LFM2-24B-A2B is $0.02 cheaper per 1M input tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewGranite 4.1 8B vs LFM2-24B-A2B
Pick LFM2-24B-A2B for lower cost; pick Granite 4.1 8B only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick LFM2-24B-A2B for lower cost; pick Granite 4.1 8B only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2-24B-A2B is estimated at $0.09 vs $0.1 for Granite 4.1 8B, saving $0.01 (10% lower).
Cost-first pickLFM2-24B-A2B
Context-first pickGranite 4.1 8B
Sample savings$0.0110%
10x traffic gap$0.1
Granite 4.1 8B has more context, but LFM2-24B-A2B saves $0.01 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.1. 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 LFM2-24B-A2B, balanced workload favors LFM2-24B-A2B, and output-heavy chatbot favors Granite 4.1 8B.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Granite 4.1 8B | LFM2-24B-A2B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | LFM2-24B-A2B | $0.3 | $0.21 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | LFM2-24B-A2B | $0.15 | $0.15 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Granite 4.1 8B | $0.55 | $0.63 |
Granite 4.1 8B is $0.02 cheaper per 1M output tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
Granite 4.1 8B has 3.07K more context (1.02x larger).
LFM2-24B-A2B is $0.01 cheaper on the standard workload (10% 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
LFM2-24B-A2B has the lower input price; Granite 4.1 8B has the lower output price; Granite 4.1 8B offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, LFM2-24B-A2B is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.1 for Granite 4.1 8B and $0.09 for LFM2-24B-A2B.
Choose Granite 4.1 8B when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.
Choose LFM2-24B-A2B when you care most about lower input-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2-24B-A2B is estimated at $0.09 vs $0.1 for Granite 4.1 8B, saving $0.01 (10% lower).
- LFM2-24B-A2B is $0.01 cheaper on the standard workload (10% lower).
- LFM2-24B-A2B is $0.02 cheaper per 1M input tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
- Granite 4.1 8B is $0.02 cheaper per 1M output tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
- Granite 4.1 8B has 3.07K more context (1.02x larger).
| Feature | NewGranite 4.1 8B (IBM) | LFM2-24B-A2B (LiquidAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.05 | $0.03 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.1 | $0.12 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.1 | $0.09 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 128K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | LFM2-24B-A2B | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2-24B-A2B is estimated at $0.09 vs $0.1 for Granite 4.1 8B, saving $0.01 (10% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | LFM2-24B-A2B | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Granite 4.1 8B | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Granite 4.1 8B | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Granite 4.0 Micro can replace Granite 4.1 8B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.07.
- LFM2.5-1.2B-Thinking (free) can replace LFM2-24B-A2B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- LFM2.5-1.2B-Instruct (free) can replace LFM2-24B-A2B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
Cheaper alternatives
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