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $4.8. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
North Mini Code (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | North Mini Code (free) | Hy3 preview |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | North Mini Code (free) | $0 | $1.2 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | North Mini Code (free) | $0 | $0.78 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | North Mini Code (free) | $0 | $3.18 |
North Mini Code (free) is free for output tokens while Hy3 preview costs $0.6 per 1M tokens.
Hy3 preview has 6.14K more context (1.02x larger).
North Mini Code (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.48.
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
North Mini Code (free) has the lower input price; North Mini Code (free) has the lower output price; Hy3 preview offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, North Mini Code (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0 for North Mini Code (free) and $0.48 for Hy3 preview.
Choose North Mini Code (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Hy3 preview when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, North Mini Code (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.48 for Hy3 preview, saving $0.48 (100% lower).
- North Mini Code (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.48.
- North Mini Code (free) is free for input tokens while Hy3 preview costs $0.18 per 1M tokens.
- North Mini Code (free) is free for output tokens while Hy3 preview costs $0.6 per 1M tokens.
- Hy3 preview has 6.14K more context (1.02x larger).
| Feature | North Mini Code (free) (Cohere) | Hy3 preview (Tencent) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0 | $0.18 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0 | $0.6 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0 | $0.48 |
| Context Window | 256K | 262.14K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | North Mini Code (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, North Mini Code (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.48 for Hy3 preview, saving $0.48 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | North Mini Code (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | North Mini Code (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Hy3 preview | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Hy3 (free) can replace Hy3 preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Hy-MT2-1.8B can replace Hy3 preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
- Hy-MT2-30B-A3B can replace Hy3 preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.22.
- Hy-MT2-7B can replace Hy3 preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.22.
- 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.
- 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 modelsLarger context alternatives
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Open provider hubsCohere catalog
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Open Cohere modelsTencent catalog
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