API cost decision in 10 seconds

Gemini 2.5 Pro vs Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)

Pick Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) for lower cost; pick Gemini 2.5 Pro 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 Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) for lower cost; pick Gemini 2.5 Pro only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is estimated at $0 vs $6.25 for Gemini 2.5 Pro, saving $6.25 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickNemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)
Context-first pickGemini 2.5 Pro
Sample savings$6.25100%
10x traffic gap$62.5

Gemini 2.5 Pro has more context, but Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) saves $6.25 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $62.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGemini 2.5 ProNemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputNemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)$11.25$0
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputNemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)$11.25$0
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputNemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)$51.25$0
Cheaper input Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) $1.25 vs $0 / 1M

Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is free for input tokens while Gemini 2.5 Pro costs $1.25 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) $10 vs $0 / 1M

Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is free for output tokens while Gemini 2.5 Pro costs $10 per 1M tokens.

Larger context Gemini 2.5 Pro 1.05M vs 128K

Gemini 2.5 Pro has 920.58K more context (8.19x larger).

Sample workload Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) $6.25 vs $0

Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $6.25.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Gemini 2.5 Pro Calculating… Estimated API cost
Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (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

Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) has the lower input price; Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) has the lower output price; Gemini 2.5 Pro offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $6.25 for Gemini 2.5 Pro and $0 for Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free).

Best Fit

Choose Gemini 2.5 Pro when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (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, Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is estimated at $0 vs $6.25 for Gemini 2.5 Pro, saving $6.25 (100% lower).
  • Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $6.25.
  • Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is free for input tokens while Gemini 2.5 Pro costs $1.25 per 1M tokens.
  • Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is free for output tokens while Gemini 2.5 Pro costs $10 per 1M tokens.
  • Gemini 2.5 Pro has 920.58K more context (8.19x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGemini 2.5 Pro
(Google)		Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)
(NVIDIA)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$1.25$0
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$10$0
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$6.25$0
Context Window1.05M128K
Release Date
Popularity#55#128

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionNemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free) is estimated at $0 vs $6.25 for Gemini 2.5 Pro, saving $6.25 (100% lower).
High-volume input processingNemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsNemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (free)Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGemini 2.5 ProA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

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Provider catalogs

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Google catalog

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NVIDIA catalog

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

Open NVIDIA models
Gemini 2.5 Pro

Gemini 2.5 Pro is Google’s state-of-the-art AI model designed for advanced reasoning, coding, mathematics, and scientific tasks. It employs “thinking” capabilities, enabling it to reason through responses with enhanced accuracy...

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NVIDIA Nemotron Nano 2 VL is a 12-billion-parameter open multimodal reasoning model designed for video understanding and document intelligence. It introduces a hybrid Transformer-Mamba architecture, combining transformer-level accuracy with Mamba’s...