Nano Banana 2.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewNano Banana 2.1 vs Qwen3.8 Max (0902)
Pick Qwen3.8 Max (0902) when budget and context both matter.
Page updated:
Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Qwen3.8 Max (0902) when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.8 Max (0902) is estimated at $5 vs $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1, saving $0.25 (4.8% lower).
Cost-first pickQwen3.8 Max (0902)
Context-first pickQwen3.8 Max (0902)
Sample savings$0.254.8%
10x traffic gap$2.5
Qwen3.8 Max (0902) is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $2.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Nano Banana 2.1, balanced workload favors Qwen3.8 Max (0902), and output-heavy chatbot favors Qwen3.8 Max (0902).
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Nano Banana 2.1 | Qwen3.8 Max (0902) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Nano Banana 2.1 | $11.25 | $13 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Qwen3.8 Max (0902) | $9 | $8 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Qwen3.8 Max (0902) | $39 | $32 |
Qwen3.8 Max (0902) is $1.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
Qwen3.8 Max (0902) has 934.46K more context (15.3x larger).
Qwen3.8 Max (0902) is $0.25 cheaper on the standard workload (4.8% 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
Nano Banana 2.1 has the lower input price; Qwen3.8 Max (0902) has the lower output price; Qwen3.8 Max (0902) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3.8 Max (0902) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1 and $5 for Qwen3.8 Max (0902).
Choose Nano Banana 2.1 when you care most about lower input-token price.
Choose Qwen3.8 Max (0902) when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.8 Max (0902) is estimated at $5 vs $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1, saving $0.25 (4.8% lower).
- Qwen3.8 Max (0902) is $0.25 cheaper on the standard workload (4.8% lower).
- Nano Banana 2.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).
- Qwen3.8 Max (0902) is $1.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
- Qwen3.8 Max (0902) has 934.46K more context (15.3x larger).
| Feature | NewNano Banana 2.1 (Google) | Qwen3.8 Max (0902) (Qwen) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $1.5 | $2 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $7.5 | $6 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $5.25 | $5 |
| Context Window | 65.54K | 1M |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Qwen3.8 Max (0902) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.8 Max (0902) is estimated at $5 vs $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1, saving $0.25 (4.8% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Nano Banana 2.1 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Qwen3.8 Max (0902) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Qwen3.8 Max (0902) | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Nano Banana 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Nano Banana 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Nano Banana 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Nano Banana 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.47 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Step 5 Preview · StepFun · #2
- GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #3
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash · Xiaomi · #4
Cheaper alternatives
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