API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewGemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Hy3 preview

Pick Hy3 preview for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated: 2026-05-26T11:08:00Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Hy3 preview for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 preview is estimated at $0.2 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.8 (80.4% lower).

Cost-first pickHy3 preview

Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Flash Lite

Sample savings$0.880.4%

10x traffic gap$8.04

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has more context, but Hy3 preview saves $0.8 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $8.04. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Hy3 preview stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite	Hy3 preview
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Hy3 preview	$2	$0.46
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Hy3 preview	$1.75	$0.33
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Hy3 preview	$7.75	$1.37

Cheaper input Hy3 preview $0.25 vs $0.066 / 1M

Hy3 preview is $0.18 cheaper per 1M input tokens (73.6% lower; 3.79x difference).

Cheaper output Hy3 preview $1.5 vs $0.26 / 1M

Hy3 preview is $1.24 cheaper per 1M output tokens (82.7% lower; 5.77x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite 1.05M vs 262.14K

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 786.43K more context (4x larger).

Sample workload Hy3 preview $1 vs $0.2

Hy3 preview is $0.8 cheaper on the standard workload (80.4% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Calculating… Estimated API cost

Hy3 preview 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

Hy3 preview has the lower input price; Hy3 preview has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Hy3 preview 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 and $0.2 for Hy3 preview.

Best Fit

Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Hy3 preview 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, Hy3 preview is estimated at $0.2 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.8 (80.4% lower).
Hy3 preview is $0.8 cheaper on the standard workload (80.4% lower).
Hy3 preview is $0.18 cheaper per 1M input tokens (73.6% lower; 3.79x difference).
Hy3 preview is $1.24 cheaper per 1M output tokens (82.7% lower; 5.77x difference).
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 786.43K more context (4x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewGemini 3.1 Flash Lite (Google)	Hy3 preview (Tencent)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.25	$0.066
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$1.5	$0.26
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$1	$0.2
Context Window	1.05M	262.14K
Release Date	2026-05-07	2026-04-22

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Hy3 preview	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 preview is estimated at $0.2 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.8 (80.4% lower).
High-volume input processing	Hy3 preview	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Hy3 preview	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.

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.

Popular competitors

No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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Google catalog

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

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Tencent catalog

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

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Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite is Google’s GA high-efficiency multimodal model optimized for low-latency, high-volume workloads. It supports text, image, video, audio, and PDF inputs, and is designed for lightweight agentic...

Hy3 preview

Hy3 preview is a high-efficiency Mixture-of-Experts model from Tencent designed for agentic workflows and production use. It supports configurable reasoning levels across disabled, low, and high modes, allowing it to...