API cost decision in 10 seconds

Gemma 4 31B vs 🔥Claude Sonnet 4.6

Pick Gemma 4 31B 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 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 is estimated at $0.3 vs $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4.6, saving $10.2 (97.1% lower).

Cost-first pickGemma 4 31B
Context-first pickClaude Sonnet 4.6
Sample savings$10.297.1%
10x traffic gap$101.95

Claude Sonnet 4.6 has more context, but Gemma 4 31B saves $10.2 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $101.95. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Gemma 4 31B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGemma 4 31BClaude Sonnet 4.6
Input-heavy / RAG 5M input + 500K output Gemma 4 31B $0.78 $22.5
Balanced workload 1M input + 1M output Gemma 4 31B $0.49 $18
Output-heavy chatbot 1M input + 5M output Gemma 4 31B $1.97 $78
Cheaper inputGemma 4 31B$0.12 vs $3 / 1M
Cheaper outputGemma 4 31B$0.37 vs $15 / 1M
Larger contextClaude Sonnet 4.6262.14K vs 1M
Sample workloadGemma 4 31B$0.3 vs $10.5

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Gemma 4 31BCalculating…Estimated API cost
Claude Sonnet 4.6Calculating…Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workloadCalculating…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

Gemma 4 31B has the lower input price, Gemma 4 31B 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 $0.3 for Gemma 4 31B and $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4.6.

Best Fit

Choose Gemma 4 31B 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.

Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGemma 4 31B
(Google)		🔥Claude Sonnet 4.6
(Anthropic)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.12$3
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$0.37$15
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.3$10.5
Context Window262.14K1M
Release Date2026-04-022026-02-17
Popularity#4
Gemma 4 31B

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...

Claude Sonnet 4.6

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 caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGemma 4 31BOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 4 31B is estimated at $0.3 vs $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4.6, saving $10.2 (97.1% lower).
High-volume input processingGemma 4 31BLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGemma 4 31BLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workClaude Sonnet 4.6A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files.