Granite 4.0 Micro is $0.23 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.2% lower; 14.7x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview vs Granite 4.0 Micro
Pick Granite 4.0 Micro for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview only if the larger context window matters more.
Pricing data updated:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Granite 4.0 Micro for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Granite 4.0 Micro is estimated at $0.07 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview, saving $0.93 (92.7% lower).
Cost-first pickGranite 4.0 Micro
Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview
Sample savings$0.9392.7%
10x traffic gap$9.27
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview has more context, but Granite 4.0 Micro saves $0.93 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $9.27. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Granite 4.0 Micro stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview | Granite 4.0 Micro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Granite 4.0 Micro | $2 | $0.14 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Granite 4.0 Micro | $1.75 | $0.13 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Granite 4.0 Micro | $7.75 | $0.58 |
Granite 4.0 Micro is $1.39 cheaper per 1M output tokens (92.5% lower; 13.4x difference).
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview has 917.58K more context (8x larger).
Granite 4.0 Micro is $0.93 cheaper on the standard workload (92.7% lower).
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
Granite 4.0 Micro has the lower input price; Granite 4.0 Micro has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Granite 4.0 Micro is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview and $0.07 for Granite 4.0 Micro.
Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Granite 4.0 Micro when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Granite 4.0 Micro is estimated at $0.07 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview, saving $0.93 (92.7% lower).
- Granite 4.0 Micro is $0.93 cheaper on the standard workload (92.7% lower).
- Granite 4.0 Micro is $0.23 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.2% lower; 14.7x difference).
- Granite 4.0 Micro is $1.39 cheaper per 1M output tokens (92.5% lower; 13.4x difference).
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview has 917.58K more context (8x larger).
| Feature | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview (Google) | Granite 4.0 Micro (IBM) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.25 | $0.017 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1.5 | $0.112 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1 | $0.07 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 131K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Granite 4.0 Micro | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Granite 4.0 Micro is estimated at $0.07 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview, saving $0.93 (92.7% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Granite 4.0 Micro | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Granite 4.0 Micro | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- No popular competitor is currently available.
Cheaper alternatives
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