API cost decision in 10 seconds
Gemma 4 31B (free) vs 🔥Claude Sonnet 4.6
Pick Gemma 4 31B (free) for lower cost; pick Claude Sonnet 4.6 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 Gemma 4 31B (free) for lower cost; pick Claude Sonnet 4.6 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 4 31B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4.6, saving $10.5 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickGemma 4 31B (free)
Context-first pickClaude Sonnet 4.6
Sample savings$10.5100%
10x traffic gap$105
Claude Sonnet 4.6 has more context, but Gemma 4 31B (free) saves $10.5 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $105. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Gemma 4 31B (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Gemma 4 31B (free) | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Gemma 4 31B (free) | $0 | $22.5 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Gemma 4 31B (free) | $0 | $18 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Gemma 4 31B (free) | $0 | $78 |
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
Gemma 4 31B (free) has the lower input price, Gemma 4 31B (free) has the lower output price, and Claude Sonnet 4.6 offers the larger context window.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0 for Gemma 4 31B (free) and $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4.6.
Choose Gemma 4 31B (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 when you care most about larger context window.
| Feature | Gemma 4 31B (free) (Google) | 🔥Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0 | $3 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0 | $15 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0 | $10.5 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 1M |
| Release Date | 2026-04-02 | 2026-02-17 |
| Popularity | #4 |
Gemma 4 31B Instruct is Google DeepMind's 30.7B dense multimodal model supporting text and image input with text output. Features a 256K token context window, configurable thinking/reasoning mode, native function...
Sonnet 4.6 is Anthropic's most capable Sonnet-class model yet, with frontier performance across coding, agents, and professional work. It excels at iterative development, complex codebase navigation, end-to-end project management with...
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Gemma 4 31B (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 4 31B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4.6, saving $10.5 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Gemma 4 31B (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Gemma 4 31B (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files. |