LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for input tokens while Nemotron 3 Ultra costs $0.6 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewLFM2.5-2.6B (free) vs Nemotron 3 Ultra
Pick LFM2.5-2.6B (free) for lower cost; pick Nemotron 3 Ultra only if the larger context window matters more.
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) for lower cost; pick Nemotron 3 Ultra only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.4 for Nemotron 3 Ultra, saving $2.4 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickLFM2.5-2.6B (free)
Context-first pickNemotron 3 Ultra
Sample savings$2.4100%
10x traffic gap$24
Nemotron 3 Ultra has more context, but LFM2.5-2.6B (free) saves $2.4 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $24. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
LFM2.5-2.6B (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | LFM2.5-2.6B (free) | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | LFM2.5-2.6B (free) | $0 | $4.8 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | LFM2.5-2.6B (free) | $0 | $4.2 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | LFM2.5-2.6B (free) | $0 | $18.6 |
LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for output tokens while Nemotron 3 Ultra costs $3.6 per 1M tokens.
Nemotron 3 Ultra has 446.75K more context (7.82x larger).
LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $2.4.
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
LFM2.5-2.6B (free) has the lower input price; LFM2.5-2.6B (free) has the lower output price; Nemotron 3 Ultra offers the larger 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 $2.4 for Nemotron 3 Ultra.
Choose LFM2.5-2.6B (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Nemotron 3 Ultra when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.4 for Nemotron 3 Ultra, saving $2.4 (100% lower).
- LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $2.4.
- LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for input tokens while Nemotron 3 Ultra costs $0.6 per 1M tokens.
- LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is free for output tokens while Nemotron 3 Ultra costs $3.6 per 1M tokens.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra has 446.75K more context (7.82x larger).
| Feature | NewLFM2.5-2.6B (free) (LiquidAI) | Nemotron 3 Ultra (NVIDIA) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0 | $0.6 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0 | $3.6 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0 | $2.4 |
| Context Window | 65.54K | 512.29K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | LFM2.5-2.6B (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2.5-2.6B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.4 for Nemotron 3 Ultra, saving $2.4 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | LFM2.5-2.6B (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | LFM2.5-2.6B (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Nemotron 3 Ultra | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Nemotron 3 Ultra (free) can replace Nemotron 3 Ultra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) can replace Nemotron 3 Ultra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3.5 Content Safety (free) can replace Nemotron 3 Ultra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3 Nano Omni (free) can replace Nemotron 3 Ultra 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.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.11 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
- Hy3 · Tencent · #3
- Ox Alpha · stealth · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsLiquidAI catalog
Review all tracked LiquidAI models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open LiquidAI modelsNVIDIA catalog
Check other NVIDIA models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open NVIDIA modelsLFM2.5-2.6B 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...
NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Ultra is an open frontier-reasoning and orchestration model from NVIDIA, with 55B active parameters out of 550B total (MoE). Built on a hybrid Transformer-Mamba mixture-of-experts architecture, it...