API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewLFM2.5-2.6B (free) vs Qianfan-OCR-Fast

Pick LFM2.5-2.6B (free) when budget is the priority.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick LFM2.5-2.6B (free) when budget is the priority.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.08 for Qianfan-OCR-Fast, saving $2.08 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickLFM2.5-2.6B (free)
Context-first pickBoth models
Sample savings$2.08100%
10x traffic gap$20.85

The reported context window is tied, so cost and provider fit carry more weight. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $20.85. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

LFM2.5-2.6B (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickLFM2.5-2.6B (free)Qianfan-OCR-Fast
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputLFM2.5-2.6B (free)$0$4.81
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputLFM2.5-2.6B (free)$0$3.49
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputLFM2.5-2.6B (free)$0$14.73
Cheaper input LFM2.5-2.6B (free) $0 vs $0.68 / 1M

LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for input tokens while Qianfan-OCR-Fast costs $0.68 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output LFM2.5-2.6B (free) $0 vs $2.81 / 1M

LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for output tokens while Qianfan-OCR-Fast costs $2.81 per 1M tokens.

Larger context Tie 65.54K vs 65.54K

Both models report the same context window at 65.54K tokens.

Sample workload LFM2.5-2.6B (free) $0 vs $2.08

LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $2.08.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
LFM2.5-2.6B (free) Calculating… Estimated API cost
Qianfan-OCR-Fast 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

LFM2.5-2.6B (free) has the lower input price; LFM2.5-2.6B (free) has the lower output price; both models report the same context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0 for LFM2.5-2.6B (free) and $2.08 for Qianfan-OCR-Fast.

Best Fit

Choose LFM2.5-2.6B (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Qianfan-OCR-Fast when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.08 for Qianfan-OCR-Fast, saving $2.08 (100% lower).
  • LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $2.08.
  • LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for input tokens while Qianfan-OCR-Fast costs $0.68 per 1M tokens.
  • LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for output tokens while Qianfan-OCR-Fast costs $2.81 per 1M tokens.
  • Both models report the same context window at 65.54K tokens.
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewLFM2.5-2.6B (free)
(LiquidAI)		Qianfan-OCR-Fast
(Baidu)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0$0.68
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$0$2.81
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0$2.08
Context Window65.54K65.54K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionLFM2.5-2.6B (free)On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.08 for Qianfan-OCR-Fast, saving $2.08 (100% lower).
High-volume input processingLFM2.5-2.6B (free)Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsLFM2.5-2.6B (free)Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workTieA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking can replace Qianfan-OCR-Fast when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.21.
  • ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B can replace Qianfan-OCR-Fast when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.21.
  • ERNIE 4.5 VL 28B A3B can replace Qianfan-OCR-Fast when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.42.
  • ERNIE 4.5 300B A47B can replace Qianfan-OCR-Fast when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.83.

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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

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Provider catalogs

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LiquidAI catalog

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Baidu catalog

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LFM2.5-2.6B (free)

LFM2.5-2.6B is a compact reasoning model from Liquid AI. It is suited for agent workflows, data extraction, RAG, and long-context processing. Liquid advises against using it for agentic coding or...

Qianfan-OCR-Fast

Qianfan-OCR-Fast is a domain-specific multimodal large model purpose-built for OCR. By leveraging specialized OCR training data while preserving versatile multimodal intelligence, it provides a powerful performance upgrade over Qianfan-OCR.