API cost decision in 10 seconds

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools vs LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)

Pick LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 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 LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) 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, LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is estimated at $0 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $8 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickLFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)

Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools

Sample savings$8100%

10x traffic gap$80

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has more context, but LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) saves $8 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $80. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools	LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)	$16	$0
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)	$14	$0
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)	$62	$0

Cheaper input LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) $2 vs $0 / 1M

LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is free for input tokens while Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools costs $2 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) $12 vs $0 / 1M

LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is free for output tokens while Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools costs $12 per 1M tokens.

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 1.05M vs 32.77K

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has 1.02M more context (32x larger).

Sample workload LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) $8 vs $0

LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $8.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools Calculating… Estimated API cost

LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (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

LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) has the lower input price; LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) 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, LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools and $0 for LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free).

Best Fit

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

Choose LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (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, LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is estimated at $0 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $8 (100% lower).
LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $8.
LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is free for input tokens while Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools costs $2 per 1M tokens.
LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is free for output tokens while Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools costs $12 per 1M tokens.
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has 1.02M more context (32x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools (Google)	LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) (LiquidAI)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$2	$0
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$12	$0
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$8	$0
Context Window	1.05M	32.77K
Release Date	2026-02-25	2026-01-20

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) is estimated at $0 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $8 (100% lower).
High-volume input processing	LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools	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 Pro Preview Custom Tools when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 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.
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
GPT-5.4 offers 1.05M context with $10 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

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

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

Google catalog

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

Open Google models

LiquidAI catalog

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

Open LiquidAI models

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools is a variant of Gemini 3.1 Pro that improves tool selection behavior by preventing overuse of a general bash tool when more efficient third-party...

LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free)

LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct is a compact, high-performance instruction-tuned model built for fast on-device AI. It delivers strong chat quality in a 1.2B parameter footprint, with efficient edge inference and broad runtime support.