API cost decision in 10 seconds

R1 0528 vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools

Pick R1 0528 for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 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 R1 0528 for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 0528 is estimated at $1.57 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $6.42 (80.3% lower).

Cost-first pickR1 0528
Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
Sample savings$6.4280.3%
10x traffic gap$64.25

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has more context, but R1 0528 saves $6.42 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $64.25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

R1 0528 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickR1 0528Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputR1 0528$3.58$16
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputR1 0528$2.65$14
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputR1 0528$11.25$62
Cheaper input R1 0528 $0.5 vs $2 / 1M

R1 0528 is $1.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (75% lower; 4x difference).

Cheaper output R1 0528 $2.15 vs $12 / 1M

R1 0528 is $9.85 cheaper per 1M output tokens (82.1% lower; 5.58x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 163.84K vs 1.05M

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has 884.92K more context (6.4x larger).

Sample workload R1 0528 $1.57 vs $8

R1 0528 is $6.42 cheaper on the standard workload (80.3% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
R1 0528 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 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

R1 0528 has the lower input price; R1 0528 has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, R1 0528 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.57 for R1 0528 and $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools.

Best Fit

Choose R1 0528 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

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

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 0528 is estimated at $1.57 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $6.42 (80.3% lower).
  • R1 0528 is $6.42 cheaper on the standard workload (80.3% lower).
  • R1 0528 is $1.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (75% lower; 4x difference).
  • R1 0528 is $9.85 cheaper per 1M output tokens (82.1% lower; 5.58x difference).
  • Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has 884.92K more context (6.4x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureR1 0528
(DeepSeek)		Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
(Google)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.5$2
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$2.15$12
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$1.57$8
Context Window163.84K1.05M
Release Date
Popularity#106#132

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionR1 0528On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 0528 is estimated at $1.57 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $6.42 (80.3% lower).
High-volume input processingR1 0528Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsR1 0528Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom ToolsA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-5.4 offers 1.05M context with $10 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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DeepSeek catalog

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Google catalog

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