API cost decision in 10 seconds

R1 vs Nova Micro 1.0

Pick Nova Micro 1.0 for lower cost; pick R1 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T20:08:05Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Nova Micro 1.0 for lower cost; pick R1 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $1.95 for R1, saving $1.84 (94.6% lower).

Cost-first pickNova Micro 1.0

Context-first pickR1

Sample savings$1.8494.6%

10x traffic gap$18.45

R1 has more context, but Nova Micro 1.0 saves $1.84 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $18.45. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Nova Micro 1.0 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	R1	Nova Micro 1.0
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Nova Micro 1.0	$4.75	$0.25
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Nova Micro 1.0	$3.2	$0.18
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Nova Micro 1.0	$13.2	$0.74

Cheaper input Nova Micro 1.0 $0.7 vs $0.035 / 1M

Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.66 cheaper per 1M input tokens (95% lower; 20x difference).

Cheaper output Nova Micro 1.0 $2.5 vs $0.14 / 1M

Nova Micro 1.0 is $2.36 cheaper per 1M output tokens (94.4% lower; 17.9x difference).

Larger context R1 163.84K vs 128K

R1 has 35.84K more context (1.28x larger).

Sample workload Nova Micro 1.0 $1.95 vs $0.11

Nova Micro 1.0 is $1.84 cheaper on the standard workload (94.6% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

R1 Calculating… Estimated API cost

Nova Micro 1.0 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

Nova Micro 1.0 has the lower input price; Nova Micro 1.0 has the lower output price; R1 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nova Micro 1.0 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.95 for R1 and $0.11 for Nova Micro 1.0.

Best Fit

Choose R1 when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Nova Micro 1.0 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, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $1.95 for R1, saving $1.84 (94.6% lower).
Nova Micro 1.0 is $1.84 cheaper on the standard workload (94.6% lower).
Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.66 cheaper per 1M input tokens (95% lower; 20x difference).
Nova Micro 1.0 is $2.36 cheaper per 1M output tokens (94.4% lower; 17.9x difference).
R1 has 35.84K more context (1.28x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	R1 (DeepSeek)	Nova Micro 1.0 (Amazon)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.7	$0.035
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$2.5	$0.14
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$1.95	$0.11
Context Window	163.84K	128K
Release Date	2025-01-20	2024-12-05
Popularity	#144	#146

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Nova Micro 1.0	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $1.95 for R1, saving $1.84 (94.6% lower).
High-volume input processing	Nova Micro 1.0	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Nova Micro 1.0	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	R1	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
DeepSeek V4 Flash can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.2.
R1 Distill Qwen 32B can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.43.
DeepSeek V3.2 can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.44.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.87 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

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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

DeepSeek catalog

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

Open DeepSeek models

Amazon catalog

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

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